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Living in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is one of the cities recorded in the United Kingdom.

Lower unemployment than 95% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and less recorded crime than any other United Kingdom city that publishes it.

Which United Kingdom-wide rules apply when you move to Edinburgh?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in United KingdomNational rates and thresholds that apply in Edinburgh.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Edinburgh. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month4 published recurring costs, € per month
Edinburgh recurring monthly costs, € per month€292Utilities, 85 m² flat€85Transport pass€37Internet, 60 Mbps€14Mobile plan, 10 GB€ / month

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited37.34 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/edinburgh/9Community estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB14.28 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/edinburgh/9Community estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass84.52 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/edinburgh/9Community estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home291.7 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/edinburgh/9Community estimate · Supplemental context

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Edinburgh?

The median gross salary is about 3,730 EUR/month (2025). Source: ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary2

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.

What is the unemployment rate in Edinburgh?

The unemployment rate is 2.2 % (2026-03). Source: www.nomisweb.co.uk8

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Edinburgh is 2.2%. Of 384 cities with data, 230 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in United Kingdom per band9 cities: 0% to under 2%90–2230 cities: 2% to under 4%2302–4Edinburgh 2.2%107 cities: 4% to under 6%1074–630 cities: 6% to under 8%306–84 cities: 8% to under 10%48–103 cities: 10% to under 12%310–121 city: 16% to under 18%116–18

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary3,730 EUR/month31 Dec 2025ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary2Official
Salary Net Avg Eur Month3,055 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/edinburgh/9Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate2.2 %country median 3.5%27 Aug 2026www.nomisweb.co.uk8Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Edinburgh. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Jobcentre Plus — Public employment service

Department for Work and Pensions

Job SearchUnemployment Claim
Open official service
Open the United Kingdom service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Edinburgh. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count88 count3 Aug 2026Scottish Government7Official
School Count122 count3 Aug 2026Scottish Government7Official

Safety

Edinburgh recorded a crime rate of 549.5 incidents per 100,000 residents at the end of 2024.

How safe is Edinburgh?

Police recorded about 549 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

  • Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 549.5 offences per 100,000 · Scottish Government6
Recorded crime across major citiesEdinburgh highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Edinburgh highlighted14,267Manchester13,099Bristol12,409Liverpool11,700Bradford11,462Leeds11,416Birmingham11,001Leicester9,693Sheffield9,379Cardiff8,836Coventry757Glasgow549Edinburghrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents549.5 offences per 100,000country median 9,66931 Dec 2024Scottish Government6Official

Mobility and administration

Edinburgh's nearest airport was EDI, 11 km away and offered 88 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count88 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights3Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km11 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports4Official
Nearest Major Airport IataEDI3 Aug 2026OurAirports4Official

Cities of a similar size in United Kingdom

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All United Kingdom cities
Sheffield500,535 residentsManchester470,405 residentsLiverpool506,565 residentsLeeds536,280 residentsBristol425,215 residentsCroydon407,821 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Edinburgh?

The published population was 488,050 people in June 2016. Source: National Records of Scotland — Settlements and Localities Population1

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population488,050 people30 Jun 2016National Records of Scotland — Settlements and Localities Population1Official · locality

Is Edinburgh a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker59%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 48–70%
Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on housing · range 55–73%
Student64%strong on education, weak on housing · range 55–73%
Family64%strong on family, weak on housing · range 55–73%
Retirement59%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 46–72%
Population488,050 people30 Jun 2016Official source · National Records of Scotland — Settlements and Localities Population
Median gross salary3,730 EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary
Unemployment rate2.2 %27 Aug 2026Official source · www.nomisweb.co.uk
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited37.34 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Community source · Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/edinburgh/
Mobile plan, 10 GB14.28 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Community source · Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/edinburgh/
Monthly transport pass84.52 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Community source · Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/edinburgh/
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-11

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Universities4 count3 Aug 2026Scottish Funding Council5Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Edinburgh under the national coverage rules.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Edinburgh?

The published population was 488,050 people in June 2016. Source: National Records of Scotland — Settlements and Localities Population.

How safe is Edinburgh?

Police recorded about 549 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Scottish Government.

What is the typical salary in Edinburgh?

The median gross salary is about 3,730 EUR/month (2025). Source: ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary.

What is the unemployment rate in Edinburgh?

The unemployment rate is 2.2 % (2026-03). Source: www.nomisweb.co.uk.

How much is public transport in Edinburgh?

A monthly transport pass is 84.52 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/edinburgh/.

Is Edinburgh a good place to live?

Edinburgh may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Edinburgh, United Kingdom: salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/edinburgh/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_edinburgh-united-kingdom-salary-jobs_6e1b0092f9e4,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Edinburgh, United Kingdom: salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/edinburgh/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Edinburgh, United Kingdom: salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/edinburgh/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. National Records of Scotland — Settlements and Localities Population National Records of Scotland · data.gov.scot · checked 2026-09-11
  2. ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary ONS ASHE workplace analysis · nomisweb.co.uk · checked 2026-09-05
  3. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  4. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Scottish Funding Council sfc.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Scottish Government gov.scot · checked 2026-08-04
  7. Scottish Government gov.scot · checked 2026-08-03
  8. www.nomisweb.co.uk nomisweb.co.uk · checked 2026-08-26
  9. Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/edinburgh/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.