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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cardiff digital nomad score: 65/100 — internet 58 Mbps, walk score 72/100, safety 62/100, rent £940/mo, nightlife 72/100. Full breakdown vs Wales peers.
Cardiff digital nomad score: 65/100 — internet 58 Mbps, walk score 72/100, safety 62/100, rent £940/mo, nightlife 72/100. Full breakdown vs Wales peers.
Cardiff: cost index 96 (-7 vs national avg 103), rent £940/month.
Wales region average cost index: 103. Cardiff is -7 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 62/100 — safety 62, healthcare 72, walkability 72.
Safety score: 62/100 (crime rate 72.5/1k). National average: 61/100.
Let's cut to what actually matters here. Cardiff has a cost index of 96 — 7 points below the United Kingdom national average of 103. Median income is £32,600 with rent at £940/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 35%. Financially, that's significant.
That said, looking at Wales as a whole, the spread across all 27 cities is 13 points on the cost index. Sunderland sits at the other end with index 83 and rent of £660/mo. That's a difference you notice every single month.
On quality of life, Cardiff scores a composite score of 62/100 — reflecting its safety (62), healthcare (72), and walkability (72) metrics. Pair that with the housing data, and the pattern sharpens. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
For digital nomads specifically, Cardiff earns a DN score of 65/100, powered by 58 Mbps internet, walkability of 72/100, and a nightlife score of 72/100. That ratio is hard to beat anywhere else.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income | DN Score | Internet (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff | 96 | £940 | £32,600 | 65 | 58 |
| 2 | Edinburgh | 110 | £1,220 | £37,000 | 70 | 68 |
| 3 | Cambridge | 129 | £1,450 | £41,000 | 69 | 85 |
| 4 | Manchester | 103 | £1,080 | £33,800 | 68 | 70 |
| 5 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 89 | £800 | £30,500 | 68 | 62 |
| 6 | Glasgow | 95 | £960 | £32,600 | 68 | 65 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 92 | £830 | £30,500 | 67 | 62 |
| 8 | Leeds | 96 | £950 | £31,600 | 67 | 65 |
| 9 | Bristol | 112 | £1,200 | £35,800 | 66 | 70 |
| 10 | Oxford | 132 | £1,500 | £39,000 | 65 | 75 |
| 11 | Birmingham | 97 | £950 | £32,200 | 65 | 65 |
| 12 | Nottingham | 94 | £880 | £31,000 | 65 | 62 |
| 13 | Sheffield | 91 | £830 | £30,000 | 65 | 60 |
| 14 | York | 107 | £1,080 | £34,700 | 65 | 58 |
| 15 | Belfast | 89 | £780 | £30,500 | 65 | 55 |
| 16 | Brighton | 122 | £1,350 | £37,000 | 64 | 68 |
| 17 | Aberdeen | 98 | £810 | £35,800 | 64 | 60 |
| 18 | Reading | 124 | £1,300 | £40,000 | 63 | 78 |
| 19 | London | 142 | £2,000 | £42,500 | 62 | 72 |
| 20 | Leicester | 93 | £860 | £30,000 | 62 | 58 |
Cardiff — cost index 96, rent £940/mo, income £32,600, QoL 62/100.
Edinburgh — cost index 110, rent £1,220/mo, income £37,000, QoL 65/100.
Cambridge — cost index 129, rent £1,450/mo, income £41,000, QoL 61/100.
Manchester — cost index 103, rent £1,080/mo, income £33,800, QoL 56/100.
Newcastle upon Tyne — cost index 89, rent £800/mo, income £30,500, QoL 63/100.
Cardiff earns a digital nomad score of 65/100 — internet 58 Mbps, walk score 72/100, safety 62/100, rent £940/month.
The Wales region of average QoL score is 60/100. Cardiff leads with 62/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include ONS, Land Registry, HMRC.
Cardiff: cost index 96, rent £940/mo, income £32,600/yr, QoL 62/100. Edinburgh: cost index 110, rent £1,220/mo, income £37,000/yr, QoL 65/100.
This analysis uses data from ONS, Land Registry, HMRC to rank cities in United Kingdom. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.