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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cardiff vs Aberdeen in 2026: cost index 92 vs 95, rent £850 vs £750, income £31,000 vs £34,000, QoL 63 vs 66.
Cardiff vs Aberdeen in 2026: cost index 92 vs 95, rent £850 vs £750, income £31,000 vs £34,000, QoL 63 vs 66.
Cardiff ranks #1 with a cost index of 92 and rent of £850/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 94 (-5 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 65/100. Top: Cardiff at 63/100.
Safest city: Aberdeen (70/100 safety score).
Here's what the headline numbers don't tell you: Cardiff stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 92 and median income of £31,000, it offers below-average costs relative to the rest of United Kingdom. This combination is rare — and valuable.
On quality of life, Aberdeen leads with a composite score of 66/100 — reflecting its safety (70), healthcare (76), and walkability (68) metrics. That said, affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
The country average QoL score is 61/100. Cardiff leads with 63/100, reflecting its 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 (ranked #1) has a cost index of 92 and rent of £850/mo. Aberdeen (#2) has index 95 and rent £750/mo — a 3-point gap.