Cost of Living score
Affordability, essential costs, and day-to-day financial pressure for residents.
Cost of Living in Edinburgh62/100
Cost of Living
Cost of Living in Edinburgh
Edinburgh is expensive for rent during festival peaks, more moderate off-season; services costs are in line with UK peers. Cost of Living in Edinburgh scores 62/100, placing it in the developing group of the indexed set.
- Last updated
- 2026-05-16
- Data year
- 2025
- Module score
- 62/100
Affordability score
62/100
Moderate directional score; festival seasonality shapes housing.
Housing pressure
High
Central demand and short-let competition tighten supply.
Transport cost offset
Strong
Walking and transit reduce vehicle dependence.
Edinburgh cost of living data table
This HTML table mirrors the visible score cards so important comparison data is never trapped in a browser-only chart.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability score | 62/100 | Off-season is more accessible than peak periods. |
| Housing pressure | High | Outer districts are more accessible. |
| Transport cost offset | Strong | Multi-modal commuting is feasible. |
Cost of Living city comparison
A crawlable comparison across a selection of same-country and top-scoring cities. The complete set is reachable via the rankings, the cities index, and each city profile.
| City | Score | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh (this page) | 62/100 | Edinburgh is expensive for rent during festival peaks, more moderate off-season; services costs are in line with UK peers. |
| Middlesbrough | 76/100 | Middlesbrough's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Belfast | 76/100 | Belfast's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Preston | 74/100 | Preston's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Glasgow | 74/100 | Glasgow's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Cardiff | 74/100 | Cardiff's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Sheffield | 73/100 | Sheffield's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Birmingham | 72/100 | Birmingham's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Leeds | 72/100 | Leeds's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Liverpool | 72/100 | Liverpool's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Northampton | 70/100 | Northampton's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Manchester | 70/100 | Manchester's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Bristol | 70/100 | Bristol's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Luton | 68/100 | Luton's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Southend-on-Sea | 66/100 | Southend-on-Sea's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Sunderland | 66/100 | Sunderland's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Bournemouth | 64/100 | Bournemouth's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Milton Keynes | 64/100 | Milton Keynes's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Bradford | 64/100 | Bradford's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Wolverhampton | 64/100 | Wolverhampton's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Derby | 62/100 | Derby's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Wrexham | 60/100 | Wrexham's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Leicester | 60/100 | Leicester's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Coventry | 60/100 | Coventry's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Oxford | 60/100 | Oxford's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Brighton | 60/100 | Brighton's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Stockport | 59/100 | Stockport's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Brighton and Hove | 59/100 | Brighton and Hove's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Barnsley | 59/100 | Barnsley's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Newport | 58/100 | Newport's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Reading | 58/100 | Reading's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
Interpretation
Affordability scoring weighs essential spending, mobility, and seasonal demand. Across the indexed cities the cost of living average is 62/100, so Edinburgh is close to the median for this dimension. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16. Drawn from 3 institutional references.
Read this module with the main open the edinburgh city profile and the read the scoring methodology page so single-topic pages do not hide tradeoffs across dimensions.
Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation. Verified datasets are being integrated; official sources should be used for critical decisions.
Sources
3 institutional references inform this view, listed below with reliability notes. Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation; verified datasets are being integrated and official sources should be used for critical decisions.
- UN-Habitat: World Cities Report 2024
Used as a policy and methodology reference for urban exposure and resilience signals.
- IPCC: AR6 WGII Chapter 6: Cities, settlements and key infrastructure
Used to explain urban climate vulnerability and adaptation scoring logic.
- Numbeo: Cost of Living Index
Used for directional affordability framing alongside official housing and price datasets.
Continue exploring
These links connect module pages back to city, ranking, and sibling topic paths with crawlable href values.
Edinburgh city profile
Return to the complete Edinburgh profile with all module scores and source context.
Air Quality in Edinburgh
Health-oriented air-quality conditions with context from WHO, EEA, and EPA benchmarks.
Energy in Edinburgh
Clean-energy readiness, grid resilience, and solar or efficiency opportunity signals.
Safety in Edinburgh
Personal safety, institutional trust, and resilience signals informed by international safety and crime data.
Internet Speed in Edinburgh
Broadband and mobile connectivity quality, latency, and digital-readiness signals for residents and remote workers.
Climate Risk in Edinburgh
Climate exposure, hazard frequency, and adaptation context for floods, heat, storms, and wildfires.
Overall Intelligence
A balanced ranking of cities across affordability, air quality, clean-energy readiness, and resilience.
Quality of Life
Cities that combine strong services, mobility, safety, clean air, and resilience into a healthy day-to-day profile.