Salary in Edinburgh · 2026
Is £80,000 a good salary in Edinburgh?
Is £80,000 a good salary in Edinburgh?
Nationally, £80,000 sits around the 91st percentile of UK earners. But in Edinburgh what matters is what's left: after tax your take-home is about £4,746 a month, and living alone here costs roughly £1,900 — so it's a comfortable salary for living alone here, leaving about £2,846 a month.
Verified 12 August 2026
| In Edinburgh on £80,000 | |
|---|---|
| Take-home pay | £4,746/mo |
| Rent (one-bed) | −£1,250 |
| Bills, council tax, transport, food | −£650 |
| Left each month | £2,846 |
Rent alone would take about 26% of your take-home — within the 30% guideline. Sharing a place changes this picture significantly.
How it compares nationally
Across the whole UK, £80,000 is £40,961 above the median full-time salary of £39,039, placing you around the 91st 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.