Edinburgh • Reality Check

Can You Afford Leith?

Edinburgh's port district — Shore-side dining, craft breweries, and a gritty charm immortalised in Trainspotting.

🏠 £230/wk rent
☕ £3.4 flat white
🚊 £65/mo transport
£

Your Lifestyle

Daily Coffees
1/day
🍽️Dining Out
2x/wk
🚗Uber / Rideshare
2x/wk
🛍️Shopping / Charity Shops
£80/mo
🎉Weekend Activities
Moderate
📺Streaming Services
3 subs

Your Survival Score

😊0

Comfortable

Monthly Breakdown

🏠Rent£996
🛒Groceries£250
🚊Transport£65
Coffee£102
🍽️Dining Out£279
🚗Rideshare£121
🛍️Shopping£80
🎉Weekend Fun£173
📺Streaming£36
Take-home pay£2,393
Total expenses-£2,102
Savings+£291

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Living in Leith, Edinburgh

Edinburgh's port district — Shore-side dining, craft breweries, and a gritty charm immortalised in Trainspotting. If you're weighing a move to Leith, the numbers matter more than the vibes. The median monthly rent here is £996, which annualises to roughly £11,960 per year. Using the 30% rent-to-income guideline, you'd want an annual gross salary around £40,000 to live in Leith without housing eating your paycheck.

Day-to-day costs in Leith are on the pricier side for entertainment and in line with the national average for groceries. A monthly public transport pass runs about £65, and a flat white at a local café costs roughly £3.40 — which adds up to £1,241 per year if you're on a one-a-day habit.

What does Leith cost per month?

Rough monthly budget for a single renter on a median-income job, before lifestyle upgrades:

  • Rent (Leith median)£996
  • Groceries (est.)£400
  • Transport pass£65
  • Coffee (1/day)£102
  • Entertainment (est.)£230

Numbers are indicative only and exclude tax. Use the interactive calculator above to plug in your own salary and lifestyle.

FAQ — Leith

How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Leith?

Using the standard 30% rent-to-income rule, a comfortable gross income for Leith is around £40,000 per year. At this salary, median rent of £996/mo takes up less than a third of your take-home pay, leaving room for savings, transport, and everything else Edinburgh throws at you.

Is Leith more expensive than the rest of Edinburgh?

Groceries in Leith track in line with the national average (index 1.00), and the entertainment scene is on the pricier side (index 1.15). Median monthly rent of £996 places it within the Edinburgh market — use the calculator to compare specific neighbourhoods head-to-head.

What's the average annual rent cost in Leith?

At a median monthly rent of £996, annual rent in Leith works out to approximately £11,960 per year for a typical unit. Actual costs vary significantly by property size, condition, and proximity to transport.