Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swindon and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $2,768 in Swindon, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Swindon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

133

Cost of Living Index in Swindon
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Swindon Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Swindon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,768

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,768 per month in Swindon vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Swindon $2,768
Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $3,814 per month in Swindon vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Swindon $3,814
Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $4,861 per month in Swindon vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Swindon $4,861
Edinburgh $5,397

Swindon costs about 5% more than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Swindon and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Swindon by 103%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 £15.13

$24.35 £18.18

-16.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.0 £47.05

$105 £78.6

-40.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 £8.01

$10.47 £7.81

2.39%

Cappuccino

$4.79 £3.58

$5.02 £3.75

-4.58%

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

$3.12 £2.33

$2.41 £1.80

29.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.20

$2.19 £1.64

-26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 £4.27

$8.04 £6.00

-28.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 £3.45

$7.91 £5.91

-41.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.75 £1.31

-4.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 £1.46

$2.33 £1.74

-15.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.35 £1.75

-20.43%

Eggs

$4.49 £3.35

$5.13 £3.83

-12.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.48 £7.08

$9.05 £6.76

4.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 £6.85

$9.26 £6.92

-0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 £10.79

$16.17 £12.08

-10.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.32

$3.05 £2.28

1.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 £1.84

$1.87 £1.40

32.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 £3.04

$3.35 £2.50

21.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 £3.16

$3.75 £2.80

13.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 £1.51

$2.05 £1.53

-1.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.53 £1.14

13.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.33 £1.00

48.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.89 £1.41

-8.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.34 £17.43

$23.87 £17.82

-2.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 £11.40

$10.96 £8.18

39.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.86 £2.88

$3.16 £2.36

22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 £2.85

$3.22 £2.40

18.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.09 £3.06

$3.13 £2.34

30.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.9 £73.9

$99.8 £74.5

-0.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 £5.07

$5.45 £4.07

24.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 £1.26

$1.90 £1.42

-11.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.54 £16.08

$28.50 £21.28

-24.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.51

$2.06 £1.54

-1.46%

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

$39.0K £29.1K

$38.2K £28.5K

2.08%

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

$40.8K £30.5K

$39.7K £29.7K

2.77%

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

$636 £475

$329 £246

93.15%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$16.81 £12.55

-3.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.50 £33.23

$43.13 £32.20

3.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.18 £25.52

$41.84 £31.24

-18.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.11 £17.25

$23.33 £17.42

-0.94%

Cinema Ticket

$17.61 £13.15

$14.67 £10.95

20.04%

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

$1,966 £1,468

$1,901 £1,419

3.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,376 £4,014

$25.8K £19.2K

-79.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 £66.5

$82.2 £61.4

8.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.92 £32.79

$50.0 £37.34

-12.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 £61.1

$106 £78.9

-22.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.5 £63.9

$115 £86.0

-25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 £942

$1,691 £1,263

-25.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 £810

$1,205 £900

-9.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,027 £1,514

$2,959 £2,209

-31.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 £1,268

$2,184 £1,631

-22.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,289 £3,949

$6,388 £4,769

-17.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,741 £2,794

$4,514 £3,370

-17.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,969 £2,217

$3,632 £2,712

-18.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.59

4.77

17.19%

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

Last update for Swindon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Swindon

$1.1K 39.2%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 11.1% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swindon

$697 25.2%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 44.1% $307

Groceries & Markets

Swindon

$343 12.4%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 2.9% $10

Eating Out

Swindon

$309 11.2%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 16.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Swindon

$135 4.9%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 17.6% $24

Getting Around

Swindon

$131 4.7%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 2.5% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Swindon

$69 2.5%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 2.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,262 in Swindon 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 22% higher in Edinburgh, 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 $63 in Swindon versus $105 in Edinburgh. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Swindon vs $333 in Edinburgh – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Swindon

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

Same time as Swindon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,638

488,050

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Swindon vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Swindon is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,152 per month in Swindon 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 Swindon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,262 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,768 in Swindon and $2,645 in Edinburgh. That makes Edinburgh about 4% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,966 per month in Swindon 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 $2,768 in Swindon and $2,645 in Edinburgh. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Edinburgh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,645 in Edinburgh to $2,768 in Swindon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.