Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Merthyr Tydfil

For one person, living is cheaper in Merthyr Tydfil: $2,067 a month against $2,501 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
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Merthyr Tydfil Living Index

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,501

/mo nomad

Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairns 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 Cairns and in Merthyr Tydfil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,501 per month in Cairns vs $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Cairns $2,501
Merthyr Tydfil $2,067

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Cairns vs $2,860 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Cairns $3,716
Merthyr Tydfil $2,860

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Cairns vs $3,654 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Cairns $4,931
Merthyr Tydfil $3,654

Cairns costs about 21% more than Merthyr Tydfil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairns and Merthyr Tydfil sit above the global median – Cairns by 85%, Merthyr Tydfil by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$25.00

$23.35 £17.52

-25.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 A$138

$61.9 £46.41

54.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 A$18.15

$10.50 £7.88

20.19%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.08

$4.62 £3.46

-8.44%

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

$3.27 A$4.70

$2.50 £1.87

30.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.95

$1.70 £1.27

61.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 A$10.25

$6.33 £4.75

12.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.39 A$12.07

$5.76 £4.32

45.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 A$2.64

$1.38 £1.04

32.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.87

$0.60 £0.45

348.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.69 £1.27

49.11%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.68

$4.07 £3.05

30.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.04

$8.31 £6.24

9.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 A$19.49

$8.83 £6.63

53.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 A$21.44

$12.98 £9.74

14.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$6.02

$2.66 £1.99

57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.71 £1.28

66.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 A$5.32

$2.59 £1.94

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 A$8.50

$3.20 £2.40

84.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.22 £0.91

101.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$1.33 £1.00

93.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.16 £0.87

144.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.08 £0.81

132.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.51 A$64.1

$22.78 £17.09

95.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 A$19.95

$10.38 £7.79

33.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.25

$2.75 £2.06

32.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.55

$3.53 £2.65

48.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.08 A$21.70

$97.5 £73.1

-84.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 A$3.61

$3.52 £2.64

-28.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 A$2.83

$1.68 £1.26

17.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.45 A$59.7

$26.25 £19.69

57.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 A$1.77

$2.06 £1.54

-40.29%

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

$30.8K A$44.3K

$38.9K £29.2K

-20.80%

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

$40.7K A$58.6K

$39.7K £29.8K

2.56%

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

$165 A$238

$314 £236

-47.33%

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

$34.27 A$49.32

$13.39 £10.04

155.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 A$93.4

$36.97 £27.74

75.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 A$63.0

$39.66 £29.75

10.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.43 A$39.48

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 A$19.79

$7.81 £5.86

76.06%

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

$2,100 A$3,022

$2,255 £1,692

-6.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K A$20.3K

$24.7K £18.5K

-42.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 A$130

$102 £76.5

-11.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 A$103

$48.36 £36.28

47.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 A$179

$105 £78.6

18.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$96.9 £72.7

34.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 A$2,071

$784 £588

83.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,760

$779 £585

56.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 A$3,267

$1,144 £859

98.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 A$2,791

$989 £742

96.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,429 A$9,251

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,919 A$7,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,424 A$6,366

$1,581 £1,186

179.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

4.87

29.77%

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

Last update for Cairns: 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

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9%

Merthyr Tydfil

$779 37.7% 36.3% $444

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$409 16.4%

Merthyr Tydfil

$266 12.9% 34.9% $143

Eating Out

Cairns

$304 12.2%

Merthyr Tydfil

$334 16.1% 9.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$265 10.6%

Merthyr Tydfil

$364 17.6% 37.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$187 7.5%

Merthyr Tydfil

$158 7.7% 15.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$71 2.9%

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7% 22.5% $16

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3% 163% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,439 in Cairns versus $784 in Merthyr Tydfil. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 180% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns versus $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $266 – making Merthyr Tydfil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

16:16 4:16 PM

9 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

43,820

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 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).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Cairns Merthyr Tydfil 15,290 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairns
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

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

Cairns costs about 21% more than Merthyr Tydfil, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,751 per month in Cairns and $3,100 in Merthyr Tydfil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merthyr Tydfil, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns and $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Merthyr Tydfil, where all-in costs run around $2,067, than in Cairns at $2,501. In Merthyr Tydfil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Merthyr Tydfil – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Merthyr Tydfil. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.