Travel budget and cost of living in Scotland how much does a trip cost?

Travel budget in Scotland

Scotland: calculate your travel budget

Scotland: sample budgets by traveller type

These example budgets assume a 2-week holiday in Scotland for 2 people.

* Estimated local budget for 2 people for 2 weeks. This represents an average across the country (budget may vary depending on the city or region visited).

Cost of living in Scotland in 2026

Cost of living: Scotland VS United States

On average, the cost of living in Scotland in 2026 is 10% higher than in the United States (USA).

The graphic below shows the percentage of variation between prices United States in in the United States (USA) and United States by types of expenses:

Cost of living in Scotland by city

See the table below for the variation in the cost of living in different cities in Scotland compared to the national average.

Local prices in Scotland by expense type

Scotland: Restaurant budget

Lunch

$ 22/person
($ 14 to $ 42)

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3% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 20

3 course dinner

$ 46/person
($ 35 to $ 70)

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17% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 39

McDonald's meal

$ 11/person
($ 9.2 to $ 13)

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8% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 12

Local beer

$ 6.8 for 500ml
($ 4.1 to $ 9)

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15% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 6

Imported beer

$ 3.5 for 330ml
($ 1.8 to $ 5.5)

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3% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 3.6

Cappuccino

$ 4.8/cup
($ 3.5 to $ 6.8)

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10% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 5.3

Fizzy drink

$ 2.6/can
($ 1.7 to $ 4.1)

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1% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 2.6

Water bottle

$ 1.8/bottle
($ 1.4 to $ 2.9)

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14% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 2.1

Scotland: Hotel and accommodation budget

1-star hotel

$ 151/night
($ 57 to $ 615)

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12% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 172

2-star hotel

$ 214/night
($ 91 to $ 575)

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27% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 170

3-star hotel

$ 207/night
($ 82 to $ 749)

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16% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 249

4-star hotel

$ 236/night
($ 107 to $ 651)

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33% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 355

5-star hotel

$ 386/night
($ 225 to $ 679)

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35% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 595

Hostel/Youth Hostel

$ 157/month
($ 84 to $ 449)

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12% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 180

Room with kitchen

$ 326/month
($ 108 to $ 836)

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21% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 271

Hotel with swimming pool

$ 254/month
($ 128 to $ 596)

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12% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 227

Cottage or guest house

$ 181/month
($ 109 to $ 383)

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31% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 262

Family room

$ 325/month
($ 125 to $ 983)

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48% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 221

Scotland: Supermarket food budget

Milk

$ 1.7/litre
($ 1.1 to $ 2.5)

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61% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 1.1

Bread

$ 1.7/500g
($ 1.1 to $ 3)

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76% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 7.3

Rice

$ 2.3/kg
($ 1.4 to $ 4.1)

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51% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 4.6

Eggs

$ 4.1/12 eggs
($ 2.3 to $ 5.7)

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6% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 4.4

Chicken

$ 9.2/kg
($ 4.8 to $ 14)

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25% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 13

Apples

$ 3/kg
($ 1.4 to $ 5.3)

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42% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 5.2

Tomatoes

$ 3.5/kg
($ 1.4 to $ 6.1)

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28% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 4.9

Potatoes

$ 1.8/kg
($ 0.7 to $ 2.7)

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40% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 2.9

Water bottle

$ 1.7
($ 0.8 to $ 2.7)

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30% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 2.3

Scotland: Public and private transport budget

Bus ticket

$ 3.5/ticket
($ 2.7 to $ 5.5)

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38% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 2.5

Taxi (per km)

$ 2.3/km
($ 1.6 to $ 4.1)

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28% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 1.7

Petrol

$ 1.9/litre
($ 1.9 to $ 2.3)

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121% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 0.9

Taxi (initial pick-up charge)

$ 5.3
($ 4.1 to $ 6.8)

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50% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 3.5

Car hire

$ 35/24hrs
($ 18 to $ 82)

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58% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 84

Scotland: Leisure activity budget

Cinema

$ 14/ticket
($ 11 to $ 22)

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8% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 15

Tennis

$ 20/hr
($ 9.6 to $ 32)

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20% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 24

Scotland: Budget for clothes and price of cigarettes

Cigarettes

$ 24/pack
($ 21 to $ 26)

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125% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 10.4

Levi's jeans

$ 95
($ 42 to $ 138)

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74% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 54

Summer dress

$ 47
($ 28 to $ 70)

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8% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 43

Plane ticket budget

London → Edinburgh

$ 79
(fair price: $ 72)

Dublin → Edinburgh

$ 97
(fair price: $ 85)

Montreal → Glasgow

$ 841
(fair price: $ 767)

Montreal → Edinburgh

$ 818
(fair price: $ 743)

Dublin → Glasgow

$ 83
(fair price: $ 75)

London → Glasgow

$ 101
(fair price: $ 86)

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