Edinburgh vs London: cost of living compared
On a £50k salary, the cheaper of the two saves you hundreds a month on essentials. Adjust the salary slider below to see how the gap shifts at your income — everything else (single renter, public transport, UK 2024/25 tax) is held constant.
Based on current UK tax rules and city cost benchmarks. Updated regularly.
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Edinburgh
You save approximately £787/month living in Edinburgh vs London — about £9,444 a year on essentials.
Where the money goes
Monthly spend per category. Cheaper bar is highlighted.
- RentΔ £600Edinburgh£1,250London£1,850
- BillsΔ £8Edinburgh£378London£370
- FoodΔ £35Edinburgh£285London£320
- TransportΔ £115Edinburgh£65London£180
Side-by-side monthly breakdown
Edinburgh vs London on the same salary, same household assumptions. The cheaper city in each row is highlighted.
| Category | Edinburgh | London |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home pay | £3,293 | £3,293 |
| Rent / housing | £1,250 | £1,850 |
| Bills | £378 | £370 |
| Food | £285 | £320 |
| Transport | £65 | £180 |
| Lifestyle & misc | £235 | £280 |
| Total essentials | £2,213 | £3,000 |
| Disposable left | £1,080 | £293 |
- Take-home payTied
- Rent / housing-£600Cheaper in Edinburgh
- Bills+£8Cheaper in London
- Food-£35Cheaper in Edinburgh
- Transport-£115Cheaper in Edinburgh
- Lifestyle & misc-£45Cheaper in Edinburgh
- Total essentials-£787Cheaper in Edinburgh
- Disposable left+£787More for Edinburgh
How Edinburgh and London stack up
Edinburgh. Edinburgh has the highest rents in Scotland and is now within touching distance of southern English cities for housing cost. Housing is the squeeze, and Scottish higher-rate tax kicks in earlier than in England — both compress disposable income above ~£43k.
London. London is the UK's most expensive city to live in, with rent typically the single biggest factor in any budget. Housing is the dominant pressure point — most other categories (food, bills, transport passes) sit only 10–20% above the UK average.
Compare Edinburgh with another city
Reality Score weighs take-home pay against essentials and any savings commitment to gauge how sustainable the setup is.
What this means
Comfortable. You can manage your expenses and maintain moderate savings.
Reality Score weighs take-home pay against essentials and any savings commitment to gauge how sustainable the setup is.
What this means
Stable. Your essentials are covered, with some room left over — though savings progress may be slow.
What this actually means
- Edinburgh: You could realistically save around £540/month. Over 5 years that's £32,400 before any investment growth.
- London: Housing eats 56% of your take-home in London — well above the 30% healthy benchmark. A cheaper area or a flatmate would unlock real breathing room.
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Reality Score for this scenario: 81/100 — Comfortable
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These figures are estimates and may vary based on individual circumstances.
- Based on UK cost benchmarks
- Updated regularly
- Indicative estimates, not financial advice