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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Leicester vs Cardiff in 2026: cost index 89 vs 92, rent £780 vs £850, income £28,500 vs £31,000, QoL 58 vs 63.
Leicester vs Cardiff in 2026: cost index 89 vs 92, rent £780 vs £850, income £28,500 vs £31,000, QoL 58 vs 63.
Leicester ranks #1 with a cost index of 89 and rent of £780/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 91 (-8 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 61/100. Top: Leicester at 58/100.
Safest city: Cardiff (62/100 safety score).
Here's the surprising part: Leicester stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 89 and median income of £28,500, 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. 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.
The country average QoL score is 61/100. Leicester leads with 58/100, 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.
Leicester (ranked #1) has a cost index of 89 and rent of £780/mo. Cardiff (#2) has index 92 and rent £850/mo — a 3-point gap.