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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
London vs Cardiff in 2026: cost index 138 vs 92, rent £1,850 vs £850, income £40,300 vs £31,000, QoL 57 vs 63.
London vs Cardiff in 2026: cost index 138 vs 92, rent £1,850 vs £850, income £40,300 vs £31,000, QoL 57 vs 63.
London ranks #1 with a cost index of 138 and rent of £1,850/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 115 (+16 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 60/100. Top: London at 57/100.
Safest city: Cardiff (62/100 safety score).
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. London stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 138 and median income of £40,300, it offers competitive value despite costs slightly above the national median. 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. And there's one more thing: 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. London leads with 57/100, 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.
London (ranked #1) has a cost index of 138 and rent of £1,850/mo. Cardiff (#2) has index 92 and rent £850/mo — a 46-point gap.