Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
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Merthyr Tydfil Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,067

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merthyr Tydfil and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,067
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,860 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,860
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,654 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $3,654
Cape Town $3,263

Merthyr Tydfil costs about 30% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Merthyr Tydfil and Cape Town sit above the global median – Merthyr Tydfil by 53%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.35 £17.52

$12.14 R 200

92.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 £46.41

$45.34 R 747

36.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 £7.88

$5.88 R 96.9

78.57%

Cappuccino

$4.62 £3.46

$2.50 R 41.18

84.80%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$1.27 R 20.94

96.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.27

$0.98 R 16.14

73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 £4.75

$2.99 R 49.33

111.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 £4.32

$3.72 R 61.4

54.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.30 R 21.40

6.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 £0.45

$1.25 R 20.68

-52.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.23 R 36.76

-24.22%

Eggs

$4.07 £3.05

$3.11 R 51.2

30.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 £6.24

$9.06 R 149

-8.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 £6.63

$6.92 R 114

27.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 £9.74

$9.30 R 153

39.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 £1.99

$1.84 R 30.25

44.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.96 R 32.29

-12.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 £1.94

$1.67 R 27.45

55.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.17 R 35.70

47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.57 R 25.81

-22.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.48 R 24.45

-10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.30 R 21.41

-10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 £0.81

$1.13 R 18.60

-4.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.78 £17.09

$3.60 R 59.3

532.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 £7.79

$6.15 R 101

68.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 £2.06

$1.38 R 22.66

99.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 £2.65

$2.14 R 35.20

64.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$60.8 R 1,001

60.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 £2.64

$0.59 R 9.71

496.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.50 R 24.65

12.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.25 £19.69

$5.11 R 84.2

413.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.55 R 25.50

32.90%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$36.2K R 596.5K

7.39%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$31.2K R 514.8K

27.12%

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

$314 £236

$114 R 1,883

174.76%

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

$13.39 £10.04

$28.91 R 476

-53.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.97 £27.74

$39.73 R 654

-6.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 £29.75

$49.01 R 808

-19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 £5.86

$9.15 R 151

-14.64%

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

$2,255 £1,692

$259 R 4,264

771.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K £18.5K

$6,794 R 111.9K

263.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 £76.5

$56.2 R 926

81.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.36 £36.28

$32.41 R 534

49.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.6

$121 R 1,987

-13.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 £72.7

$108 R 1,781

-10.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$784 £588

$1,021 R 16.8K

-23.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 £585

$717 R 11.8K

8.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 £859

$1,824 R 30.1K

-37.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 £742

$1,327 R 21.9K

-25.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,581 £1,186

$1,639 R 27.0K

-3.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

10.97

-55.61%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merthyr Tydfil

$779 37.7%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merthyr Tydfil

$364 17.6%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 49.8% $181

Eating Out

Merthyr Tydfil

$334 16.1%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 47.2% $157

Groceries & Markets

Merthyr Tydfil

$266 12.9%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 15.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Merthyr Tydfil

$158 7.7%

Cape Town

$143 9% 9.9% $16

Getting Around

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 31.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 21.8% $12

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 $1,021 in Cape Town. 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 Cape Town, 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 $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

23:07 11:07 PM

1 h ahead of Merthyr Tydfil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,820

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Merthyr Tydfil Cape Town 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Merthyr Tydfil
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merthyr Tydfil costs about 30% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Merthyr Tydfil at $2,067. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merthyr Tydfil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. 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.