Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey, United Kingdom and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $3,025 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

148

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Surrey

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,025

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,025 per month in Surrey vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Surrey $3,025
Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $4,456 per month in Surrey vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Surrey $4,456
Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $5,887 per month in Surrey vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Surrey $5,887
Edinburgh $5,397

Surrey costs about 14% more than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Surrey and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Surrey by 122%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.47 £17.66

$24.35 £18.32

-3.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 £44.75

$105 £79.2

-43.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.62 £7.24

$10.47 £7.88

-8.12%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.59

$5.02 £3.78

-4.98%

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

$2.26 £1.70

$2.41 £1.82

-6.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$2.19 £1.65

-32.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.54 £4.92

$8.04 £6.05

-18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 £4.63

$7.91 £5.95

-22.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 £0.99

$1.75 £1.32

-25.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 £1.58

$2.33 £1.75

-9.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 £1.21

$2.35 £1.77

-31.91%

Eggs

$4.15 £3.13

$5.13 £3.86

-19.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 £6.49

$9.05 £6.81

-4.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.02

$9.26 £6.97

0.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.52 £12.43

$16.17 £12.17

2.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.05 £2.29

4.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 £1.12

$1.87 £1.41

-20.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 £1.53

$3.35 £2.52

-39.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 £2.45

$3.75 £2.83

-13.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 £1.04

$2.05 £1.54

-32.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.53 £1.15

16.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.06

$1.33 £1.00

5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.89 £1.42

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.32 £17.55

$23.87 £17.96

-2.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.47 £7.88

$10.96 £8.25

-4.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.67

$3.16 £2.37

-29.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.88

$3.22 £2.42

-22.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 £2.93

$3.13 £2.36

24.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £75.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.22 £3.93

$5.45 £4.10

-4.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.43

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.45

$2.06 £1.55

-6.31%

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

$38.1K £28.7K

$38.2K £28.8K

-0.26%

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

$41.0K £30.8K

$39.7K £29.9K

3.16%

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

$263 £198

$329 £248

-20.20%

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

$13.29 £10.00

$16.81 £12.65

-20.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.87 £27.00

$43.13 £32.46

-16.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 £39.69

$41.84 £31.49

26.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 £13.88

$23.33 £17.56

-20.96%

Cinema Ticket

$13.07 £9.84

$14.67 £11.04

-10.91%

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

$2,137 £1,609

$1,901 £1,430

12.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K £22.5K

$25.8K £19.4K

15.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 £39.69

$82.2 £61.8

-35.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 £30.12

$50.0 £37.63

-19.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 £65.8

$106 £79.6

-17.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.0 £70.0

$115 £86.7

-19.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 £1,463

$1,691 £1,273

15.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,864 £1,403

$1,205 £907

54.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,308 £2,489

$2,959 £2,227

11.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,400 £2,559

$2,184 £1,644

55.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,807

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,255 £5,460

$4,514 £3,397

60.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,565 £3,436

$3,632 £2,733

25.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

4.77

13.21%

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

Last update for Surrey: October 27, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surrey

$1.9K 61.6%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 35.4% $659

Eating Out

Surrey

$334 11%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 8.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surrey

$312 10.3%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 24.8% $77

Groceries & Markets

Surrey

$293 9.7%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 13.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Surrey

$123 4.1%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 29.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Surrey

$79 2.6%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 9.8% $7.7

Getting Around

Surrey

$21 * 0.7%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 512% $107

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,945 in Surrey versus $1,691 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 26% higher in Surrey. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Surrey versus $105 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $333 – making Surrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Surrey

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

Same time as Surrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

585

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

Surrey Edinburgh 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Surrey
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

Surrey vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,538 per month in Surrey and $3,968 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edinburgh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,691 there versus $1,945 in Surrey.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,025 in Surrey and $2,645 in Edinburgh. That makes Edinburgh about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,137 per month in Surrey and $1,901 in Edinburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,025 in Surrey and $2,645 in Edinburgh. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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