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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Ranking of cities in United Kingdom for 2026. Cardiff leads with a cost index of 96 and rent of £940/month.
Ranking of cities in United Kingdom for 2026. Cardiff leads with a cost index of 96 and rent of £940/month.
Cardiff: cost index 96 (-7 vs national avg 103), rent £940/month.
Wales region average cost index: 109. Cardiff is -13 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.
One stat flips the usual narrative: 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%. 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. 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.
Cardiff — cost index 96, rent £940/mo, income £32,600, QoL 62/100.
Brighton — cost index 122, rent £1,350/mo, income £37,000, QoL 57/100.
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 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. Brighton: cost index 122, rent £1,350/mo, income £37,000/yr, QoL 57/100.
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.