United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
City of Bristol vs City of Edinburgh
City of Bristol (South West, England · ~466k people) · City of Edinburgh (Scotland · ~528k people)
Of 1 strictly-comparable measure: City of Edinburgh on 1. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
These two authorities sit under different statistical regimes, so some rows compare series with different methodologies (flagged below). Flagged rows are shown for context but excluded from the headline count above.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
City of Bristol
£40,586/yr
Better than 60% of UK LAs
City of Edinburgh
£42,630/yr
Better than 71% of UK LAs
City of Edinburgh: 5% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median vs UK HPI mean · Year ending Sep 2025 / Sep 2025
City of Bristol
£351,000
Worse than 70% of UK LAs
City of Edinburgh
£294,681
Around UK average
Series use different methodologies (see source line) — treat the gap as indicative.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR vs Scot Gov PRS · 2026-03 / 2025 (2-bed median)
City of Bristol
£1,888/mo
Worse than 94% of UK LAs
City of Edinburgh
£1,325/mo
Worse than 74% of UK LAs
Series use different methodologies (see source line) — treat the gap as indicative.
Not comparable for this pair
- Council tax (Band D): England and Wales only — Scotland bands differently, Northern Ireland uses domestic rates.
- Recorded crime: England and Wales only — Scotland and Northern Ireland publish under different counting rules.
- Deprivation (IMD): England only — SIMD/WIMD/NIMDM use separate methodologies that don't cross-compare.
- Schools (Ofsted): England only — Estyn, Education Scotland and ETI inspect under non-comparable frameworks.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
City of Bristol
Rent takes 56% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 8.6× median annual pay
City of Edinburgh
Rent takes 37% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.9× median annual pay
Full City of Bristol profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full City of Edinburgh profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.