The cost of living in Edinburgh
is generally lower than Stockholm, and most of my expenses were covered by the
Erasmus grant. In my opinion, one can live very comfortably in Edinburgh with a
total budget of £250 per month (excluding rent of course). In my case, the
essentials were covered with around £200.
Food
I worked near the Royal Infirmary
and had lunch at the hospital canteen, which offers student discounts. In
central Edinburgh (where most university buildings are located), there are
several restaurants and cafes that provide great food for a fair price (https://www.timeout.com/edinburgh/restaurants/the-best-cheap-eats-in-edinburgh).
If you are looking to taste dishes from around the globe, I highly recommend
Mr. Basrai’s World Cuisines or Cosmos World Buffet. The latter offers student
discounts on weekdays.
There were several grocery stores
within walking distance from my place, LIDL is the cheapest among them, but
Sainsbury’s has a greater selection of products. On weekdays I usually didn’t cook
dinner and instead bought food from Sainsbury’s, which offers a variety of
ready-made vegetarian meals. Having said that, Sainsbury’s is known to be
slightly expensive. Tesco “meal deal” is a cheap and tasty option if you want
to have a quick meal on-the-go.
Transportation
If you live in central Edinburgh,
I do not recommend buying a bus pass since most of the university buildings are
within walking distance. If you need to travel to another part of the city,
single tickets can be purchased through the Lothian app or coins. My lab was in
the southern part of Edinburgh, which was a 15 min bus ride away from my place.
I bought a monthly Lothian ticket (£51/month), which gave me access to busses
and trams around Edinburgh at any time. Since I lived in central Edinburgh, I
only needed the Lothian card for traveling to and from the lab.
Others
There are no obligatory costs
related to the exchange. However, if you choose to join a society, there may be
a small membership fee. I did not have to pay for a visa as I am a Swedish citizen,
and I did not need additional vaccinations.
I used my Swedish phone
subscription provider (Comviq) in Edinburgh because I found it to be cheaper
than switching to a new provider. I paid SEK 145 and was able to call and use
data within the EU. It may be difficult for people in Scotland to call a
Swedish number, but it was not an issue for me because I usually used
WhatsApp.
I mostly used my Swedish debit card
as a form of payment in Edinburgh, primarily because I did not like carrying
cash. There should not be any extra costs associated with using a Swedish bank
card, but there may be slightly higher costs due to exchange rate fluctuations.
If you want to get a UK bank account, it is fairly simple, but it might not be
necessary for the short exchange period. Another alternative is a Revolut card,
which can be used internationally. I personally have not used the service, but
I have met other exchange students who were satisfied with the card.