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Bangkok vs Edinburgh cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇹🇭 Bangkok
🇬🇧 Edinburgh
At a glance
- Where Bangkok is clearly cheaper: Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (90%↓), Laundry (90%↓), Massage (87%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Edinburgh is easier to travel (1.6 vs 2.6). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Bangkok 4 vs Edinburgh 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Bangkok | Edinburgh | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ฿ 100$3.03 | £ 14$18.9 | Bangkok −84% |
| Street food1 item | ฿ 60$1.82 | £ 5.5$7.43 | Bangkok −76% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ฿ 400$12.1 | £ 30$40.5 | Bangkok −70% |
| Coffeeone cup | ฿ 85$2.58 | £ 3.8$5.14 | Bangkok −50% |
| Beerone bottle | ฿ 130$3.94 | £ 5.5$7.43 | Bangkok −47% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ฿ 300$9.09 | £ 9$12.2 | Bangkok −25% |
| Bottled water | ฿ 10$0.3 | £ 1.2$1.62 | Bangkok −81% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ฿ 25$0.76 | £ 1.8$2.43 | Bangkok −69% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ฿ 115$3.48 | £ 11$14.9 | Bangkok −77% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ฿ 30$0.91 | £ 7$9.46 | Bangkok −90% |
| Transitone ride | ฿ 35$1.06 | £ 2.4$3.24 | Bangkok −67% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ฿ 250$7.58 | £ 20$27 | Bangkok −72% |
| Hotel night3-star | ฿ 1,600$48.5 | £ 120$162 | Bangkok −70% |
| Studio rent (month) | ฿ 18,000$545 | £ 1,050$1,419 | Bangkok −62% |
| Laundry | ฿ 40$1.21 | £ 9$12.2 | Bangkok −90% |
| SIM card1 week data | ฿ 299$9.06 | £ 10$13.5 | Bangkok −33% |
| Haircutcut | ฿ 150$4.55 | £ 18$24.3 | Bangkok −81% |
| Massage1 hour | ฿ 350$10.6 | £ 60$81.1 | Bangkok −87% |
| Half-day tourper person | ฿ 1,200$36.4 | £ 40$54.1 | Bangkok −33% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ฿ 500$15.2 | £ 21.5$29.1 | Bangkok −48% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Bangkok or Edinburgh?
Bangkok is 70% cheaper than Edinburgh. Daily budget $85.6 vs $313; a month $1,823 vs $5,475.
Which is easier to travel, Bangkok or Edinburgh?
Edinburgh is easier: Edinburgh 1.6/5 vs Bangkok 2.6/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Bangkok and Edinburgh?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Bangkok is about $1,823 and Edinburgh about $5,475 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.