Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Merthyr Tydfil: $2,071 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Merthyr Tydfil
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,071
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,071 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

  • Merthyr Tydfil $2,071
  • Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,871 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

  • Merthyr Tydfil $2,871
  • Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,671 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Merthyr Tydfil $3,671
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Merthyr Tydfil costs roughly 6% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merthyr Tydfil 53% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Merthyr Tydfil
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.21 £18.16
$17.04 €15.15
42.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 £46.76
$62.3 €55.4
0.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.85 £8.14
$11.02 €9.80
-1.54%
Cappuccino
$4.45 £3.34
$3.12 €2.78
42.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 £1.88
$2.27 €2.02
10.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.74 €1.55
-5.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.16 £4.62
$3.42 €3.04
80.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.81 £4.36
$3.74 €3.33
55.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Merthyr Tydfil
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.17 €1.04
23.08%
White Bread (500g)
$0.61 £0.46
$1.86 €1.66
-67.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 £1.28
$1.54 €1.37
10.39%
Eggs
$4.10 £3.08
$4.06 €3.61
0.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.51 £6.39
$12.91 €11.49
-34.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.66 £6.50
$7.90 €7.03
9.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.08 £9.82
$17.64 €15.69
-25.85%
Apples (1kg)
$2.62 £1.97
$2.26 €2.01
15.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 £1.35
$1.75 €1.55
3.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.60 £1.95
$1.89 €1.68
37.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.22 £2.41
$2.56 €2.27
25.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 £0.88
$1.85 €1.64
-36.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 £1.00
$1.97 €1.75
-31.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 £0.88
$1.45 €1.29
-19.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 £0.82
$0.77 €0.69
41.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.15 £17.37
$6.71 €5.97
245.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.72 £8.04
$5.67 €5.04
89.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.78 £2.09
$1.37 €1.22
102.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 £2.73
$2.11 €1.88
72.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Merthyr Tydfil
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$2.32 €2.07
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.9 £72.7
$44.43 €39.52
118.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 £2.57
$3.95 €3.51
-13.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.70 £1.28
$1.05 €0.93
61.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.34 £19.76
$17.15 €15.26
53.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.16 £1.62
$2.19 €1.95
-1.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.7K
$33.8K €30.0K
13.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.4K £30.3K
$38.3K €34.0K
5.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Merthyr Tydfil
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$320 £240
$164 €146
95.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.18 £9.89
$18.48 €16.43
-28.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.40 £28.06
$32.96 €29.32
13.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Merthyr Tydfil
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.24 £29.44
$45.87 €40.80
-14.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.68 €16.61
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.02 £6.02
$9.75 €8.67
-17.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Merthyr Tydfil
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,211 £1,659
$684 €608
223.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.5K £19.1K
$17.6K €15.7K
44.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Merthyr Tydfil
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 £76.2
$104 €92.3
-2.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.44 £36.34
$46.20 €41.09
4.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 £80.0
$99.7 €88.7
6.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 £73.4
$125 €111
-21.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Merthyr Tydfil
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$807 £605
$1,589 €1,414
-49.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$770 £577
$1,169 €1,040
-34.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,171 £878
$2,851 €2,536
-58.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$979 £734
$1,993 €1,773
-50.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,793 €6,932
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,418 €3,930
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Merthyr Tydfil
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,572 £1,180
$1,600 €1,423
-1.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.87
3.85
26.49%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Merthyr Tydfil
$770
Lisbon
$1.2K 51.9% $399
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Merthyr Tydfil
$371
Lisbon
$215 41.9% $155
Eating Out
Merthyr Tydfil
$339
Lisbon
$247 26.9% $91
Groceries & Markets
Merthyr Tydfil
$269
Lisbon
$273 1.6% $4.2
Clothing & Footwear
Merthyr Tydfil
$160
Lisbon
$168 5.6% $8.9
Getting Around
Merthyr Tydfil
$109 *
Lisbon
$63 42.2% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Merthyr Tydfil
$55
Lisbon
$65 18.3% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $807 in Merthyr Tydfil and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $273 per month, with Merthyr Tydfil cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
11:49 11:49 AM
11:49 11:49 AM
Same time as Merthyr Tydfil
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
43,820
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Merthyr Tydfil Lisbon 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Merthyr Tydfil
  • Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Merthyr Tydfil and in Lisbon?
Merthyr Tydfil and Lisbon differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,071 vs $2,202 including rent). Merthyr Tydfil is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Merthyr Tydfil and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $807 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Merthyr Tydfil and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $2,211 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,071 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Merthyr Tydfil but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Merthyr Tydfil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Merthyr Tydfil and Lisbon?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Merthyr Tydfil or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Merthyr Tydfil and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Merthyr Tydfil or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Merthyr Tydfil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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