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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cardiff vs Plymouth in 2026: cost index 96 vs 97, rent £940 vs £870, income £32,600 vs £31,000, QoL 62 vs 63.
Cardiff vs Plymouth in 2026: cost index 96 vs 97, rent £940 vs £870, income £32,600 vs £31,000, QoL 62 vs 63.
Cardiff: cost index 96 (-7 vs national avg 103), rent £940/month.
Wales region average cost index: 97. Cardiff is -1 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%. This combination is rare — and valuable.
On quality of life, Cardiff scores a composite score of 62/100 — reflecting its safety (62), healthcare (72), and walkability (72) metrics. Here's where it gets complicated: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
Cardiff has a cost index of 96 (national avg: 103), rent £940/mo, median income £32,600/yr, and a quality of life score of 62/100.
The Wales region of average QoL score is 63/100. 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. Plymouth: cost index 97, rent £870/mo, income £31,000/yr, QoL 63/100.