Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
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Merthyr Tydfil Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,067

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merthyr Tydfil and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,067
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,860 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,860
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,654 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $3,654
Budapest $3,429

Merthyr Tydfil costs about 28% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Merthyr Tydfil and Budapest sit above the global median – Merthyr Tydfil by 53%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.35 £17.52

$13.94 Ft 4,503

67.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 £46.41

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 £7.88

$10.19 Ft 3,291

3.04%

Cappuccino

$4.62 £3.46

$3.26 Ft 1,055

41.72%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$2.14 Ft 690

16.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.78 Ft 577

-4.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 £4.75

$3.71 Ft 1,198

70.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 £4.32

$3.77 Ft 1,217

52.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.15 Ft 371

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 £0.45

$1.79 Ft 578

-66.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.49 Ft 804

-32.13%

Eggs

$4.07 £3.05

$3.90 Ft 1,261

4.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 £6.24

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-25.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 £6.63

$6.62 Ft 2,139

33.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 £9.74

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-11.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 £1.99

$1.83 Ft 591

45.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$2.05 Ft 661

-16.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 £1.94

$2.37 Ft 765

9.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-17.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 £0.91

$0.99 Ft 320

23.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.00 Ft 322

33.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.58 Ft 511

-26.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 £0.81

$0.67 Ft 216

61.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.78 £17.09

$7.96 Ft 2,572

186.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 £7.79

$6.22 Ft 2,009

66.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 £2.06

$1.27 Ft 411

116.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 £2.65

$2.03 Ft 654

73.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$28.02 Ft 9,053

247.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 £2.64

$3.31 Ft 1,070

6.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.37 Ft 442

22.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.25 £19.69

$19.83 Ft 6,406

32.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.82 Ft 589

13.19%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

30.49%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

17.48%

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

$314 £236

$171 Ft 55.3K

83.56%

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

$13.39 £10.04

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-43.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.97 £27.74

$23.29 Ft 7,526

58.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 £29.75

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-41.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 £5.86

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-16.02%

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

$2,255 £1,692

$533 Ft 172.3K

322.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K £18.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

47.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 £76.5

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

2.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.36 £36.28

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

11.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.6

$110 Ft 35.7K

-5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 £72.7

$119 Ft 38.4K

-18.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$784 £588

$830 Ft 268.3K

-5.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 £585

$622 Ft 200.9K

25.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 £859

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-28.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 £742

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-15.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,581 £1,186

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-4.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

6.45

-24.50%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merthyr Tydfil

$779 37.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 20.2% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merthyr Tydfil

$364 17.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 40.2% $147

Eating Out

Merthyr Tydfil

$334 16.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 33.2% $111

Groceries & Markets

Merthyr Tydfil

$266 12.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 3.1% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Merthyr Tydfil

$158 7.7%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 5.8% $9.1

Getting Around

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 59.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 55.8% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $784 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $830 in Budapest. 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 4% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

00:30 12:30 AM

1 h ahead of Merthyr Tydfil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,820

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Merthyr Tydfil Budapest 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Merthyr Tydfil
Budapest

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

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

Yes – Merthyr Tydfil is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,100 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 248% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,255 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Merthyr Tydfil at $2,067. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merthyr Tydfil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Merthyr Tydfil makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.