Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rugby and Merthyr Tydfil

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.

113

Cost of Living Index in Rugby
Learn more

Rugby Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
Learn more

Merthyr Tydfil Living Index

Jump to prices

Rugby

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,347

/mo nomad

Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rugby and in Merthyr Tydfil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Rugby $2,347
Merthyr Tydfil $2,071

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

Rugby $3,506
Merthyr Tydfil $2,871

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

Rugby $4,665
Merthyr Tydfil $3,671

Rugby costs about 13% more than Merthyr Tydfil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 £14.72

$24.21 £18.16

-18.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 £59.4

$62.3 £46.76

27.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 £7.15

$10.85 £8.14

-12.17%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.68

$4.45 £3.34

10.34%

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

$2.12 £1.59

$2.51 £1.88

-15.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.64 £1.23

-8.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 £4.54

$6.16 £4.62

-1.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.58 £4.94

$5.81 £4.36

13.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.44 £1.08

18.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.32

$0.61 £0.46

186.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 £1.91

$1.70 £1.28

50.00%

Eggs

$3.77 £2.83

$4.10 £3.08

-8.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 £6.99

$8.51 £6.39

9.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 £5.85

$8.66 £6.50

-10.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 £11.34

$13.08 £9.82

15.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 £1.95

$2.62 £1.97

-1.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.81 £1.35

-3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 £1.81

$2.60 £1.95

-7.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$3.22 £2.41

-1.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.18 £0.88

40.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.34 £1.00

30.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.17 £0.88

5.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.09 £0.82

44.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.66 £16.25

$23.15 £17.37

-6.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 £8.86

$10.72 £8.04

10.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 £2.70

$2.78 £2.09

29.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 £2.53

$3.64 £2.73

-7.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 £1.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 £79.7

$96.9 £72.7

9.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 £3.52

$3.43 £2.57

36.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.70 £1.28

-4.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.42 £18.32

$26.34 £19.76

-7.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$2.16 £1.62

-3.24%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.2K £28.7K

2.46%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.4K £30.3K

1.22%

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

$265 £199

$320 £240

-17.11%

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

$19.84 £14.88

$13.18 £9.89

50.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.42 £34.83

$37.40 £28.06

24.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 £42.79

$39.24 £29.44

45.36%

Cinema Ticket

$14.91 £11.18

$8.02 £6.02

85.91%

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

$1,600 £1,200

$2,211 £1,659

-27.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K £16.9K

$25.5K £19.1K

-11.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 £81.4

$102 £76.2

6.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.56 £23.68

$48.44 £36.34

-34.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 £62.2

$107 £80.0

-22.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 £84.8

$97.9 £73.4

15.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 £831

$807 £605

37.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 £783

$770 £577

35.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,797 £1,348

$1,171 £878

53.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 £1,383

$979 £734

88.39%

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)

$4,705 £3,529

$1,572 £1,180

199.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

4.87

4.52%

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

Last update for Rugby: October 19, 2026

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rugby

$1K 44.5%

Merthyr Tydfil

$770 37.2% 26.3% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rugby

$332 14.1%

Merthyr Tydfil

$371 17.9% 11.8% $39

Eating Out

Rugby

$302 12.9%

Merthyr Tydfil

$339 16.3% 12% $36

Groceries & Markets

Rugby

$302 12.9%

Merthyr Tydfil

$269 13% 10.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Rugby

$151 6.4%

Merthyr Tydfil

$160 7.7% 5.5% $8.4

Getting Around

Rugby

$130 5.5%

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3% 16% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Rugby

$87 3.7%

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7% 36.4% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,107 in Rugby versus $807 in Merthyr Tydfil. 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 $79.0 in Rugby versus $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $269 – making Merthyr Tydfil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Rugby

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Rugby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,628

43,820

💱 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

Rugby Merthyr Tydfil 160 km

From you

Rugby
Merthyr Tydfil

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

Rugby vs Merthyr Tydfil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,521 per month in Rugby and $3,107 in Merthyr Tydfil. 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 $1,600 per month in Rugby and $2,211 in Merthyr Tydfil. 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.