Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Rugby

For one person, living is cheaper in Merthyr Tydfil: $2,071 a month against $2,347 in Rugby, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
Learn more

Merthyr Tydfil Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Rugby
Learn more

Rugby Living Index

Jump to prices

Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,071

/mo nomad

Rugby

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,071 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $2,347 in Rugby, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,071
Rugby $2,347

A couple spends around $2,871 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $3,506 in Rugby, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,871
Rugby $3,506

A family of three spends $3,671 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $4,665 in Rugby, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $3,671
Rugby $4,665

Merthyr Tydfil is about 12% cheaper than Rugby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Merthyr Tydfil and Rugby sit above the global median – Merthyr Tydfil by 53%, Rugby by 73%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.21 £18.16

$19.62 £14.72

23.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 £46.76

$79.2 £59.4

-21.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 £8.14

$9.53 £7.15

13.85%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.34

$4.91 £3.68

-9.37%

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

$2.51 £1.88

$2.12 £1.59

18.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.50 £1.13

9.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 £4.62

$6.05 £4.54

1.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 £4.36

$6.58 £4.94

-11.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.70 £1.28

-15.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 £0.46

$1.75 £1.32

-65.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 £1.28

$2.55 £1.91

-33.33%

Eggs

$4.10 £3.08

$3.77 £2.83

8.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 £6.39

$9.32 £6.99

-8.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 £6.50

$7.79 £5.85

11.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 £9.82

$15.11 £11.34

-13.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 £1.97

$2.59 £1.95

1.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.35

$1.75 £1.31

3.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 £1.95

$2.41 £1.81

7.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 £2.41

$3.17 £2.37

1.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.66 £1.25

-28.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.75 £1.31

-23.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.24 £0.93

-5.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 £0.82

$1.58 £1.19

-31.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.15 £17.37

$21.66 £16.25

6.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 £8.04

$11.81 £8.86

-9.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.09

$3.59 £2.70

-22.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 £2.73

$3.38 £2.53

7.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 £1.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.7

$106 £79.7

-8.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 £2.57

$4.69 £3.52

-26.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.62 £1.21

4.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.34 £19.76

$24.42 £18.32

7.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 £1.62

$2.09 £1.56

3.35%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$39.2K £29.4K

-2.40%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$40.9K £30.7K

-1.20%

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

$320 £240

$265 £199

20.65%

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

$13.18 £9.89

$19.84 £14.88

-33.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.40 £28.06

$46.42 £34.83

-19.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.24 £29.44

$57.0 £42.79

-31.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 £6.02

$14.91 £11.18

-46.21%

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

$2,211 £1,659

$1,600 £1,200

38.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K £19.1K

$22.5K £16.9K

13.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 £76.2

$108 £81.4

-6.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.44 £36.34

$31.56 £23.68

53.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$83.0 £62.2

28.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 £73.4

$113 £84.8

-13.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 £605

$1,107 £831

-27.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 £577

$1,044 £783

-26.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 £878

$1,797 £1,348

-34.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$979 £734

$1,844 £1,383

-46.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,965 £3,725

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,572 £1,180

$4,705 £3,529

-66.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

5.09

-4.32%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rugby: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merthyr Tydfil

$770 37.2%

Rugby

$1K 44.5% 35.7% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merthyr Tydfil

$371 17.9%

Rugby

$332 14.1% 10.6% $39

Eating Out

Merthyr Tydfil

$339 16.3%

Rugby

$302 12.9% 10.7% $36

Groceries & Markets

Merthyr Tydfil

$269 13%

Rugby

$302 12.9% 12.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Merthyr Tydfil

$160 7.7%

Rugby

$151 6.4% 5.2% $8.4

Getting Around

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3%

Rugby

$130 5.5% 19.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7%

Rugby

$87 3.7% 57.1% $32

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 $1,107 in Rugby. 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 199% higher in Rugby, 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 $79.0 in Rugby. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $302 – making Merthyr Tydfil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 Rugby

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Merthyr Tydfil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,820

70,628

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Merthyr Tydfil Rugby 160 km

From you

Merthyr Tydfil
Rugby

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 Rugby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,071 in Merthyr Tydfil, $2,347 in Rugby – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,107 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $3,521 in Rugby. 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.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Merthyr Tydfil. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,211 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $1,600 in Rugby. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Merthyr Tydfil, where all-in costs run around $2,071, than in Rugby at $2,347. In Merthyr Tydfil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rugby 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, Rugby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.