East Lothian
Here's what it actually costs to live in East Lothian each month: the ongoing bills, not the one-off moving faff. Every figure shows where it came from.
National rank
264th cheapest of 350
At £1,867/mo (renter view), East Lothian is cheaper than 25% of all areas we cover.
£232/mo more than the sample average
What's in that number
The detail
Rent
Scottish Government — Private Sector Rent Statistics (by Broad Rental Market Area)as of 2025-09
Council tax (incl. water)
See all bands (A–H)Hide bands
| Band A | £121.09/mo |
| Band B | £141.27/mo |
| Band C | £161.45/mo |
| Band D (headline) | £181.63/mo |
| Band E | £234.06/mo |
| Band F | £286.12/mo |
| Band G | £341.10/mo |
| Band H | £422.48/mo |
Scottish Government (Council Tax by band) + Scottish Water (water & waste water charges)as of 2025-26
Energy
Octopus Energy 'Flexible' tariff (tracks the Ofgem price cap) + Ofgem TDCV (medium)as of 2026-06
Broadband
Ofcom — Connected Nations 2024 (coverage) + representative UK package priceas of 2024-07
Insurance
IndicativeConfused.com/WTW car price index (Scottish regions) & ABI home (UK average)as of 2026-Q2
How East Lothian compares
Where the money goes versus the average area. This is what makes East Lothian cheaper or dearer than the typical place.
Each bar is East Lothian’s bill versus the average area (the centre line). Green sits below average, coral above. Renter view, per month.
Council tax in East Lothian
We headline Band D, but here’s every band so you can find yours.
Council tax by band
East Lothian
| Band | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | £121 | £1,453 |
| Band B | £141 | £1,695 |
| Band C | £161 | £1,937 |
| Band DHeadline | £182 | £2,180 |
| Band E | £234 | £2,809 |
| Band F | £286 | £3,433 |
| Band G | £341 | £4,093 |
| Band H | £422 | £5,070 |
Live on your own? You get a 25% single-person discount off these figures. Bills are normalised to a true monthly (annual ÷ 12); many councils actually spread them over 10 instalments.
Over time
How the big two have moved in East Lothian. Drag across a chart to read any month; switch the range with the buttons.
Average rent: +65% over Sep 2015–Sep 2025
Sep 2015: £868.84/mo; Sep 2016: £869.57/mo; Sep 2017: £898.38/mo; Sep 2018: £1,017.02/mo; Sep 2019: £1,028.04/mo; Sep 2020: £1,066.58/mo; Sep 2021: £1,029.06/mo; Sep 2022: £1,092.45/mo; Sep 2023: £1,265.65/mo; Sep 2024: £1,462.58/mo; Sep 2025: £1,437.91/mo
Scottish Government · Private Sector Rent Statistics · annual
Average house price: +51% over Mar 2016–Mar 2026
Mar 2016: £189,000; Jun 2016: £184,566; Sep 2016: £197,582; Dec 2016: £189,963; Mar 2017: £185,626; Jun 2017: £193,160; Sep 2017: £212,278; Dec 2017: £207,999; Mar 2018: £209,751; Jun 2018: £212,269; Sep 2018: £216,816; Dec 2018: £217,342; Mar 2019: £215,689; Jun 2019: £222,096; Sep 2019: £228,645; Dec 2019: £225,343; Mar 2020: £215,835; Jun 2020: £226,905; Sep 2020: £236,850; Dec 2020: £241,311; Mar 2021: £238,873; Jun 2021: £252,196; Sep 2021: £269,049; Dec 2021: £264,999; Mar 2022: £266,882; Jun 2022: £266,705; Sep 2022: £275,881; Dec 2022: £280,666; Mar 2023: £272,999; Jun 2023: £279,986; Sep 2023: £286,400; Dec 2023: £279,061; Mar 2024: £275,685; Jun 2024: £268,845; Sep 2024: £284,607; Dec 2024: £277,493; Mar 2025: £282,207; Jun 2025: £278,938; Sep 2025: £292,496; Dec 2025: £275,251; Mar 2026: £285,133
UK HPI · average price · quarterly
Towns & areas in East Lothian
The 6 wards that make up East Lothian. Council tax, energy and water are set across the whole council, so they're the same in every ward. Per-ward broadband and house-price data for Scotland is coming soon; for now, click any ward for its own page.
Your council
East Lothian
The people you'll actually be dealing with. Straight to the bits that matter:
Nearby areas
Difference is vs East Lothian's £1,867/mo (renter view).
East Lothian: common questions
How much does it cost to live in East Lothian?
The estimated ongoing cost of living in East Lothian is around £1,867 a month for a renter, or about £1,744 a month if you're buying. That covers rent or a typical mortgage, council tax, energy, water, broadband and indicative insurance.
How much is council tax in East Lothian?
Band D council tax in East Lothian works out at roughly £182 a month (£2,180 a year), set by East Lothian. If you're the only adult in the property you get a 25% single-person discount.
What is the average rent in East Lothian?
The average private rent in East Lothian is about £1,438 a month across all property sizes, based on the latest ONS Price Index of Private Rents.
Is East Lothian an expensive place to live?
East Lothian is the 264th cheapest of 350 local authorities we cover by total monthly cost, which makes it cheaper than 25% of them.
No surprises, promise.
These are estimates, not quotes. Real figures vary by property and provider. We show our sources so you can check our working.