Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southwark and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Southwark: $1,486 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Edinburgh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in Southwark
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Southwark Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Southwark

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,486

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Southwark 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 Southwark and in Edinburgh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,486 per month in Southwark vs $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Southwark $1,486
Edinburgh $2,601

A couple spends around $4,262 per month in Southwark vs $3,985 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Southwark $4,262
Edinburgh $3,985

A family of three spends $7,038 per month in Southwark vs $5,369 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Southwark $7,038
Edinburgh $5,369

Southwark is about 43% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Southwark and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Southwark by 10%, Edinburgh by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.00 £18.76

$23.67 £17.76

5.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £75.6

$108 £81.4

-7.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £8.00

$10.71 £8.04

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$5.70 £4.28

$5.25 £3.94

8.57%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$2.48 £1.86

22.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 £1.95

$2.17 £1.63

19.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.29 £6.97

$7.94 £5.96

17.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.28 £6.21

$8.00 £6.00

3.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.69 £1.27

13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.35 £1.77

-12.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.36 £1.77

-6.78%

Eggs

$4.38 £3.29

$4.96 £3.72

-11.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.90 £8.93

$9.20 £6.91

29.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 £6.80

$9.33 £7.00

-2.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.57 £11.68

$15.79 £11.85

-1.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.01 £2.26

1.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.88 £1.41

-23.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 £2.24

$3.42 £2.57

-12.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$3.67 £2.75

-4.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.25

$2.01 £1.51

-17.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 £1.34

$1.55 £1.16

15.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.32 £0.99

3.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.93 £1.45

-3.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.44 £17.59

$23.23 £17.43

0.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 £9.12

$11.20 £8.40

8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.12 £2.34

-2.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$3.27 £2.46

-1.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.92

$3.14 £2.35

23.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$157 £118

$97.0 £72.8

61.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 £3.73

$5.43 £4.08

-8.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 £2.04

$1.82 £1.37

49.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.66 £29.75

$28.32 £21.25

40.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 £1.62

$2.08 £1.56

3.37%

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

$37.9K £28.4K

$38.6K £28.9K

-1.85%

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

$39.9K £30.0K

$39.9K £29.9K

0.22%

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

$335 £251

$328 £246

1.98%

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

$18.37 £13.78

$16.47 £12.36

11.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.35 £30.27

$42.32 £31.75

-4.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$18.05 £13.54

$14.39 £10.79

25.43%

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

$2,557 £1,919

$1,775 £1,331

44.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K £22.8K

$25.6K £19.2K

18.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.1 £69.9

$81.2 £60.9

14.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.53 £34.91

$49.04 £36.79

-5.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £77.5

$108 £81.2

-4.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 £67.5

$115 £85.9

-21.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 £1,731

$1,600 £1,200

44.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,586 £4,190

$2,803 £2,103

99.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,792 £2,844

$2,155 £1,617

75.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,185 £3,140

$3,558 £2,669

17.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

4.77

7.34%

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

Last update for Southwark: October 18, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southwark

$393 26.5%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 1.6% $6.4

Eating Out

Southwark

$386 26%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 7.1% $27

Groceries & Markets

Southwark

$329 22.2%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 0.7% $2.3

Getting Around

Southwark

$191 12.9%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 35% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Southwark

$150 10.1%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 6.1% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Southwark

$36 * 2.4%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 103% $37

Accommodation & Living

Southwark

- * 0%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,307 in Southwark versus $1,600 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 18% higher in Southwark, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Southwark versus $108 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $332 – making Southwark the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southwark

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

Same time as Southwark

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,552

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Southwark Edinburgh 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Southwark
Edinburgh

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

Southwark vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,229 per month in Southwark and $3,902 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Southwark, 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 $101 in Southwark and $108 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 $1,486 in Southwark and $2,601 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 75%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,486 in Southwark and $2,601 in Edinburgh. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Southwark – 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 Southwark. 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.