Cost of living in Edinburgh
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Single: 1-bed home. Couple: 2-bed home. Family: 3-bed home with one child. Estimates use average local rent, Band D council tax, and standard figures for groceries, transport and childcare.
Edinburgh is the most expensive Scottish city by some margin, although it remains noticeably cheaper than London or Bristol. Rents in the Lothian rental market area average £1,415/month overall and £1,035 for a one-bed, and a typical single-person basket comes to around £1,622. Average earnings of £37,380/year are the highest of any Scottish city we cover and comfortably above the UK average, which pulls the affordability score back to 49.8% (rank #223 of 348): mid-range, broadly comparable to Leeds or Manchester. The economy leans heavily on financial services (Edinburgh is the second-largest financial centre in the UK), legal and professional services, tech, government and the public sector, and a major tourism and festival industry. The University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, and Napier add a substantial student population. Honest downsides: the August Fringe inflates short-term costs significantly. Rent has climbed sharply in the past five years. And Scottish income tax rates differ from the rest of the UK, which is worth knowing if you're moving from England. The weather, especially the January wind off the Forth, is what you'd expect.
- Known for:
- Scottish capital; financial-services centre; the Festival and Fringe; UNESCO Old Town and New Town; Edinburgh Castle and Arthur's Seat.
- Transport:
- Trains to London King's Cross take about 4hr 20min. Excellent local bus network run by Lothian Buses; trams to the airport. Easy onward connections to Glasgow (50 minutes).
- Character:
- Compact, walkable, historic, and increasingly expensive. Strong professional and tourism economy, dense student presence, and a genuine cultural calendar that runs year-round.
Rent in Edinburgh
The average monthly rent in Edinburgh is £1,415.
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)
Scottish rent figures are based on Broad Rental Market Area (BRMA) averages from the Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics and ONS PIPR, not directly at council level. Councils within the same BRMA share the same headline figure.
Earnings in Edinburgh
The average annual salary for residents of Edinburgh is £37,380.
The average salary is the middle value: half of residents earn more and half earn less. The mean salary adds up everyone's pay and divides it by the number of people, so a few very high earners pull it up. We use the middle value as the average throughout this site.
Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)
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Average house prices in Edinburgh
Source: ONS / HM Land Registry. Historical trend based on quarterly rolling-year average prices.
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Climate and weather in Edinburgh
Summer daytime highs in Edinburgh typically reach 19.2°C in July, dropping to around 6.7°C in January. Edinburgh is much drier than average for the UK, with rain falling on about 2.7 days a week. It gets around 30% less rainfall than the UK average. The area gets a typical amount of sunshine for the UK, averaging around 5.2 hours per day in summer. Expect frost on around 102 days per year, mostly between October and April.
| Month | Daytime high | Rainfall | Rain days | Sunshine | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.7°C | 76mm | 13 | 51h | 17 |
| Feb | 7.4°C | 61mm | 11 | 80h | 16 |
| Mar | 9.3°C | 56mm | 11 | 113h | 14 |
| Apr | 11.8°C | 48mm | 9 | 153h | 11 |
| May | 14.8°C | 54mm | 11 | 192h | 5 |
| Jun | 17.3°C | 72mm | 11 | 161h | 1 |
| Jul | 19.2°C | 74mm | 12 | 163h | 0 |
| Aug | 18.8°C | 79mm | 12 | 152h | 1 |
| Sep | 16.5°C | 61mm | 11 | 126h | 2 |
| Oct | 12.9°C | 84mm | 13 | 94h | 7 |
| Nov | 9.3°C | 74mm | 13 | 69h | 13 |
| Dec | 6.9°C | 78mm | 13 | 44h | 17 |
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How this is calculated
Climate data is based on Met Office 30-year averages (1991-2020), calculated from 12 observation grid points covering the Edinburgh local authority area.
Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid , 1991-2020 averages. Crown copyright. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Council tax in Edinburgh
Band D council tax in Edinburgh is £1,626 per year.
Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government
Energy costs in Edinburgh
A typical household in Edinburgh pays approximately £1,723/year (£144/month) for gas and electricity.
Energy region: South Scotland
This estimate is based on the Ofgem price cap for a typical dual-fuel household using 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas per year, paying by Direct Debit. Your actual costs will depend on your usage, tariff, and whether you're on a fixed deal.
Source: Ofgem Energy Price Cap, Q4 2026
Water costs in Edinburgh
The combined water and waste water charge from Scottish Water for a Band D home is £652/year (£54/month).
Water company: Scottish Water
In Scotland, water and waste water charges follow the council tax band and are billed with council tax. A lower band pays less and a higher band pays more. A home with one adult gets 25% off, as with council tax: £489 a year (£41 a month). Our single-person monthly cost uses that figure.
Source: Scottish Water 2026-27 charges for a Band D home (water £301.95 and waste water £350.37 a year, billed with council tax)
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Broadband in Edinburgh
Edinburgh has 83% full fibre coverage and 92.7% gigabit-capable coverage across residential premises.
Full fibre take-up: 36% of premises with full fibre available have taken it up.
"Gigabit-capable" means a connection of 1 Gbit/s or faster is available at the premises (full fibre or upgraded cable). "Full fibre" is fibre-to-the-premises specifically. "No decent broadband" counts premises below the 10 Mbit/s down / 1 Mbit/s up Universal Service Obligation.
See all UK areas ranked by broadband coverage →
Source: Ofcom Connected Nations 2025, July 2025
Crime in Edinburgh
There were 744 recorded crimes per 10,000 people in Edinburgh, which is above the Scotland average of 569. Edinburgh ranks #169 out of 303 areas for lowest crime rate.
Recorded crime statistics reflect crimes reported to and recorded by police. They may not capture the full picture of crime in an area, and recording practices vary between forces.
Source: Home Office police recorded crime, 2025-26
Compare Edinburgh with another area
How does Edinburgh compare?
Side-by-side comparisons against three other UK areas, using the same single-person basket as the rest of the site.
Glasgow costs around £187/month less than Edinburgh on the same basket (£1,435/month vs £1,622/month).
See the full comparison → Edinburgh vs ManchesterManchester costs around £22/month more than Edinburgh on the same basket (£1,644/month vs £1,622/month).
See the full comparison → Edinburgh vs BristolBristol costs around £285/month more than Edinburgh on the same basket (£1,907/month vs £1,622/month).
See the full comparison →Or compare Edinburgh with any UK area using the comparison tool.
Nearby areas
Explore the cost of living in areas close to Edinburgh.