Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Cairns

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.

100

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
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Merthyr Tydfil Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index

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Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,067

/mo nomad

Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Cairns actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Merthyr Tydfil $2,067
Cairns $2,501

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

Merthyr Tydfil $2,860
Cairns $3,716

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

Merthyr Tydfil $3,654
Cairns $4,931

Merthyr Tydfil is about 17% cheaper than Cairns, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.35 £17.52

$17.37 A$25.00

34.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 £46.41

$95.6 A$138

-35.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 £7.88

$12.62 A$18.15

-16.80%

Cappuccino

$4.62 £3.46

$4.23 A$6.08

9.22%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$3.27 A$4.70

-23.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.27

$2.75 A$3.95

-38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 £4.75

$7.13 A$10.25

-11.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 £4.32

$8.39 A$12.07

-31.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.83 A$2.64

-24.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 £0.45

$2.69 A$3.87

-77.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.52 A$3.62

-32.94%

Eggs

$4.07 £3.05

$5.33 A$7.68

-23.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 £6.24

$9.06 A$13.04

-8.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 £6.63

$13.54 A$19.49

-34.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 £9.74

$14.90 A$21.44

-12.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 £1.99

$4.18 A$6.02

-36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$2.84 A$4.09

-39.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 £1.94

$3.70 A$5.32

-30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$5.91 A$8.50

-45.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 £0.91

$2.46 A$3.54

-50.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$2.57 A$3.70

-48.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$2.84 A$4.09

-59.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 £0.81

$2.51 A$3.61

-56.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.78 £17.09

$44.51 A$64.1

-48.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 £7.79

$13.87 A$19.95

-25.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 £2.06

$3.65 A$5.25

-24.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 £2.65

$5.25 A$7.55

-32.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$15.08 A$21.70

546.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 £2.64

$2.51 A$3.61

40.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.97 A$2.83

-14.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.25 £19.69

$41.45 A$59.7

-36.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.23 A$1.77

67.48%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$30.8K A$44.3K

26.26%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$40.7K A$58.6K

-2.50%

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

$314 £236

$165 A$238

89.87%

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

$13.39 £10.04

$34.27 A$49.32

-60.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.97 £27.74

$64.9 A$93.4

-43.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 £29.75

$43.80 A$63.0

-9.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.43 A$39.48

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 £5.86

$13.75 A$19.79

-43.20%

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

$2,255 £1,692

$2,100 A$3,022

7.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K £18.5K

$14.1K A$20.3K

75.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 £76.5

$90.4 A$130

12.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.36 £36.28

$71.4 A$103

-32.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.7

$124 A$179

-15.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 £72.7

$130 A$187

-25.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$784 £588

$1,439 A$2,071

-45.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 £585

$1,223 A$1,760

-36.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 £859

$2,270 A$3,267

-49.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 £742

$1,940 A$2,791

-49.01%

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)

$1,581 £1,186

$4,424 A$6,366

-64.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

6.32

-22.94%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cairns: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merthyr Tydfil

$779 37.7%

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9% 57% $444

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merthyr Tydfil

$364 17.6%

Cairns

$265 10.6% 27.4% $100

Eating Out

Merthyr Tydfil

$334 16.1%

Cairns

$304 12.2% 8.9% $30

Groceries & Markets

Merthyr Tydfil

$266 12.9%

Cairns

$409 16.4% 53.6% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Merthyr Tydfil

$158 7.7%

Cairns

$187 7.5% 18.1% $29

Getting Around

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3%

Cairns

$42 1.7% 61.9% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7%

Cairns

$71 2.9% 29% $16

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 $1,439 in Cairns. 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 $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $96.0 in Cairns. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $409 – making Merthyr Tydfil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🇦🇺 Cairns

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

02:12 2:12 AM

9 h ahead of Merthyr Tydfil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,820

153,181

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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

From you

Merthyr Tydfil
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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 Cairns: 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 $3,100 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $3,751 in Cairns. 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 $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil and $96.0 in Cairns. 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.