Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,067

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,067
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,860 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,860
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,654 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $3,654
Istanbul $3,281

Merthyr Tydfil costs about 33% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Merthyr Tydfil and Istanbul sit above the global median – Merthyr Tydfil by 53%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.35 £17.52

$12.30 ₺609

89.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 £46.41

$54.7 ₺2,708

13.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 £7.88

$9.22 ₺456

13.88%

Cappuccino

$4.62 £3.46

$4.40 ₺218

5.00%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$1.68 ₺83.1

48.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.27

$0.59 ₺29.40

188.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 £4.75

$4.70 ₺233

34.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 £4.32

$5.91 ₺292

-2.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.21 ₺60.0

14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 £0.45

$0.89 ₺44.10

-32.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.19 ₺108

-22.83%

Eggs

$4.07 £3.05

$2.35 ₺116

73.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 £6.24

$10.42 ₺516

-20.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 £6.63

$5.65 ₺280

56.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 £9.74

$20.94 ₺1,037

-38.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 £1.99

$1.90 ₺94.1

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$2.31 ₺114

-25.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 £1.94

$1.28 ₺63.1

102.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$1.80 ₺89.0

77.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 £0.91

$0.65 ₺32.16

87.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$0.64 ₺31.91

107.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.25 ₺62.1

-7.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 £0.81

$0.56 ₺27.58

92.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.78 £17.09

$2.37 ₺118

861.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 £7.79

$13.42 ₺664

-22.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 £2.06

$2.40 ₺119

14.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 £2.65

$3.48 ₺172

1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$67.4 ₺3,338

44.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 £2.64

$1.29 ₺64.1

172.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$0.92 ₺45.70

82.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.25 £19.69

$10.96 ₺542

139.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.47 ₺72.9

40.14%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-23.44%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-10.80%

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

$314 £236

$88.6 ₺4,387

254.47%

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

$13.39 £10.04

$11.59 ₺574

15.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.97 £27.74

$15.81 ₺783

133.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 £29.75

$77.2 ₺3,820

-48.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 £5.86

$8.14 ₺403

-4.05%

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

$2,255 £1,692

$1,008 ₺49.9K

123.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K £18.5K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-3.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 £76.5

$54.0 ₺2,671

89.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.36 £36.28

$40.83 ₺2,021

18.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.6

$98.9 ₺4,895

6.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 £72.7

$96.6 ₺4,783

0.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$784 £588

$985 ₺48.7K

-20.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 £585

$650 ₺32.2K

19.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 £859

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-42.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 £742

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-16.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,581 £1,186

$1,205 ₺59.7K

31.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

40.92

-88.10%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merthyr Tydfil

$779 37.7%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 16.6% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merthyr Tydfil

$364 17.6%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 68.2% $248

Eating Out

Merthyr Tydfil

$334 16.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 33.1% $110

Groceries & Markets

Merthyr Tydfil

$266 12.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 2.4% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Merthyr Tydfil

$158 7.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 17.6% $28

Getting Around

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 29.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 69% $38

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 $985 in Istanbul. 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 31% higher in Merthyr Tydfil, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

2 h ahead of Merthyr Tydfil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,820

15,701,602

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Merthyr Tydfil Istanbul 2,720 km ≈ 4 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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Merthyr Tydfil is pricier by about 33%, 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 $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,255 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Merthyr Tydfil, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Merthyr Tydfil at $2,067. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merthyr Tydfil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – 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 Istanbul. 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.