Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Merthyr Tydfil

For one person, living is cheaper in Merthyr Tydfil: $2,067 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
Learn more

Merthyr Tydfil Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Merthyr Tydfil

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Merthyr Tydfil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil.

Austin, TX $2,663
Merthyr Tydfil $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,860 in Merthyr Tydfil.

Austin, TX $4,133
Merthyr Tydfil $2,860

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,654 in Merthyr Tydfil.

Austin, TX $5,603
Merthyr Tydfil $3,654

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 29% more expensive than in Merthyr Tydfil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Merthyr Tydfil 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$23.35 £17.52

-11.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$61.9 £46.41

36.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.50 £7.88

17.33%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.62 £3.46

21.86%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.50 £1.87

48.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.70 £1.27

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.33 £4.75

27.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.76 £4.32

56.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.38 £1.04

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.60 £0.45

525.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.69 £1.27

92.90%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.07 £3.05

2.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.31 £6.24

55.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.83 £6.63

60.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.98 £9.74

24.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.66 £1.99

62.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.71 £1.28

-14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.59 £1.94

74.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.20 £2.40

35.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.22 £0.91

111.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.33 £1.00

76.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.16 £0.87

53.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.08 £0.81

105.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$22.78 £17.09

-56.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.38 £7.79

45.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.75 £2.06

6.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.53 £2.65

-1.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$97.5 £73.1

-57.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.52 £2.64

-22.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.68 £1.26

-1.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$26.25 £19.69

34.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.06 £1.54

-53.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.0K $36.0K

$38.9K £29.2K

-7.29%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.1K $27.1K

$39.7K £29.8K

-31.84%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$229 $229

$314 £236

-27.10%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.4 $59.4

$13.39 £10.04

343.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$36.97 £27.74

89.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$39.66 £29.75

44.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.81 £5.86

82.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,506 $1,506

$2,255 £1,692

-33.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$24.7K £18.5K

-13.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$102 £76.5

-48.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$48.36 £36.28

-9.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$105 £78.6

-19.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$96.9 £72.7

6.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$784 £588

143.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$779 £585

63.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,144 £859

220.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$989 £742

156.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,581 £1,186

223.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.87

39.43%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Merthyr Tydfil

$779 37.7% 38.8% $495

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Merthyr Tydfil

$266 12.9% 34.2% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Merthyr Tydfil

$364 17.6% 1.7% $6.2

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Merthyr Tydfil

$334 16.1% 5.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Merthyr Tydfil

$158 7.7% 23.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7% 35.6% $31

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3% 86.4% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $784 in Merthyr Tydfil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 224% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $266 per month, with Merthyr Tydfil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

23:05 11:05 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

43,820

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Merthyr Tydfil 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Merthyr Tydfil

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Merthyr Tydfil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merthyr Tydfil wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Merthyr Tydfil the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 224% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $784 in Merthyr Tydfil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Merthyr Tydfil runs roughly 134% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Merthyr Tydfil but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Merthyr Tydfil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Merthyr Tydfil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.