What is the cheapest place to live in Wales?

On the single-person monthly cost basket, Powys is the cheapest place to live in Wales in 2026 at around £1,105/month.

What is the average cost of living in Wales?

Across the 22 Welsh local authorities, the average single-person monthly cost is around £1,234/month, well below the UK average of £1,481.

Is Wales cheaper than England?

On average, yes. Welsh rents are typically lower than English equivalents, particularly in rural mid- and west-Wales. The trade-off is that average earnings in Wales sit below the UK average. Welsh council tax uses bands A-I, which gives more granular rates than England's A-H.

What is the cheapest city in Wales?

The cheapest UK city in this list is Swansea at around £1,324/month.

Cheapest Places to Live in Wales 2026

Q: How affordable is Cardiff compared to other UK cities?

Cardiff is the most expensive Welsh authority at around £1,530/month, but is still cheaper than most English cities of comparable size. See our Cardiff area profile for the full breakdown.

Wales contains some of the cheapest places to live in the UK. The mid- and west-Wales authorities (Powys, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion) consistently rank among the cheapest UK areas on rent, and the post-industrial South Wales valleys have similar profiles. Cardiff, the Welsh capital, is the most expensive Welsh authority but is still cheaper than most English cities of comparable size. Average earnings in Wales are lower than in England, which closes some of the affordability gap, but the rent-driven cost picture remains favourable.

We've ranked 22 Welsh local authorities by what it costs a single person to live there each month. Rent, council tax, energy and water come from official sources: ONS for rent, the Welsh Government for council tax, Ofgem for energy, Water UK for water. Groceries and transport are a standard allowance of £220 and £80 a month. The cheapest area is Powys at around £1,105/month, against a UK average of £1,481/month.

The ranking: 22 Welsh areas by monthly cost

Sorted cheapest first. The "saving vs UK average" column compares each area's cost to the UK-wide single-person average (£1,481/month).

#	Area	Monthly cost	Avg rent	Avg salary	vs UK avg
1	Powys	£1,105/mo	£621	£30,275	+£376/mo
2	Carmarthenshire	£1,143/mo	£687	£30,774	+£338/mo
3	Pembrokeshire	£1,145/mo	£694	£27,243	+£336/mo
4	Neath Port Talbot	£1,154/mo	£690	£30,709	+£327/mo
5	Blaenau Gwent	£1,157/mo	£681	£30,734	+£324/mo
6	Rhondda Cynon Taf	£1,167/mo	£754	£29,802	+£314/mo
7	Caerphilly	£1,177/mo	£747	£30,854	+£304/mo
8	Isle of Anglesey	£1,187/mo	£714	£29,944	+£294/mo
9	Denbighshire	£1,191/mo	£718	£26,812	+£290/mo
10	Ceredigion	£1,209/mo	£723	£29,326	+£272/mo
11	Gwynedd	£1,209/mo	£724	£25,179	+£272/mo
12	Merthyr Tydfil	£1,210/mo	£754	£31,504	+£271/mo
13	Bridgend	£1,213/mo	£763	£31,475	+£268/mo
14	Wrexham	£1,237/mo	£770	£29,752	+£244/mo
15	Flintshire	£1,238/mo	£811	£32,675	+£243/mo
16	Conwy	£1,239/mo	£796	£28,113	+£242/mo
17	Torfaen	£1,247/mo	£862	£33,201	+£234/mo
18	Newport	£1,324/mo	£959	£31,495	+£157/mo
19	Swansea	£1,324/mo	£852	£32,091	+£157/mo
20	Vale of Glamorgan	£1,362/mo	£982	£31,410	+£119/mo
21	Monmouthshire	£1,376/mo	£994	£35,020	+£105/mo
22	Cardiff	£1,530/mo	£1,177	£32,756	-£49/mo

Top 10 cheapest Welsh areas, in detail

Powys

around £1,105/month

The largest Welsh authority by area, covering most of mid-Wales. Rural, sparsely populated, and the cheapest place to live in Wales.

See the full breakdown on the Powys area profile.

Carmarthenshire

around £1,143/month

West Wales rural authority anchored by Carmarthen and Llanelli.

See the full breakdown on the Carmarthenshire area profile.

Pembrokeshire

around £1,145/month

West-coast Wales with a national park and a strong tourism economy.

See the full breakdown on the Pembrokeshire area profile.

Neath Port Talbot

around £1,154/month

Post-industrial South Wales; the Port Talbot steelworks remains the dominant employer.

See the full breakdown on the Neath Port Talbot area profile.

Blaenau Gwent

around £1,157/month

Post-industrial valleys authority; some of the lowest rents in the UK.

See the full breakdown on the Blaenau Gwent area profile.

Rhondda Cynon Taf

around £1,167/month

A Welsh authority with rent and council tax that combine to put it in the cheaper half of the region.

See the full breakdown on the Rhondda Cynon Taf area profile.

Caerphilly

around £1,177/month

A Welsh authority with rent and council tax that combine to put it in the cheaper half of the region.

See the full breakdown on the Caerphilly area profile.

Isle of Anglesey

around £1,187/month

Island authority off the north-west Welsh coast. Rural, low-crime, popular with retirees.

See the full breakdown on the Isle of Anglesey area profile.

Denbighshire

around £1,191/month

A Welsh authority with rent and council tax that combine to put it in the cheaper half of the region.

See the full breakdown on the Denbighshire area profile.

Ceredigion

around £1,209/month

A Welsh authority with a single-person monthly basket of around £1,209.

See the full breakdown on the Ceredigion area profile.

Regional context

Average earnings in Wales are lower than the UK average (around £30,000/year compared to £35,000 nationally), which moderates the affordability picture for people working locally. Cardiff has the highest costs in Wales but is still cheaper than most English cities of similar size. Welsh local authorities also use council tax bands A-I (rather than A-H), which gives a more granular range of rates than England.

How we calculated this

How the cost basket is built

Each area's monthly cost is the sum of: average 1-bed rent (ONS Price Index of Private Rents), council tax at Band D with the 25% single occupier discount applied, the Ofgem monthly energy estimate, the average monthly water bill for the area, £220 groceries, and £80 transport. Full methodology on the about page. Use the cost of living calculator for a personalised estimate, or the UK affordability map for a visual view across all UK areas.