Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sheffield and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sheffield: $2,228 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Sheffield
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Sheffield Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Sheffield

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,228

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sheffield and in Edinburgh

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sheffield and in Edinburgh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,228 per month in Sheffield vs $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Sheffield $2,228
Edinburgh $2,617

A couple spends around $3,217 per month in Sheffield vs $3,956 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Sheffield $3,217
Edinburgh $3,956

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Sheffield vs $5,295 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Sheffield $4,206
Edinburgh $5,295

Sheffield is about 15% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sheffield and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Sheffield by 65%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.86 £14.90

$23.64 £17.73

-15.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 £60.8

$104 £78.2

-22.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.96

$10.48 £7.86

1.24%

Cappuccino

$4.27 £3.20

$5.08 £3.81

-15.94%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 £1.78

$2.50 £1.87

-5.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.02

$2.15 £1.61

-36.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.88 £4.41

$8.06 £6.04

-27.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 £3.86

$8.13 £6.10

-36.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.68 £1.26

-13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.29 £1.71

-20.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 £1.87

$2.25 £1.69

10.67%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.99

$5.05 £3.79

-21.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 £6.62

$9.05 £6.79

-2.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.47 £6.35

$9.49 £7.12

-10.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 £10.66

$16.12 £12.10

-11.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 £2.28

$3.05 £2.29

-0.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.93 £1.45

-35.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 £1.98

$3.36 £2.52

-21.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$3.68 £2.76

-22.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 £1.35

$2.07 £1.55

-13.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.54 £1.16

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.25 £0.94

-7.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.94 £1.45

-29.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.54 £15.41

$23.67 £17.76

-13.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.50

$11.13 £8.35

1.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 £2.48

$3.22 £2.42

2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.19 £2.40

0.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.02 £3.02

$3.20 £2.40

25.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.2 £68.4

$96.7 £72.6

-5.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.20 £3.90

$5.18 £3.89

0.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.86 £1.40

-26.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.45 £14.59

$28.69 £21.52

-32.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 £1.51

$2.14 £1.60

-6.07%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.0K £28.5K

$38.6K £29.0K

-1.55%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$41.2K £30.9K

0.05%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$343 £257

$330 £248

3.80%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$20.04 £15.04

$16.39 £12.30

22.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.81 £31.37

$42.15 £31.63

-0.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.04 £33.04

$44.13 £33.11

-0.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.45 £6.34

$23.04 £17.28

-63.32%

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 £9.60

$14.30 £10.73

-10.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,228 £921

$1,759 £1,319

-30.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K £18.2K

$25.4K £19.0K

-4.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 £65.0

$80.6 £60.4

7.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.52 £31.15

$49.45 £37.10

-16.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 £67.7

$106 £79.2

-14.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 £67.3

$115 £86.0

-21.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 £885

$1,611 £1,209

-26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$907 £680

$1,185 £889

-23.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,853 £1,390

$2,738 £2,054

-32.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 £1,054

$2,106 £1,580

-33.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,637 £4,229

$6,632 £4,976

-15.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,669 £2,003

$4,609 £3,458

-42.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,109 £2,332

$3,522 £2,642

-11.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Sheffield: October 12, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Sheffield

$907 40.7%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 30.6% $278

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sheffield

$404 18.2%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 3.9% $16

Eating Out

Sheffield

$297 13.3%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 20.2% $60

Groceries & Markets

Sheffield

$292 13.1%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 13.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Sheffield

$139 6.2%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 13.6% $19

Getting Around

Sheffield

$119 5.4%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 3.9% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sheffield

$70 3.1%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 4.4% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Sheffield versus $1,611 in Edinburgh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Edinburgh, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Sheffield versus $104 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $333 – making Sheffield the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Sheffield

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

Same time as Sheffield

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

547,000

488,050

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sheffield Edinburgh 310 km

From you

Sheffield
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sheffield vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,342 per month in Sheffield and $3,925 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sheffield, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Sheffield and $104 in Edinburgh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,228 in Sheffield and $2,617 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 17%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Sheffield, where all-in costs run around $2,228, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Sheffield it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sheffield – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sheffield. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Edinburgh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.