Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Merthyr Tydfil

For one person, living is cheaper in Merthyr Tydfil: $2,104 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
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Merthyr Tydfil Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,104

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,104 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Merthyr Tydfil $2,104

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $2,907 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Merthyr Tydfil $2,907

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $3,710 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Merthyr Tydfil $3,710

Glasgow costs about 15% more than Merthyr Tydfil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Glasgow and Merthyr Tydfil sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Merthyr Tydfil by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.89

$24.24 £18.10

-12.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.2

$61.5 £45.91

9.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.90

$10.48 £7.83

0.95%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.59

$4.68 £3.49

2.78%

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

$2.26 £1.69

$2.61 £1.95

-13.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.65 £1.23

10.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.09

$6.19 £4.62

-11.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.95

$5.55 £4.14

19.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.42 £1.06

17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.22

$0.64 £0.48

156.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.49

$1.66 £1.24

20.48%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.98

$4.02 £3.00

-0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.93

$8.55 £6.39

8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.78

$8.92 £6.66

1.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.51

$13.33 £9.95

25.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.61 £1.95

15.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.80 £1.35

-16.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.18

$2.61 £1.95

11.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.38

$3.10 £2.31

2.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.23 £0.92

56.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.31 £0.98

18.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.84

$1.20 £0.90

-5.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.08 £0.81

46.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.89

$23.69 £17.69

1.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.45

$10.65 £7.96

6.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.51

$2.90 £2.17

16.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.49

$3.51 £2.62

-5.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.7

$96.7 £72.2

11.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.29

$3.44 £2.57

67.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.66 £1.24

-31.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.26

$27.13 £20.26

123.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$2.18 £1.63

-4.13%

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

$39.3K £29.3K

$38.7K £28.9K

1.57%

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

$40.6K £30.3K

$40.8K £30.4K

-0.31%

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

$312 £233

$326 £244

-4.21%

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

$20.29 £15.15

$13.16 £9.83

54.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.40

$36.78 £27.46

14.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £27.86

$40.41 £30.17

-7.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.48

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.14

$7.94 £5.93

104.79%

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

$1,124 £839

$2,350 £1,755

-52.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.1K

$25.2K £18.8K

-14.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £98.5

$100 £75.0

31.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.20

$48.24 £36.02

-5.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £79.6

$108 £80.8

-1.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £69.7

$99.4 £74.2

-6.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,022

$789 £589

73.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £782

$792 £591

32.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,068

$1,153 £861

140.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,553

$1,007 £752

106.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,013

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,182

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,493

$1,572 £1,174

112.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.87

-1.64%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Merthyr Tydfil

$792 37.6% 24.4% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Merthyr Tydfil

$376 17.9% 0.4% $1.3

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Merthyr Tydfil

$341 16.2% 7.5% $24

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Merthyr Tydfil

$270 12.9% 13% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Merthyr Tydfil

$160 7.6% 5.7% $9.7

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Merthyr Tydfil

$108 * 5.2% 19.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Merthyr Tydfil

$56 2.7% 19.4% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow versus $789 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 in Glasgow are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Glasgow versus $61 in Merthyr Tydfil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $270 – making Merthyr Tydfil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

43,820

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,104 in Merthyr Tydfil – Merthyr Tydfil comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $3,156 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $789 there versus $1,368 in Glasgow.

Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $2,350 in Merthyr Tydfil. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Glasgow, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,425 in Glasgow and $2,104 in Merthyr Tydfil, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Glasgow has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,104 in Merthyr Tydfil to $2,425 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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