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What Salary Do You Need to Live in New Town, Edinburgh?

Based on 2026 cost of living data, here's how much you need to earn (before tax) in New Town, Edinburgh, United Kingdom — from bare minimum to living well.

Get By
£27,896
Covers rent & essentials. No savings, tight budget.
Comfortable
£58,874
50/30/20 rule. Savings, dining out, some travel.
Live Well
£77,063
Premium lifestyle with strong savings & flexibility.

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Rent (1BR)£1,224/mo
Groceries + Utilities + Transport + Healthcare£535/mo
Total essentials£1,758/mo
Effective tax + deductions rate28.3%

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How We Calculate This

We start with actual monthly costs in New Town, Edinburgh: rent for a 1-bedroom apartment, groceries, utilities, transport, and healthcare. For the "comfortable" tier, we apply the 50/30/20 rule — your essentials should be 50% of take-home pay, leaving 30% for wants and 20% for savings.

We then reverse-calculate the gross (pre-tax) salary you'd need, using United Kingdom's progressive tax brackets and mandatory deductions (including local taxes for Edinburgh). All figures are in GBP for 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What salary do you need to live in New Town, Edinburgh?

To live comfortably in New Town, Edinburgh in 2026, you need a gross annual salary of approximately £58,874. This covers rent, groceries, utilities, transport, healthcare, and leaves 30% for wants and 20% for savings (50/30/20 rule). The minimum to get by is £27,896.

What is the cost of living in New Town, Edinburgh?

Monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in New Town, Edinburgh is approximately £1,224. Essential monthly expenses (groceries, utilities, transport, healthcare) add roughly £535. The effective tax rate is 28.3%.

Is £27,896 enough to live in New Town, Edinburgh?

£27,896 is the bare minimum salary to get by in New Town, Edinburgh — it covers rent and essential expenses with very little left over. For a comfortable lifestyle with savings, you'd want at least £58,874.

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Data Sources: Cost of living data from Numbeo · Expatistan. Rent from Numbeo Property Prices. Tax rates from OECD Taxing Wages · UK Office for National Statistics · HM Revenue & Customs. Salary data from BLS · Glassdoor. Exchange rates from the ECB. Updated 2026-02-28. All figures are estimates.