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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cardiff for students: rent £940/mo, cost index 96 vs UK median 103, 3 universities. Compared to 26 other Wales cities below.
Cardiff for students: rent £940/mo, cost index 96 vs UK median 103, 3 universities. Compared to 26 other Wales cities below.
Cardiff: cost index 96 (-7 vs national avg 103), rent £940/month.
Wales region average cost index: 103. Cardiff is -7 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.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff | 96 | £940 | £32,600 |
| 2 | Sunderland | 83 | £660 | £28,400 |
| 3 | Swansea | 87 | £720 | £29,500 |
| 4 | Belfast | 89 | £780 | £30,500 |
| 5 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 89 | £800 | £30,500 |
| 6 | Aberdeen | 98 | £810 | £35,800 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 92 | £830 | £30,500 |
| 8 | Sheffield | 91 | £830 | £30,000 |
| 9 | Leicester | 93 | £860 | £30,000 |
| 10 | Plymouth | 97 | £870 | £31,000 |
| 11 | Coventry | 94 | £880 | £30,500 |
| 12 | Nottingham | 94 | £880 | £31,000 |
| 13 | Norwich | 99 | £920 | £32,000 |
| 14 | Birmingham | 97 | £950 | £32,200 |
| 15 | Leeds | 96 | £950 | £31,600 |
| 16 | Glasgow | 95 | £960 | £32,600 |
| 17 | Exeter | 106 | £1,020 | £32,600 |
| 18 | Manchester | 103 | £1,080 | £33,800 |
| 19 | York | 107 | £1,080 | £34,700 |
| 20 | Southampton | 113 | £1,130 | £35,200 |
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%. That's a strong position by any measure.
And here's the trade-off: looking at Wales as a whole, the spread across all 27 cities is 46 points on the cost index. London sits at the other end with index 142 and rent of £2,000/mo. Financially, that's significant.
On quality of life, Cardiff scores a composite score of 62/100 — reflecting its safety (62), healthcare (72), and walkability (72) metrics. Zooming out, affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
Cardiff — cost index 96, rent £940/mo, income £32,600, QoL 62/100.
Sunderland — cost index 83, rent £660/mo, income £28,400, QoL 59/100.
Swansea — cost index 87, rent £720/mo, income £29,500, QoL 66/100.
Belfast — cost index 89, rent £780/mo, income £30,500, QoL 62/100.
Newcastle upon Tyne — cost index 89, rent £800/mo, income £30,500, QoL 63/100.
Cardiff scores 62/100 on the relevant index for students — with rent of £940/month and cost index 96 (7 points below the national average of 103).
The Wales region of average QoL score is 60/100. 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. Sunderland: cost index 83, rent £660/mo, income £28,400/yr, QoL 59/100.
This analysis uses data from ONS, Land Registry, HMRC to rank cities in United Kingdom. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.