Cost of living in Cardiff
Data last updated: 14 May 2026
Page last reviewed: 24 June 2026
Cardiff is the Welsh capital and one of the better-value city-living options in the UK. Average overall rent of £1,157/month and a typical single-person monthly cost of around £1,509 put it well below most English cities of similar scale. Average earnings of £32,756/year sit close to the UK average, and the affordability score of 48.5% (rank #215 of 348) lands well within the comfortable middle of UK areas. The city is compact and walkable, with the universities, the bay, the castle, and the centre all within a tight radius. The job market leans toward financial services, the public sector, and a growing media and creative cluster anchored by the BBC Wales and S4C presence. Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University add a student population of around 40,000. Honest downsides: rail to London takes nearly two hours and isn't on the HS network, which limits commuter options eastward. The job market is smaller in absolute terms than Manchester or Birmingham, so career options in some niche industries are thin. And while the city centre is good, the wider Cardiff economy still has some catching up to do with the more dominant English city economies.
- Known for:
- Welsh capital; the Principality Stadium and rugby; BBC Wales and S4C; Cardiff Bay redevelopment; Cardiff Castle in the city centre.
- Transport:
- Cardiff Central runs trains to London Paddington in about 1hr 50min. Buses run by Cardiff Bus cover the city; trains and metro lines connect to the valleys. M4 access to the east and west.
- Character:
- A small, compact capital city. Affordable by capital-city standards, walkable, with the centre, bay, and castle all in a tight radius. Strong food scene, good arts and music infrastructure, and a friendly student-heavy population.
Rent in Cardiff
The average monthly rent in Cardiff is £1,157.
- 1 Bed£894 /mo
- 2 Bed£1,068 /mo
- 3 Bed£1,186 /mo
- 4+ Bed£1,680 /mo
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)
Cardiff's £1,509/month figure conceals an unusually flat cost picture. The council tax (Band D) of £2,013/year is one of the lower bills among UK capital cities. House prices at £266,000 are roughly two-thirds of Bristol's £351,000 and a third of Brighton's. The affordability score of 48.5% means rent and council tax take just under half of average earnings for a single person, which is healthier than most large English cities.
Earnings in Cardiff
The average annual salary for residents of Cardiff is £32,756.
We use the median (middle value) as the average throughout this site. This is more representative than the mean, which can be skewed by extremely high or low values.
Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)
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Average house prices in Cardiff
The average house price in Cardiff was £266,000.
- Detached£445,000
- Semi-detached£310,000
- Terraced£260,000
- Flat£165,000
How house prices have changed in Cardiff
Average house prices over time, based on quarterly rolling-year medians from Land Registry data.
Source: ONS / HM Land Registry. Historical trend based on quarterly rolling-year median prices.
Climate and weather in Cardiff
Summer daytime highs in Cardiff typically reach 21.6°C in July, dropping to around 8.0°C in January. Cardiff is wetter than average for the UK, with rain falling on about 3.1 days a week. It gets around 13% more rainfall than the UK average. The area is sunnier than most of the UK, averaging around 6.4 hours of sunshine per day in summer. Expect frost on around 93 days per year, mostly between November and April.
| Month | Daytime high | Rainfall | Rain days | Sunshine | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.0°C | 137mm | 16 | 52h | 16 |
| Feb | 8.5°C | 102mm | 13 | 77h | 15 |
| Mar | 10.9°C | 92mm | 13 | 122h | 14 |
| Apr | 14.0°C | 77mm | 11 | 170h | 10 |
| May | 17.2°C | 80mm | 11 | 202h | 4 |
| Jun | 19.8°C | 79mm | 11 | 201h | 1 |
| Jul | 21.6°C | 91mm | 12 | 205h | 0 |
| Aug | 21.1°C | 109mm | 13 | 183h | 0 |
| Sep | 18.7°C | 94mm | 12 | 149h | 1 |
| Oct | 14.7°C | 139mm | 15 | 103h | 5 |
| Nov | 11.0°C | 142mm | 16 | 64h | 11 |
| Dec | 8.5°C | 153mm | 16 | 50h | 16 |
How this is calculated
Climate data is based on Met Office 30-year averages (1991-2020), calculated from 6 observation grid points covering the Cardiff local authority area.
Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid , 1991-2020 averages. Crown copyright. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Council tax in Cardiff
Band D council tax in Cardiff is £2,013 per year.
- Band A£1,342
- Band B£1,566
- Band C£1,789
- Band DBenchmark£2,013
- Band E£2,461
- Band F£2,908
- Band G£3,355
- Band H£4,026
- Band I£4,697
Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government
Energy costs in Cardiff
A typical household in Cardiff pays approximately £1,641/year (£137/month) for gas and electricity.
Energy region: South Wales
This estimate is based on the Ofgem price cap for a typical dual-fuel household using 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas per year, paying by Direct Debit. Your actual costs will depend on your usage, tariff, and whether you're on a fixed deal.
Source: Ofgem Energy Price Cap, Q2 2026
Water costs in Cardiff
The average annual water and sewerage bill for Dwr Cymru Welsh Water customers is £627/year (£52/month).
Water company: Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Water bills vary based on whether you have a meter and your household's water usage. This figure is the company average for unmetered customers.
Source: Water UK / Discover Water, 2026-27
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Crime in Cardiff
There were 968 recorded crimes per 10,000 people in Cardiff, which is above the national average of 813.2. Cardiff ranks #247 out of 303 areas for lowest crime rate.
Recorded crime statistics reflect crimes reported to and recorded by police. They may not capture the full picture of crime in an area, and recording practices vary between forces.
Source: Home Office police recorded crime, Year ending December 2025
Compare Cardiff with another area
How does Cardiff compare?
Side-by-side comparisons against three other UK areas, using the same single-person basket as the rest of the site.
Bristol costs around £393/month more than Cardiff on the same basket (£1,902/month vs £1,509/month).
See the full comparison Cardiff vs SwanseaSwansea costs around £206/month less than Cardiff on the same basket (£1,303/month vs £1,509/month).
See the full comparison Cardiff vs BirminghamBirmingham costs around £53/month less than Cardiff on the same basket (£1,456/month vs £1,509/month).
See the full comparisonOr compare Cardiff with any UK area using the comparison tool.
Nearby areas
Explore the cost of living in areas close to Cardiff.
Frequently asked questions about Cardiff
Data on this page is sourced from: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS / HM Land Registry House Price Statistics, MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government council tax data, Ofgem Energy Price Cap, and Water UK / Discover Water. All official data is published under the Open Government Licence.