Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Merthyr Tydfil: $2,071 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,071

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,071 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,071
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $2,871 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $3,644 in Glasgow, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,871
Glasgow $3,644

A family of three spends $3,671 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $4,864 in Glasgow, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $3,671
Glasgow $4,864

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

Both Merthyr Tydfil and Glasgow sit above the global median – Merthyr Tydfil by 53%, Glasgow by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.21 £18.16

$21.03 £15.78

15.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 £46.76

$66.7 £50.1

-6.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 £8.14

$10.56 £7.92

2.75%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.34

$4.78 £3.59

-6.90%

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

$2.51 £1.88

$2.27 £1.70

10.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.90 £1.42

-13.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 £4.62

$5.43 £4.08

13.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 £4.36

$6.76 £5.07

-14.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.65 £1.24

-12.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 £0.46

$1.69 £1.27

-63.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.98 £1.49

-14.14%

Eggs

$4.10 £3.08

$3.93 £2.95

4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 £6.39

$9.24 £6.93

-7.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 £6.50

$9.29 £6.97

-6.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 £9.82

$16.82 £12.62

-22.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 £1.97

$2.99 £2.24

-12.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.35

$1.49 £1.12

21.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 £1.95

$2.89 £2.17

-10.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 £2.41

$3.22 £2.42

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.97 £1.47

-40.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.59 £1.19

-15.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.19 £0.89

-1.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 £0.82

$1.64 £1.23

-33.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.15 £17.37

$23.68 £17.76

-2.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 £8.04

$11.13 £8.35

-3.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.09

$3.39 £2.54

-17.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 £2.73

$3.44 £2.58

5.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.7

$103 £77.5

-6.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 £2.57

$6.03 £4.52

-43.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.16 £0.87

46.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.34 £19.76

$62.0 £46.48

-57.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 £1.62

$2.15 £1.62

0.47%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$39.3K £29.5K

-2.65%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$39.7K £29.8K

1.76%

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

$320 £240

$315 £236

1.75%

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

$13.18 £9.89

$20.19 £15.15

-34.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.40 £28.06

$43.28 £32.47

-13.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.24 £29.44

$46.26 £34.71

-15.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 £15.26

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 £6.02

$16.23 £12.17

-50.59%

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

$2,211 £1,659

$905 £679

144.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K £19.1K

$21.6K £16.2K

17.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 £76.2

$135 £102

-24.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.44 £36.34

$46.32 £34.75

4.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$108 £80.9

-1.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 £73.4

$93.1 £69.9

5.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 £605

$1,350 £1,013

-40.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 £577

$1,036 £778

-25.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 £878

$2,680 £2,011

-56.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$979 £734

$1,941 £1,456

-49.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,064 £3,049

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,073 £2,306

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,572 £1,180

$3,420 £2,566

-54.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

4.79

1.67%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 19, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merthyr Tydfil

$770 37.2%

Glasgow

$1K 42.8% 34.7% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merthyr Tydfil

$371 17.9%

Glasgow

$378 15.6% 2% $7.4

Eating Out

Merthyr Tydfil

$339 16.3%

Glasgow

$315 13% 7% $24

Groceries & Markets

Merthyr Tydfil

$269 13%

Glasgow

$313 12.9% 16.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Merthyr Tydfil

$160 7.7%

Glasgow

$172 7.1% 7.9% $13

Getting Around

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3%

Glasgow

$131 5.4% 20.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7%

Glasgow

$79 3.3% 42.4% $23

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 $1,350 in Glasgow. 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 117% higher in Glasgow, 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 $67.0 in Glasgow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $313 – making Merthyr Tydfil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Merthyr Tydfil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,820

606,340

💱 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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Merthyr Tydfil Glasgow 460 km

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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 Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,071 in Merthyr Tydfil, $2,425 in Glasgow – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,107 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $3,637 in Glasgow. 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.

Kindergarten costs $2,211 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $905 in Glasgow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Glasgow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Merthyr Tydfil, where all-in costs run around $2,071, than in Glasgow at $2,425. In Merthyr Tydfil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glasgow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Glasgow has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,071 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Glasgow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.