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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Ranking of cities in Wales for 2026. Cardiff leads with a cost index of 96 and rent of £940/month.
Cardiff ranks #1 with a cost index of 96 and rent of £940/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 92 (-11 vs national average of 103).
Average quality of life: 64/100. Top: Cardiff at 62/100.
Safest city: Cardiff (62/100 safety score).
Here's the finding that keeps coming up in different analyses: Cardiff stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 96 and median income of £32,600, it offers below-average costs relative to the rest of United Kingdom. That's a strong position by any measure.
On quality of life, Swansea leads with a composite score of 66/100 — reflecting its safety (62), healthcare (65), and walkability (62) metrics. And here's the trade-off: 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.
Swansea — cost index 87, rent £720/mo, income £29,500, QoL 66/100.
Cardiff ranks #1 in Wales for this analysis with a cost index of 96 and median income of £32,600.
The region 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 (ranked #1) has a cost index of 96 and rent of £940/mo. Swansea (#2) has index 87 and rent £720/mo — a 9-point gap.
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.