Salary in Edinburgh · 2026
Is £30,000 a good salary in Edinburgh?
Is £30,000 a good salary in Edinburgh?
Nationally, £30,000 sits around the 25th percentile of UK earners. But in Edinburgh what matters is what's left: after tax your take-home is about £2,093 a month, and living alone here costs roughly £1,900 — so it just about covers living alone here, but it's tight, leaving about £193 a month.
Verified 12 August 2026
| In Edinburgh on £30,000 | |
|---|---|
| Take-home pay | £2,093/mo |
| Rent (one-bed) | −£1,250 |
| Bills, council tax, transport, food | −£650 |
| Left each month | £193 |
Rent alone would take about 60% of your take-home — well above the 30% advisers suggest. Sharing a place changes this picture significantly.
How it compares nationally
Across the whole UK, £30,000 is £9,039 below the median full-time salary of £39,039, placing you around the 25th percentile. But the same salary feels very different depending on where you live — which is exactly why local cost matters as much as the headline number.