Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Merthyr Tydfil: $2,071 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,071

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,071 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $2,532 in Manchester, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,071
Manchester $2,532

A couple spends around $2,871 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $3,686 in Manchester, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,871
Manchester $3,686

A family of three spends $3,671 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $3,671
Manchester $4,839

Merthyr Tydfil is about 18% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Merthyr Tydfil and Manchester sit above the global median – Merthyr Tydfil by 53%, Manchester by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.21 £18.16

$20.23 £15.18

19.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 £46.76

$87.1 £65.3

-28.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 £8.14

$10.83 £8.12

0.18%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.34

$4.81 £3.61

-7.48%

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

$2.51 £1.88

$2.44 £1.83

2.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.62 £1.21

1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 £4.62

$7.82 £5.87

-21.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 £4.36

$6.48 £4.86

-10.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.45 £1.09

-0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 £0.46

$1.95 £1.47

-68.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.86 £1.40

-8.60%

Eggs

$4.10 £3.08

$4.05 £3.04

1.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 £6.39

$9.76 £7.32

-12.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 £6.50

$9.11 £6.83

-4.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 £9.82

$15.52 £11.64

-15.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 £1.97

$3.20 £2.40

-18.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.35

$1.52 £1.14

19.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 £1.95

$3.02 £2.26

-13.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 £2.41

$3.34 £2.51

-3.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.55 £1.17

-23.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.30 £0.98

3.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.22 £0.92

-4.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 £0.82

$1.28 £0.96

-14.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.15 £17.37

$23.68 £17.77

-2.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 £8.04

$10.88 £8.16

-1.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.09

$2.55 £1.91

9.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 £2.73

$3.15 £2.36

15.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.7

$105 £79.1

-8.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 £2.57

$4.42 £3.31

-22.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 £1.28

$2.20 £1.65

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.34 £19.76

$30.45 £22.85

-13.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 £1.62

$2.04 £1.53

5.88%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$39.2K £29.4K

-2.39%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$40.3K £30.2K

0.24%

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

$320 £240

$252 £189

27.20%

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

$13.18 £9.89

$16.62 £12.47

-20.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.40 £28.06

$40.61 £30.47

-7.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.24 £29.44

$55.1 £41.32

-28.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 £6.02

$13.26 £9.95

-39.52%

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

$2,211 £1,659

$1,252 £939

76.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K £19.1K

$19.9K £14.9K

28.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 £76.2

$84.2 £63.2

20.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.44 £36.34

$42.72 £32.05

13.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$92.2 £69.2

15.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 £73.4

$106 £79.8

-7.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 £605

$1,789 £1,342

-54.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 £577

$1,242 £932

-38.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 £878

$3,014 £2,261

-61.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$979 £734

$1,961 £1,471

-50.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,572 £1,180

$3,460 £2,596

-54.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

4.82

1.04%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 19, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merthyr Tydfil

$770 37.2%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 61.4% $472

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merthyr Tydfil

$371 17.9%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 16.7% $62

Eating Out

Merthyr Tydfil

$339 16.3%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 5.4% $18

Groceries & Markets

Merthyr Tydfil

$269 13%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 12% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Merthyr Tydfil

$160 7.7%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 8.2% $13

Getting Around

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 20.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 47.6% $26

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 $1,789 in Manchester. 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 120% higher in Manchester, 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 $87.0 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $301 – making Merthyr Tydfil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Merthyr Tydfil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,820

503,100

💱 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 Manchester 210 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 Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 22%, 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 $3,798 in Manchester. 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 $1,252 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Manchester, 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 Manchester at $2,532. In Merthyr Tydfil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester 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.

If budget matters most, go with Merthyr Tydfil. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manchester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.