Comparison

Edinburgh vs Glasgow

Renting in Edinburgh costs £156/month more than Glasgow.

Scotland  vs  Scotland

Average rent
Edinburgh
£1,432/mo
Glasgow
£1,276/mo
Lower
£156 difference
Average earnings
Edinburgh
£37,380/yr
Higher
Glasgow
£32,121/yr
£5,259 difference

Rent comparison

Bedrooms
Edinburgh
Overall
£1,432/mo
£1,276/mo
1 Bed
£1,035/mo
£841/mo
2 Bed
£1,328/mo
£1,090/mo
3 Bed
£1,705/mo
£1,340/mo
4+ Bed
£2,739/mo
£2,256/mo

Overall, renting in Glasgow is £156/month cheaper than Edinburgh - that's £1,872/year.

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)

Earnings comparison

Edinburgh - average
£37,380/yr
Glasgow - average
£32,121/yr

Residents of Edinburgh earn £5,259/year more than those in Glasgow.

Affordability insight
Edinburgh
46%
of gross earnings on rent
Glasgow
48%
of gross earnings on rent

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

House prices comparison

House price data is not currently available for either area.

Source: ONS / HM Land Registry

Council tax comparison

Edinburgh - Band D
£1,626/yr
Glasgow - Band D
£1,706/yr

You would pay £80/year more in council tax (Band D) living in Glasgow than in Edinburgh.

Band
Edinburgh
Band A
£1,084
£1,137
Band B
£1,265
£1,327
Band C
£1,445
£1,516
Band D
Benchmark
£1,626
£1,706
Band E
£2,136
£2,241
Band F
£2,642
£2,772
Band G
£3,184
£3,341
Band H
£3,984
£4,180

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 Scotland

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
£480
Monthly
£40
£40
Water company
Scottish Water
Scottish Water

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
Glasgow
829/10k
#199 of 303
Crime type
Edinburgh
Overall crime rate
728 /10k
829 /10k
Violence & sexual
167 /10k
227 /10k
Burglary
25 /10k
16 /10k
Theft
341 /10k
285 /10k
Criminal damage
79 /10k
88 /10k
Drug offences
48 /10k
89 /10k
Public order
0 /10k
0 /10k

Edinburgh has a lower crime rate than Glasgow, with 728 vs 829 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.