How much money do you need to earn to be happy in Edinburgh? We asked local residents for their thoughts

To live a happy life in Edinburgh, residents have to make an average salary of £36,000, a new report has shown. But according to some who live here, that figure is just enough to "get by.”

One Edinburgh mother thought a £36,000 salary was a fair assessment as ‘Edinburgh is quite expensive to live in’. She said: “Aside from housing, the cost of going out for food and drinks, the cost of food shopping – so even though it sounds like a high number it probably is a figure that you would need to live comfortably in somewhere like Edinburgh.”

When asked if she thought the Capital was a happy city she said: “I think overall it is a happy city but the deprived areas are probably a lot worse than people think. There’s not much of a middle ground anymore –you’re either quite well off and comfortable or at the other end of the scale where you’re really struggling. From working in areas that are more deprived than others I would say the cost of living crisis is more apparent than ever.”

One male pensioner said: “As someone who has been retired for a good number of years I think you need to be earning above the national average because there is a hunk of costs with a big city and there’s also a bit of expectation of things you do, going out and things like that and the costs have gone way up. It’s noticeable what your food costs are now and the cost of basics are way up.”

He said ‘in the old days’ it was easier to enjoy the Fringe but with ticket prices and the cost of food at seasonal stalls increasing he now has to monitor expenses more carefully. Another female pensioner said: “It’s hard for everybody, costs are going up and up and up. Pensioners should be able to enjoy this time in our lives that we’ve got left and not have to worry about money.”

She said she also considers how much money she will save and at times has experienced a feeling of guilt if she chooses to spend money. She added: “When you have family you think that’s not the right thing to do. I worry about the world my grandchildren will be living in, it’s not a really nice place to be in at the moment – I think you just have to try and make the most of it and not grumble.”

The research carried out by online savings market place, Raisin UK, attempted to establish the relationship between money and happiness, analysing data from the Office of National Statistics, the World Health Organisation and personal well-being reports. The report considered life expectancy (86-years-old in Edinburgh), average salary (£34,050 in Edinburgh) and produced life satisfaction and anxiety scores to understand more about the people’s experiences during the cost of living crisis. But some people we spoke to found £36,000 was not an achievable salary for many residents.

Speaking to the Evening news, one resident said: “The figure doesn’t sound representative of the majority of people in Edinburgh – I don’t think a lot of people working in Edinburgh make £36,000 except people with professional and corporate jobs.”

One mother with a new-born said a mid £30k salary is enough to get by in Edinburgh but means you are less able to spend on social activities. She said: “As a mum I would say that £36,000 for just me and my son living here in Edinburgh wouldn’t be enough for me to travel and see my family in Portugal. In addition, extra activities for my son, nursery – all these costs pile up so I would say that salary would work for a single person with no dependence.”

But another Edinburgh mum said: “I think that number is a bit unrealistic in terms of a normal family to be honest. Money doesn’t really come into it – a lot of things are free – spending time with your family and kids is free and you can’t put a price on that so I don’t necessarily agree.”