# Edinburgh — relocation profile

Edinburgh, United Kingdom · Full democracy · livability 72/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** United Kingdom
- **Region:** Europe
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $3,915/month
- **Livability score:** 72 / 100 (rank 48 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 86 / 100 (rank 29 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 53% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, European Dream, Startup Cities, Remote Work Visa Cities, Fresh Start Cities, Hidden Gems, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Strong Democracy, Tech Settler, Freelance-Friendly

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $1,620 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $1,196 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $2,941 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $3,642 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$3,915** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $6,024.

Reference point: 40% cheaper than London.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 8.3
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 1.1 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 5 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 6 years
- **English proficiency:** Very High (EF EPI 637)
- **Main languages:** English

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 10–17°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 1–7°C
- **Internet speed:** 88.54 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 83.2
- **Natural features:** sea

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $62,009 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 3.3% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 4.7% (2025)
- **Population:** 530,680

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Copenhagen | Denmark | $1,970 | $4,234 | /cities/copenhagen |
| The Hague | Netherlands | $1,548 | $3,506 | /cities/the-hague |
| Brighton | United Kingdom | $1,894 | $4,174 | /cities/brighton |
| Amsterdam | Netherlands | $2,602 | $5,185 | /cities/amsterdam |
| Rotterdam | Netherlands | $1,805 | $4,105 | /cities/rotterdam |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/edinburgh
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/edinburgh/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/edinburgh) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.