Make it a trip · Edinburgh, United Kingdom
What Edinburgh costs
once you land
Real prices, from the airport ride to a room for the night, each with where we found it. Checked October 2026, around Old Town and New Town.
Prices as the source quoted them.
Dorm bed, three cheap meals, getting around, a coffee, two beers and water.
Private room, a cheap lunch, dinner out (your half), a coffee, two beers, two rides and the top sight.
Arriving
-
Airlink 100 bus from the airport Fixed
About 30 minutes to Waverley. The tram costs £7.90.
Source: Edinburgh Tourism, Edinburgh on a budget (2026-10)
-
UK Electronic Travel Authorisation Fixed
For AU, NZ, US, CA, NL, DE, FR, SG passports.
£20, valid two years. From 24 July 2026 Edinburgh adds a 5% visitor levy to the room rate for the first five nights.
Sources: VisasNews, UK ETA fee (2026-04), The Flight Club, UK ETA rise (2026-03), Edinburgh Tourism, Edinburgh on a budget (2026-10)
£20 -
No visa or ETA needed Fixed
For IE passports.
Irish citizens travel freely under the Common Travel Area.
Source: Service Public, UK ETA (2026)
Free -
Free
Getting around
-
Bus or tram ride Fixed
Tap a contactless card; it caps at £5.70 a day.
Sources: Edinburgh Tourism, Edinburgh on a budget (2026-10), Numbeo, Edinburgh (2026-10)
£2.40 -
Daily cap, contactless Fixed
Lothian buses and trams in the city. Cheaper than the £6 day ticket.
Source: Edinburgh Tourism, Edinburgh on a budget (2026-10)
£5.70
Eating and drinking
-
Meal at a cheap restaurant Many reports
A pie with mash from a pie shop costs under £7.
Source: Numbeo, Edinburgh (2026-10)
£18 -
£8
-
Dinner for two, three courses Many reports
A mid-range restaurant, without drinks.
Source: Numbeo, Edinburgh (2026-10)
£80 -
Cappuccino Many reports
Source: Numbeo, Edinburgh (2026-10)
£3.90 -
Pint of beer at a pub, from Range
Usually 5.5 to 5.9 GBP. Royal Mile and Grassmarket pubs charge more.
Source: Edinburgh Tourism, Edinburgh on a budget (2026-10)
£5.50
At the supermarket
-
£1.40
-
£1.90
-
Beer, half a litre, to take away Many reports
Shops in Scotland sell alcohol only from 10am to 10pm.
Source: Numbeo, Edinburgh (2026-10)
£2.40 -
Hog roll from Oink, from Fixed
A roast pork roll on the Royal Mile.
Source: Edinburgh Tourism, Edinburgh on a budget (2026-10)
£5
Doing
-
Edinburgh Castle Fixed
Adult, booked online; £26 at the door. Arthur’s Seat hike is free.
Source: Edinburgh Tourism, Edinburgh on a budget (2026-10)
£24 Get tickets
Sleeping, per night
-
Hostel dorm bed, from Range
Usually 35 to 50 GBP. Summer rates. From about £25 off-season; £60 to 80 or more in August during the festivals.
Source: Edinburgh Tourism, Edinburgh on a budget (2026-10)
£35 Find a hostel -
Guest house or budget hotel, from Range
Doubles with breakfast usually run £60 to 90.
Source: Edinburgh Tourism, Edinburgh on a budget (2026-10)
-
Mid-range hotel or B&B, from Range
Usually 60 to 130 GBP. August costs much more. Add the 5% visitor levy.
Source: Edinburgh Tourism, Edinburgh on a budget (2026-10)
£60 Find a hotel
Prices change. Fixed fees come from official or widely reported figures; ranges are what travellers and operators report for 2026. Some links are affiliate links: they never change what you pay. How we make money.
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