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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cardiff vs Brighton in 2026: cost index 92 vs 118, rent £850 vs £1,250, income £31,000 vs £35,000, QoL 63 vs 58.
Cardiff vs Brighton in 2026: cost index 92 vs 118, rent £850 vs £1,250, income £31,000 vs £35,000, QoL 63 vs 58.
Cardiff ranks #1 with a cost index of 92 and rent of £850/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 105 (+6 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 61/100. Top: Cardiff at 63/100.
Safest city: Cardiff (62/100 safety score).
Let's cut to what actually matters here. 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. That's a strong position by any measure.
On quality of life, Cardiff leads with a composite score of 63/100 — 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.
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. Brighton (#2) has index 118 and rent £1,250/mo — a 26-point gap.