Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wakefield and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakefield: $2,009 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Wakefield
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Wakefield Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Wakefield

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,009

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,009 per month in Wakefield vs $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Wakefield $2,009
Edinburgh $2,601

A couple spends around $3,209 per month in Wakefield vs $3,985 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Wakefield $3,209
Edinburgh $3,985

A family of three spends $4,410 per month in Wakefield vs $5,369 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Wakefield $4,410
Edinburgh $5,369

Wakefield is about 23% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Wakefield and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Wakefield by 48%, Edinburgh by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.71 £14.79

$23.67 £17.76

-16.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 £62.4

$108 £81.4

-23.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.70 £7.28

$10.71 £8.04

-9.43%

Cappuccino

$4.26 £3.19

$5.25 £3.94

-18.86%

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

$2.33 £1.75

$2.48 £1.86

-6.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.02

$2.17 £1.63

-37.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 £4.45

$7.94 £5.96

-25.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.38 £4.03

$8.00 £6.00

-32.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.69 £1.27

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$2.35 £1.77

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 £1.97

$2.36 £1.77

11.44%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.96 £3.72

-18.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 £5.72

$9.20 £6.91

-17.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 £6.25

$9.33 £7.00

-10.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 £10.55

$15.79 £11.85

-10.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.25

$3.01 £2.26

-0.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.06

$1.88 £1.41

-24.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 £1.92

$3.42 £2.57

-25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 £2.15

$3.67 £2.75

-21.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$2.01 £1.51

-9.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.55 £1.16

3.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.32 £0.99

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.93 £1.45

-24.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.52 £16.90

$23.23 £17.43

-3.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 £8.07

$11.20 £8.40

-3.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 £2.56

$3.12 £2.34

9.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 £2.49

$3.27 £2.46

1.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.47

$3.14 £2.35

5.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £78.5

$97.0 £72.8

7.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.25 £3.94

$5.43 £4.08

-3.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 £1.07

$1.82 £1.37

-21.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.75 £11.81

$28.32 £21.25

-44.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.08 £1.56

-1.44%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$38.6K £28.9K

-1.19%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$39.9K £29.9K

2.48%

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

$342 £256

$328 £246

4.12%

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

$15.54 £11.66

$16.47 £12.36

-5.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.64 £31.99

$42.32 £31.75

0.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.62 £25.97

$44.41 £33.32

-22.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.07 £20.31

$23.05 £17.30

17.44%

Cinema Ticket

$13.89 £10.42

$14.39 £10.79

-3.47%

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

$1,217 £913

$1,775 £1,331

-31.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K £18.4K

$25.6K £19.2K

-4.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 £66.0

$81.2 £60.9

8.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.57

$49.04 £36.79

10.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 £67.9

$108 £81.2

-16.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 £68.0

$115 £85.9

-20.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 £737

$1,600 £1,200

-38.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$688 £516

$1,168 £876

-41.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 £1,614

$2,803 £2,103

-23.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 £1,184

$2,155 £1,617

-26.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,045 £3,034

$6,714 £5,037

-39.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,678 £2,009

$4,715 £3,538

-43.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,420 £1,816

$3,558 £2,669

-31.97%

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 Wakefield: 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

Wakefield

$688 34.2%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 69.8% $480

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wakefield

$400 19.9%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 3.2% $13

Eating Out

Wakefield

$293 14.6%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 22.4% $66

Groceries & Markets

Wakefield

$291 14.5%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 14.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Wakefield

$145 7.2%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 9.3% $13

Getting Around

Wakefield

$130 6.5%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 4.7% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Wakefield

$62 3.1%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 17.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $983 in Wakefield 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 47% 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 $83.0 in Wakefield versus $108 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $332 – making Wakefield the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Wakefield

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

12:37 12:37 PM

Same time as Wakefield

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,300

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

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Wakefield Edinburgh 270 km

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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

Wakefield vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,014 per month in Wakefield 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 Wakefield, 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 $83.0 in Wakefield 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 $2,009 in Wakefield and $2,601 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 29%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Wakefield, where all-in costs run around $2,009, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Wakefield it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wakefield – 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 Wakefield. 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.