Home / Compare / Edinburgh vs Leeds
City Comparison · 2026

Edinburgh vs Leeds 2026

Scotland
Edinburgh
Median Salary £38,900
Cost of Living 79/100
Avg Rent (1 bed) £1,050/mo
Real Take-Home £27,500/yr
Job Growth ↑ 4.5%
Unemployment 3.2%
VS
West Yorkshire
Leeds
Median Salary £34,800
Cost of Living 70/100
Avg Rent (1 bed) £850/mo
Real Take-Home £25,600/yr
Job Growth ↑ 4.7%
Unemployment 4.3%
Verdict

Which City Wins?

Best Real-Terms Salary
Edinburgh
Best take-home pay after accounting for rent and cost of living.
Best for Affordability
Leeds
Lower cost of living index means your money goes further every day.
Highest Headline Salary
Edinburgh
Higher median salary before cost of living is taken into account.
Lowest Rent
Leeds
More affordable average rents leave more of your salary in your pocket.
Best for Career Growth
Leeds
Higher job growth rate and more active job market for ambitious professionals.
Best Overall Value
Edinburgh
When salary, cost of living and rent are all considered together.

Top Salaries: Edinburgh vs Leeds

Job TitleEdinburghLeedsDifference
Software Engineer £65,000 £59,000 +£6,000
Data Analyst £42,000 £37,000 +£5,000
Data Scientist £58,000 £52,000 +£6,000
Machine Learning Engineer £72,000 £65,000 +£7,000
Product Manager £68,000 £62,000 +£6,000
UX Designer £50,000 £45,000 +£5,000
UI Designer £47,000 £42,000 +£5,000
Cybersecurity Analyst £57,000 £51,000 +£6,000
DevOps Engineer £68,000 £62,000 +£6,000
Cloud Architect £84,000 £77,000 +£7,000

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is Scotland's capital and financial centre with above-average UK salaries and a thriving technology and fintech scene.

Full Edinburgh Guide →

Leeds

Leeds is the largest city in Yorkshire and a major financial centre with a rapidly growing digital and creative economy.

Full Leeds Guide →
Live Jobs

Jobs in Edinburgh

Browse live Edinburgh vacancies on Reed right now.

Browse Edinburgh Jobs →
Live Jobs

Jobs in Leeds

Browse live Leeds vacancies on Reed right now.

Browse Leeds Jobs →

More Comparisons

London vs Edinburgh
£52,800 vs £38,900
Compare →
London vs Leeds
£52,800 vs £34,800
Compare →
Manchester vs Edinburgh
£36,500 vs £38,900
Compare →
Manchester vs Leeds
£36,500 vs £34,800
Compare →
Birmingham vs Edinburgh
£33,200 vs £38,900
Compare →
Birmingham vs Leeds
£33,200 vs £34,800
Compare →
All City Comparisons →
Scroll to Top