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City of Edinburgh

Here's what it actually costs to live in City of Edinburgh each month: the ongoing bills, not the one-off moving faff. Every figure shows where it came from.

National rank

263rd cheapest of 350

At £1,866/mo (renter view), City of Edinburgh is cheaper than 25% of all areas we cover.

Estimated monthly cost · City of Edinburgh
£1,866
renter view
Pricier than average

£231/mo more than the sample average

What's in that number

Rent£1,437.91/mo£17,255/yr
Council tax (incl. water)£180.33/mo£2,164/yr
Energy£134.97/mo£1,620/yr
Broadband£30.00/mo£360/yr
InsuranceIndicative£82.37/mo£988/yr
Total£1,865.58/mo£22,387/yr

The detail

Rent

£1,437.91/mo
Overall average · 1-bed £1,057.47 · 2-bed £1,356.43 · 3-bed £1,801.96 · 4+ bed £2,565.07

Scottish Government — Private Sector Rent Statistics (by Broad Rental Market Area)as of 2025-09

Council tax (incl. water)

£180.33/mo
Band D · the headline figure
See all bands (A–H)
Band A£120.22/mo
Band B£140.25/mo
Band C£160.29/mo
Band D (headline)£180.33/mo
Band E£232.34/mo
Band F£283.99/mo
Band G£338.54/mo
Band H£419.28/mo

Scottish Government (Council Tax by band) + Scottish Water (water & waste water charges)as of 2025-26

Energy

£134.97/mo
Gas £62.96 · Electric £72.01 · South Scotland region

Octopus Energy 'Flexible' tariff (tracks the Ofgem price cap) + Ofgem TDCV (medium)as of 2026-06

Broadband

£30.00/mo
Typical package price
Superfast98%
Gigabit92%

Ofcom — Connected Nations 2024 (coverage) + representative UK package priceas of 2024-07

Insurance

Indicative
£82.37/mo
Home £31.58 · Car £50.79 · Scotland

Confused.com/WTW car price index (Scottish regions) & ABI home (UK average)as of 2026-Q2

How City of Edinburgh compares

Where the money goes versus the average area. This is what makes City of Edinburgh cheaper or dearer than the typical place.

Rent
+£295
Council tax (incl. water)
−£10
Energy
≈ avg
Broadband
≈ avg
Insurance
−£7

Each bar is City of Edinburgh’s bill versus the average area (the centre line). Green sits below average, coral above. Renter view, per month.

Council tax in City of Edinburgh

We headline Band D, but here’s every band so you can find yours.

Council tax by band

City of Edinburgh

BandPer monthPer year
Band A£120£1,443
Band B£140£1,683
Band C£160£1,923
Band DHeadline£180£2,164
Band E£232£2,788
Band F£284£3,408
Band G£339£4,062
Band H£419£5,031

Live on your own? You get a 25% single-person discount off these figures. Bills are normalised to a true monthly (annual ÷ 12); many councils actually spread them over 10 instalments.

Ready to move to City of Edinburgh?

Homes for sale:RightmoveZoopla
Places to rent:RightmoveZoopla

Some links are partner links we may earn a commission from. It never changes the figures above; those are always the honest numbers.

Over time

How the big two have moved in City of Edinburgh. Drag across a chart to read any month; switch the range with the buttons.

Average rent: +65% over Sep 2015Sep 2025

£1,437.91/mo · Sep 2025Sep 2015Sep 2025

Sep 2015: £868.84/mo; Sep 2016: £869.57/mo; Sep 2017: £898.38/mo; Sep 2018: £1,017.02/mo; Sep 2019: £1,028.04/mo; Sep 2020: £1,066.58/mo; Sep 2021: £1,029.06/mo; Sep 2022: £1,092.45/mo; Sep 2023: £1,265.65/mo; Sep 2024: £1,462.58/mo; Sep 2025: £1,437.91/mo

Scottish Government · Private Sector Rent Statistics · annual

Average house price: +49% over Mar 2016Mar 2026

£293,187 · Mar 2026Mar 2016Mar 2026

Mar 2016: £196,980; Jun 2016: £190,911; Sep 2016: £198,043; Dec 2016: £195,466; Mar 2017: £195,150; Jun 2017: £203,018; Sep 2017: £213,318; Dec 2017: £210,755; Mar 2018: £219,097; Jun 2018: £221,837; Sep 2018: £227,306; Dec 2018: £227,520; Mar 2019: £227,473; Jun 2019: £231,166; Sep 2019: £238,309; Dec 2019: £238,161; Mar 2020: £238,240; Jun 2020: £243,672; Sep 2020: £243,435; Dec 2020: £247,145; Mar 2021: £246,868; Jun 2021: £256,066; Sep 2021: £271,028; Dec 2021: £260,601; Mar 2022: £273,625; Jun 2022: £273,421; Sep 2022: £282,529; Dec 2022: £273,500; Mar 2023: £267,249; Jun 2023: £271,596; Sep 2023: £279,409; Dec 2023: £270,167; Mar 2024: £272,365; Jun 2024: £275,450; Sep 2024: £282,607; Dec 2024: £278,146; Mar 2025: £290,335; Jun 2025: £293,234; Sep 2025: £295,173; Dec 2025: £293,703; Mar 2026: £293,187

UK HPI · average price · quarterly

Towns & areas in City of Edinburgh

The 17 wards that make up City of Edinburgh. Council tax, energy and water are set across the whole council, so they're the same in every ward. Per-ward broadband and house-price data for Scotland is coming soon; for now, click any ward for its own page.

Your council

City of Edinburgh

The people you'll actually be dealing with. Straight to the bits that matter:

Nearby areas

Difference is vs City of Edinburgh's £1,866/mo (renter view).

City of Edinburgh: common questions

How much does it cost to live in City of Edinburgh?

The estimated ongoing cost of living in City of Edinburgh is around £1,866 a month for a renter, or about £1,743 a month if you're buying. That covers rent or a typical mortgage, council tax, energy, water, broadband and indicative insurance.

How much is council tax in City of Edinburgh?

Band D council tax in City of Edinburgh works out at roughly £180 a month (£2,164 a year), set by City of Edinburgh. If you're the only adult in the property you get a 25% single-person discount.

What is the average rent in City of Edinburgh?

The average private rent in City of Edinburgh is about £1,438 a month across all property sizes, based on the latest ONS Price Index of Private Rents.

Is City of Edinburgh an expensive place to live?

City of Edinburgh is the 263rd cheapest of 350 local authorities we cover by total monthly cost, which makes it cheaper than 25% of them.

No surprises, promise.

These are estimates, not quotes. Real figures vary by property and provider. We show our sources so you can check our working.

Compare City of Edinburgh with somewhere else →