Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Edinburgh

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.

101

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
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Merthyr Tydfil Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,071

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Merthyr Tydfil $2,071
Edinburgh $2,601

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

Merthyr Tydfil $2,871
Edinburgh $3,985

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

Merthyr Tydfil $3,671
Edinburgh $5,369

Merthyr Tydfil is about 20% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.21 £18.16

$23.67 £17.76

2.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 £46.76

$108 £81.4

-42.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 £8.14

$10.71 £8.04

1.31%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.34

$5.25 £3.94

-15.24%

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

$2.51 £1.88

$2.48 £1.86

1.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.17 £1.63

-24.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 £4.62

$7.94 £5.96

-22.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 £4.36

$8.00 £6.00

-27.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.69 £1.27

-14.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 £0.46

$2.35 £1.77

-74.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 £1.28

$2.36 £1.77

-27.97%

Eggs

$4.10 £3.08

$4.96 £3.72

-17.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 £6.39

$9.20 £6.91

-7.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 £6.50

$9.33 £7.00

-7.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 £9.82

$15.79 £11.85

-17.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 £1.97

$3.01 £2.26

-12.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.35

$1.88 £1.41

-3.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 £1.95

$3.42 £2.57

-23.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 £2.41

$3.67 £2.75

-12.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 £0.88

$2.01 £1.51

-41.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.55 £1.16

-13.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.32 £0.99

-11.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 £0.82

$1.93 £1.45

-43.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.15 £17.37

$23.23 £17.43

-0.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 £8.04

$11.20 £8.40

-4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.09

$3.12 £2.34

-10.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 £2.73

$3.27 £2.46

11.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.7

$97.0 £72.8

-0.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 £2.57

$5.43 £4.08

-36.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.82 £1.37

-6.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.34 £19.76

$28.32 £21.25

-6.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 £1.62

$2.08 £1.56

3.85%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$38.6K £28.9K

-0.88%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$39.9K £29.9K

1.26%

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

$320 £240

$328 £246

-2.46%

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

$13.18 £9.89

$16.47 £12.36

-19.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.40 £28.06

$42.32 £31.75

-11.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.24 £29.44

$44.41 £33.32

-11.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 £6.02

$14.39 £10.79

-44.27%

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

$2,211 £1,659

$1,775 £1,331

24.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K £19.1K

$25.6K £19.2K

-0.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 £76.2

$81.2 £60.9

25.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.44 £36.34

$49.04 £36.79

-1.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$108 £81.2

-1.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 £73.4

$115 £85.9

-14.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 £605

$1,600 £1,200

-49.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 £577

$1,168 £876

-34.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 £878

$2,803 £2,103

-58.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$979 £734

$2,155 £1,617

-54.59%

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)

$1,572 £1,180

$3,558 £2,669

-55.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

4.77

2.10%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 19, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merthyr Tydfil

$770 37.2%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 51.7% $398

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merthyr Tydfil

$371 17.9%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 4.4% $16

Eating Out

Merthyr Tydfil

$339 16.3%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 6% $20

Groceries & Markets

Merthyr Tydfil

$269 13%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 23.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Merthyr Tydfil

$160 7.7%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 0.4% $0.7

Getting Around

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 14% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 32.4% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

Same time as Merthyr Tydfil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,820

488,050

💱 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

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Merthyr Tydfil vs Edinburgh: 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 $3,107 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $3,902 in Edinburgh. 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 $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil and $108 in Edinburgh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,071 in Merthyr Tydfil and $2,601 in Edinburgh. 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.