Comparison

Edinburgh vs Bristol

Renting in Bristol costs £456/month more than Edinburgh.

Scotland  vs  South West, England

Average rent
Edinburgh
£1,432/mo
Lower
Bristol
£1,888/mo
£456 difference
Average earnings
Edinburgh
£37,380/yr
Higher
Bristol
£34,051/yr
£3,329 difference

Rent comparison

Bedrooms
Edinburgh
Overall
£1,432/mo
£1,888/mo
1 Bed
£1,035/mo
£1,227/mo
2 Bed
£1,328/mo
£1,546/mo
3 Bed
£1,705/mo
£1,759/mo
4+ Bed
£2,739/mo
£2,565/mo

Overall, renting in Edinburgh is £456/month cheaper than Bristol - that's £5,472/year.

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)

Earnings comparison

Edinburgh - average
£37,380/yr
Bristol - average
£34,051/yr

Residents of Edinburgh earn £3,329/year more than those in Bristol.

Affordability insight
Edinburgh
46%
of gross earnings on rent
Bristol
67%
of gross earnings on rent

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

House prices comparison

House price data is not currently available for Edinburgh.

Source: ONS / HM Land Registry

Council tax comparison

Edinburgh - Band D
£1,626/yr
Bristol - Band D
£2,714/yr

You would pay £1,088/year more in council tax (Band D) living in Bristol than in Edinburgh.

Band
Edinburgh
Band A
£1,084
£1,809
Band B
£1,265
£2,111
Band C
£1,445
£2,412
Band D
Benchmark
£1,626
£2,714
Band E
£2,136
£3,317
Band F
£2,642
£3,920
Band G
£3,184
£4,523
Band H
£3,984
£5,427

Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government

Band D is used as the standard benchmark for comparing council tax across areas. Other bands are set as fixed proportions of the Band D amount.

Energy comparison

Edinburgh
Annual
£1,641
£1,641
Monthly
£137
£137
Energy region
South Scotland
South West

Energy estimates are based on the Ofgem price cap, which is set nationally. Regional variation is small; we show the same headline figure across regions for transparency.

Source: Ofgem Energy Price Cap, Q2 2026

Water comparison

Edinburgh
Annual
£480
£813
Monthly
£40
£68
Water company
Scottish Water
South West Water

Water in Bristol costs about £333/year more than in Edinburgh.

Source: Water UK / Discover Water, 2026-27

Water company boundaries don't always align cleanly with local authority boundaries; the company shown here is the most common provider in each area.

Crime comparison

Edinburgh
728/10k
#163 of 303
Bristol
1,303/10k
#294 of 303
Crime type
Edinburgh
Overall crime rate
728 /10k
1,303 /10k
Violence & sexual
167 /10k
521 /10k
Burglary
25 /10k
56 /10k
Theft
341 /10k
400 /10k
Criminal damage
79 /10k
106 /10k
Drug offences
48 /10k
35 /10k
Public order
0 /10k
156 /10k

Edinburgh has a lower crime rate than Bristol, with 728 vs 1,303 recorded crimes per 10,000 people.

Source: Home Office / Scottish Government recorded crime

Recording practices vary between police forces. Crime rates reflect reported and recorded crime only.

Compare different areas

Learn more about each area

Data on this page is sourced from: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS / HM Land Registry House Price Statistics, MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government council tax data, Ofgem Energy Price Cap, and Water UK / Discover Water. All official data is published under the Open Government Licence.