Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Andrews and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Andrews: $2,285 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
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St. Andrews Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,285 per month in St. Andrews vs $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent included.

St. Andrews $2,285
Edinburgh $2,601

A couple spends around $3,891 per month in St. Andrews vs $3,985 in Edinburgh, rent included.

St. Andrews $3,891
Edinburgh $3,985

A family of three spends $5,496 per month in St. Andrews vs $5,369 in Edinburgh, rent included.

St. Andrews $5,496
Edinburgh $5,369

St. Andrews is about 12% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both St. Andrews and Edinburgh sit above the global median – St. Andrews by 69%, Edinburgh by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.15 £15.87

$23.67 £17.76

-10.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 £65.9

$108 £81.4

-18.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$10.71 £8.04

-1.87%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.46

$5.25 £3.94

-12.19%

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

$2.84 £2.13

$2.48 £1.86

14.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.57

$2.17 £1.63

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 £5.07

$7.94 £5.96

-14.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.07

$8.00 £6.00

-15.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.69 £1.27

-10.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.28

$2.35 £1.77

-27.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$2.36 £1.77

-13.98%

Eggs

$4.49 £3.37

$4.96 £3.72

-9.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 £5.53

$9.20 £6.91

-19.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 £7.24

$9.33 £7.00

3.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.56

$15.79 £11.85

-2.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 £1.88

$3.01 £2.26

-16.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.88 £1.41

-29.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 £2.07

$3.42 £2.57

-19.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 £2.15

$3.67 £2.75

-22.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.01 £1.51

-15.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.55 £1.16

-1.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.32 £0.99

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.85

$1.93 £1.45

27.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.57 £16.93

$23.23 £17.43

-2.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 £8.15

$11.20 £8.40

-3.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.03

$3.12 £2.34

-13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$3.27 £2.46

-8.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.79 £3.59

$3.14 £2.35

52.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 £3.04

$5.43 £4.08

-25.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 £1.83

$1.82 £1.37

34.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.73 £17.80

$28.32 £21.25

-16.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.58

$2.08 £1.56

0.96%

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

$38.3K £28.7K

$38.6K £28.9K

-0.65%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$39.9K £29.9K

3.31%

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

$243 £182

$328 £246

-26.06%

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

$13.40 £10.06

$16.47 £12.36

-18.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.64 £31.24

$42.32 £31.75

-1.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.6 £68.7

$44.41 £33.32

106.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$13.06 £9.80

$14.39 £10.79

-9.24%

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

$1,806 £1,355

$1,775 £1,331

1.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K £17.1K

$25.6K £19.2K

-10.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 £71.7

$81.2 £60.9

17.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.97 £36.74

$49.04 £36.79

-0.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.8

$108 £81.2

-4.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 £66.4

$115 £85.9

-22.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 £1,025

$1,600 £1,200

-14.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 £792

$1,168 £876

-9.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,104 £2,329

$2,803 £2,103

10.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,743 £2,058

$2,155 £1,617

27.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,137 £4,604

$6,714 £5,037

-8.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,718 £2,039

$4,715 £3,538

-42.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,397 £2,548

$3,558 £2,669

-4.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

4.77

13.42%

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

Last update for St. Andrews: October 18, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Andrews

$1.1K 46.2%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 10.6% $112

Eating Out

St. Andrews

$323 14.1%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 11% $36

Groceries & Markets

St. Andrews

$304 13.3%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Andrews

$298 13%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 30% $89

Clothing & Footwear

St. Andrews

$152 6.6%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 4.8% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

St. Andrews

$118 5.2%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 37.8% $44

Getting Around

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.6%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 250% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,366 in St. Andrews 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 5% 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 $88.0 in St. Andrews versus $108 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $332 – making St. Andrews the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

Same time as St. Andrews

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,460

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

St. Andrews Edinburgh 49 km

From you

St. Andrews
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

St. Andrews vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,428 per month in St. Andrews 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 St. Andrews, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,285 in St. Andrews and $2,601 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $1,806 per month in St. Andrews and $1,775 in Edinburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Andrews, where all-in costs run around $2,285, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In St. Andrews it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St. Andrews – 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 St. Andrews. 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.