Dundee

Cost of Living inDundee, United Kingdom

Scotland, United Kingdom148KHigh income

Image credit: Richard Webb

Purchasing Power vs. United States

Your money goes 1.7x further

Based on GDP per capita (PPP). United Kingdom: $52,621/capita.

How Far Your Money Goes

Prices are 32% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).

Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.

Overall
1.5x further
Prices are 32% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
3.1x further
Prices are 68% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
1.6x further
Prices are 37% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
1.4x further
Prices are 27% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).

Income Category

High
World Bank GNI

Happiness

6.8 / 10

#20 globally

GDP per Capita

$52,621
PPP, International $

City Population

148K

Monthly Costs

Rent

1BR City Center$999/mo
3BR City Center$1,572/mo

Food

Cheap Meal$21
Milk (1L)$2.09
Eggs (12)$5.16

Transport

Monthly Pass$58
Gasoline (1L)$1.82

Utilities

Basic (85mΒ² apt)$241/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$43/mo

Education

Preschool$1,779/mo

Child Education

Public-school quality, expat access, instruction language, and homeschool legality for relocating families.

Public schools

Public-schooling rules are set nationally for United Kingdom; Dundee-specific enrollment notes are still being verified.

Good public schools

Quality

Good public schools

Expat access

Resident route is viable

conditional

Instruction

English

Language fit is more manageable.

PISA / outcomes

Qualitative only

Using curated quality notes for now.

Why this quality rating

The UK state-school system can be very good, but quality varies materially by catchment and local authority.

Why the expat-access rating looks like this

Resident families can generally enroll in state schools, but catchment, available places, and local council assignment still matter.

βœ… Homeschooling

Legal, no registration required

Homeschooling (called "elective home education") is a long-established legal right in England and Wales. No registration is required, though local authorities can make informal inquiries. Scotland has similar provisions. Northern Ireland requires notification.

Homeschool legality in United Kingdom β€” check current regulations before committing.

Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)

Childcare & Domestic Help

Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in United Kingdom.

Full-time nanny (5 days)

$2,400-$5,600

Estimate-only country fallback

Live-in / 24-7 nanny

$2,825-$5,000

Estimate-only country fallback

Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)

Getting Around

Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Dundee is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.

Healthcare

System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in United Kingdom.

Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.

78 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 2 months ago

Healthcare system

Strong

High national coverage, strong doctor availability, and deep nursing capacity support this rating.

Public care

Strong

Broad public coverage, strong public funding, and relatively low patient cost-sharing support this rating.

Private care

Mixed

A clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.

UHC coverage

88/100

2023

Physicians

3.30/1k

2023

Hospital beds

2.42/1k

2022

Out of pocket

15%

2024

Outcome signals

Life expectancy

81.4 yrs

2024

Maternal mortality

8/100k

2023

Neonatal mortality

3.0/1k

2024

International patient readiness

Mixed

A visible private hospital base and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but price transparency is still sparse.

Pricing transparency

Limited

Published self-pay prices are scarce weigh on this rating.

Facility coverage

Dentist: 26Pharmacy: 22Doctor: 17Clinic: 7Hospital: 6

Self-pay pricing visibility

No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in United Kingdom yet.

This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.

Notable facilities

Dundee Dental Hospital
Hospital Β· Emergency
Website
dentistry
Kingsway Care Centre
Hospital Β· Emergency
Website
Ninewells Hospital
Hospital Β· Emergency
Kings Cross Hospital
Hospital Β· Emergency
Royal Victoria Hospital
Hospital Β· Emergency
Dudhope Young Peoples Inpatient Unit
Hospital Β· Emergency
psychiatric

System metrics: World Bank WDI Β· Updated 2026-06-01

Safety & Governance

Street Safety

Safety Index52/100
Crime Index48/100

Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.

Political Stability

Political Stability+0.08

World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.

Wages by Sector

SectorMedian
all_industriesΒ£31,954/yr
Administrative & Support Servicesβ€”
Agriculture & Farmingβ€”
Arts, Entertainment & Recreationβ€”
Constructionβ€”
Educationβ€”
Finance & Insuranceβ€”
Healthcare & Social Workβ€”
Hospitality & Food Serviceβ€”
Information & Technologyβ€”
Manufacturingβ€”
Mining & Quarryingβ€”
Other Servicesβ€”
Professional & Scientific Servicesβ€”
Public Administration & Defenceβ€”
Real Estateβ€”
Retail & Wholesale Tradeβ€”
Transport & Logisticsβ€”
Utilitiesβ€”

2025 annual wages in Dundee, United Kingdom Β· Source: ONS ASHE, ONS ASHE (sector-adjusted)

Price Comparison vs. US

beer
$6.50Estimated16% cheaper
big mac
$7.11Estimated16% more
bread 500g
$2.17Estimated36% cheaper
budget hotel
$31.50Estimated13% cheaper
childcare preschool
$1778.53Estimated14% more
cinema
$15.00Estimated9% cheaper
coca cola
$1.75Estimated19% cheaper
eggs dozen
$5.16Estimated7% more
gasoline liter
$1.82Estimated77% more
inexpensive meal
$21.34Estimated1% more
internet 60mbps
$43.48Estimated36% cheaper
iphone
$1099.00Estimated10% more
jeans
$70.00Estimated37% more
latte
$4.40Estimated17% cheaper
luxury hotel
$550.00Estimated15% more
mcmeal
$8.00Estimated21% cheaper
milk liter
$2.09Estimated71% more
monthly pass
$58.00Estimated17% cheaper
nike shoes
$90.00Estimated1% cheaper
rent 1br
$999.09Estimated45% cheaper
rent 2br
$3500.00Estimated19% cheaper
rent 3br
$1572.10Estimated51% cheaper
subway fare
$3.30Estimated37% more
taxi km
$2.30Estimated23% more
utilities basic
$241.20Estimated13% more

Visa Information (US passport)

Short-stay entry

eta

US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.

Long-Term Visa Programs

24 months

Quick comparison FAQ

Structured from the deltas already shown on this page β€” no invented facts, no extra data sources.

How far does your money go in Dundee compared with the US?

Your money goes about 1.7x further in Dundee than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for United Kingdom here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.

Is Dundee cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?

Dundee is cheaper overall than New York City β€” overall living costs are about 32% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Dundee. We are using the country-level cost index for United Kingdom here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.

How does rent in Dundee compare with New York City?

Rent in Dundee is about 68% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for United Kingdom here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.

How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Dundee?

Groceries in Dundee are about 37% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 27% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for United Kingdom here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.

About Dundee

Dundee is a city on the east coast of Scotland in the United Kingdom, set on the north bank of the Firth of Tay about ninety kilometers north of Edinburgh. Its population of around 148,200 makes it Scotland's fourth-largest city, with a local economy that has shifted from its historic jute, jam, and journalism base toward life sciences research anchored at the University of Dundee, video game development, and the post-2018 V&A Dundee design museum on a regenerated waterfront. ScotRail provides direct service to Edinburgh in about an hour and a quarter and to Glasgow within ninety minutes. English is the working language. The maritime climate is cool and damp with relatively dry conditions by Scottish standards. For relocators, Dundee offers some of the lowest urban housing costs in Britain.