Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cardiff quality of life score: 62/100 (United Kingdom avg: 60/100). Combines safety (62), healthcare (72), walkability (72), air quality (AQI 26) and green space (25%). Compared to Wales peers in 2026.
Cardiff quality of life score: 62/100 (United Kingdom avg: 60/100). Combines safety (62), healthcare (72), walkability (72), air quality (AQI 26) and green space (25%). Compared to Wales peers in 2026.
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.
Most comparisons stop at rent. We didn't. 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.
Pair that with the housing data, and the pattern sharpens. looking at Wales as a whole, the spread across all 27 cities is 7 points on the cost index. Manchester sits at the other end with index 103 and rent of £1,080/mo. This stands out as genuinely impressive.
On quality of life, Cardiff scores a composite score of 62/100 — reflecting its safety (62), healthcare (72), and walkability (72) metrics. Layer in taxes, though, and the math changes. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff | 96 | £940 | £32,600 |
| 2 | Swansea | 87 | £720 | £29,500 |
| 3 | Sheffield | 91 | £830 | £30,000 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 110 | £1,220 | £37,000 |
| 5 | Aberdeen | 98 | £810 | £35,800 |
| 6 | Exeter | 106 | £1,020 | £32,600 |
| 7 | York | 107 | £1,080 | £34,700 |
| 8 | Plymouth | 97 | £870 | £31,000 |
| 9 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 89 | £800 | £30,500 |
| 10 | Norwich | 99 | £920 | £32,000 |
| 11 | Belfast | 89 | £780 | £30,500 |
| 12 | Bristol | 112 | £1,200 | £35,800 |
| 13 | Cambridge | 129 | £1,450 | £41,000 |
| 14 | Glasgow | 95 | £960 | £32,600 |
| 15 | Nottingham | 94 | £880 | £31,000 |
| 16 | Leeds | 96 | £950 | £31,600 |
| 17 | Sunderland | 83 | £660 | £28,400 |
| 18 | Oxford | 132 | £1,500 | £39,000 |
| 19 | Brighton | 122 | £1,350 | £37,000 |
| 20 | Leicester | 93 | £860 | £30,000 |
Cardiff — cost index 96, rent £940/mo, income £32,600, QoL 62/100.
Swansea — cost index 87, rent £720/mo, income £29,500, QoL 66/100.
Sheffield — cost index 91, rent £830/mo, income £30,000, QoL 65/100.
Edinburgh — cost index 110, rent £1,220/mo, income £37,000, QoL 65/100.
Aberdeen — cost index 98, rent £810/mo, income £35,800, QoL 65/100.
Cardiff has a composite quality of life score of 62/100, covering safety (62), healthcare (72), walkability (72), air quality, and green space. United Kingdom average QoL: 60/100.
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. Swansea: cost index 87, rent £720/mo, income £29,500/yr, QoL 66/100.
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.