Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Merthyr Tydfil

For one person, living is cheaper in Merthyr Tydfil: $2,071 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
Learn more

Edinburgh Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
Learn more

Merthyr Tydfil Living Index

Jump to prices

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,071 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Merthyr Tydfil $2,071

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,871 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Merthyr Tydfil $2,871

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,671 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Merthyr Tydfil $3,671

Edinburgh costs about 26% more than Merthyr Tydfil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edinburgh and Merthyr Tydfil sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Merthyr Tydfil by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$24.21 £18.16

-2.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$62.3 £46.76

74.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.85 £8.14

-1.29%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.45 £3.34

17.98%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.51 £1.88

-1.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.64 £1.23

32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.16 £4.62

28.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$5.81 £4.36

37.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.44 £1.08

17.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$0.61 £0.46

285.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$1.70 £1.28

38.82%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$4.10 £3.08

20.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$8.51 £6.39

8.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$8.66 £6.50

7.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$13.08 £9.82

20.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.62 £1.97

14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.81 £1.35

3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.60 £1.95

31.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.22 £2.41

13.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.18 £0.88

70.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.34 £1.00

15.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.17 £0.88

12.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.09 £0.82

77.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$23.15 £17.37

0.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.72 £8.04

4.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.78 £2.09

12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.64 £2.73

-10.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$96.9 £72.7

0.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$3.43 £2.57

58.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$1.70 £1.28

7.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$26.34 £19.76

7.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.16 £1.62

-3.70%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.2K £28.7K

0.89%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.4K £30.3K

-1.25%

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

$328 £246

$320 £240

2.52%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$13.18 £9.89

24.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$37.40 £28.06

13.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$39.24 £29.44

13.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$8.02 £6.02

79.43%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$2,211 £1,659

-19.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$25.5K £19.1K

0.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$102 £76.2

-20.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$48.44 £36.34

1.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$107 £80.0

1.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$97.9 £73.4

17.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$807 £605

98.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$770 £577

51.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$1,171 £878

139.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$979 £734

120.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$1,572 £1,180

126.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.87

-2.05%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Merthyr Tydfil

$770 37.2% 34.1% $398

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Merthyr Tydfil

$371 17.9% 4.2% $16

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Merthyr Tydfil

$339 16.3% 5.6% $20

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Merthyr Tydfil

$269 13% 19% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Merthyr Tydfil

$160 7.7% 0.4% $0.7

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3% 12.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7% 24.5% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $807 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 126% higher in Edinburgh, 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 $108 in Edinburgh versus $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $269 – making Merthyr Tydfil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

43,820

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Merthyr Tydfil 470 km

From you

Edinburgh
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

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

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,107 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh and $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,601 in Edinburgh and $2,071 in Merthyr Tydfil. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Merthyr Tydfil, where all-in costs run around $2,071, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Merthyr Tydfil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh 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, Edinburgh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.