Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Merthyr Tydfil Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Merthyr Tydfil

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,320 in Barcelona versus $2,255 in Merthyr Tydfil.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,426 in Barcelona versus $3,127 in Merthyr Tydfil.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,532 in Barcelona versus $3,999 in Merthyr Tydfil.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 3% more expensive than in Merthyr Tydfil, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 74% above, Merthyr Tydfil 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.46

$20.22 £15.05

-12.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 €61.0

$61.7 £45.96

12.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.16 €12.40

$8.28 £6.17

71.01%

Cappuccino

$2.80 €2.45

$3.58 £2.67

-21.79%

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

$2.81 €2.46

$2.28 £1.70

23.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.81

$1.76 £1.31

17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.03

$5.00 £3.72

-8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 €4.11

$4.46 £3.32

5.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.08

$1.91 £1.42

-35.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.78

$1.69 £1.26

20.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.73

$2.81 £2.09

-29.54%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.05

$5.47 £4.07

-36.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 €16.05

$14.45 £10.76

26.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 €8.61

$9.16 £6.82

7.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 €16.75

$14.05 £10.46

36.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.39

$4.04 £3.01

-32.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.09

$1.56 £1.16

52.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.82

$3.18 £2.37

-34.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.41

$5.50 £4.10

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.72

$1.65 £1.23

18.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.57

$2.05 £1.53

-12.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.29

$1.02 £0.76

45.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.80

$2.08 £1.55

-56.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 €6.25

$19.85 £14.78

-64.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.90

$14.57 £10.85

-45.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.21

$3.48 £2.59

-60.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.09

$4.51 £3.36

-47.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.01 €2.64

$3.31 £2.47

-9.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.35 €25.71

$99.9 £74.4

-70.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 €3.82

$8.00 £5.95

-45.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.37 £1.02

55.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.60 €25.93

$34.24 £25.49

-13.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.60

$1.99 £1.48

-8.54%

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

$37.9K €33.2K

$39.2K £29.2K

-3.24%

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

$32.4K €28.4K

$43.8K £32.6K

-26.05%

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

$189 €166

$380 £283

-50.27%

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

$22.29 €19.52

$18.78 £13.98

18.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.16 €32.55

$46.53 £34.64

-20.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €50.8

$45.14 £33.61

28.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.66 €18.09

Cinema Ticket

$10.87 €9.52

$14.65 £10.91

-25.80%

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

$706 €618

$1,778 £1,323

-60.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K €13.0K

$18.3K £13.6K

-18.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.4 €78.3

$96.1 £71.6

-6.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.60 €32.06

$51.2 £38.09

-28.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €91.1

$91.6 £68.2

13.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €105

$120 £89.5

-0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 €1,383

$811 £604

94.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 €1,084

$771 £574

60.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 €2,375

$1,173 £874

131.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 €1,786

$1,016 £756

100.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,527 €6,592

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,239 €4,588

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,364 €2,070

$1,628 £1,212

45.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.74

-40.94%

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

Last update for Barcelona: July 13, 2026

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,579 in Barcelona and $811 in Merthyr Tydfil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 45% 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: $70.0 in Barcelona vs $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $364, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

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

Barcelona vs Merthyr Tydfil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Merthyr Tydfil differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,320 vs $2,255 including rent). Merthyr Tydfil is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,579 in Barcelona versus $811 in Merthyr Tydfil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Barcelona versus $1,778 in Merthyr Tydfil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,255 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $2,320 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Merthyr Tydfil but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Merthyr Tydfil are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Merthyr Tydfil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.