Is Cardiff a good place to live?

Cardiff has an overall liveability score of 75 out of 100 (very good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 90% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on broadband and local amenities. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

Recorded crime for Cardiff is shown in the crime and safety section, from police.uk for England and Wales or Scottish Government statistics for Scotland.

Cardiff averages about 1,319 mm of rain a year, giving an outdoor score of 62 out of 100. Summer highs average 22°C and winter lows 3.4°C. The station records no sunshine series, so that score is built from rainfall and temperature alone. Based on the Met Office Cardiff Bute Park station, 1 km away.

Average private rent in the Cardiff area is about £1,162 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Cardiff a cost-of-living score of 61 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Cardiff is about £270,094 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +2.1% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

The average property in Cardiff costs about £270,094, which is 6.9 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 68 out of 100. Mainstream lenders usually cap borrowing at around four to four and a half times income, so a ratio above that generally means a larger deposit, a second income or a cheaper property than the local average. With a ten per cent deposit, repaying the rest costs about £1,566 a month at 6% over 25 years, £404 more than the £1,162 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 98.9% of premises in Cardiff can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 94.1% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 95 out of 100 (Ofcom Connected Nations). These are council-area availability figures - the share of premises able to order each service, not the speed any single line achieves - so check the exact address with the Ofcom broadband checker before committing to it.

73.7% of 16 to 64 year olds in Cardiff are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 51 out of 100. Unemployment stands at 3.4%. UK local authorities typically range from about 62% to 82%. This is a whole-authority figure, so it describes the local labour market rather than any one town within it.

Cardiff records 366.2 on Capped 9 average points score (interim measure) (2024/25), giving an education score of 76 out of 100. Each nation publishes its own attainment measure and they are not interchangeable, so education scores compare within England, Scotland or Wales and not across them. Attainment is published for the whole council or county rather than for a school catchment, so check individual schools with the inspectorate before deciding.

For the 1 km grid square containing Cardiff, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 6.21 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 17.12 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 83 out of 100; an area meeting both guideline levels scores 100. These are modelled background concentrations for the square, not a reading taken at the roadside.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 1,982 mapped amenities, including 699 places to eat and drink, 947 shops, 198 parks and sports facilities and 36 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 93 out of 100. Counts come from OpenStreetMap and are measured at this exact location rather than averaged across the council, so they reflect how well served this particular spot is. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 24 GP surgeries, 19 pharmacies and 12 dentists. 9 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 98 out of 100. Facilities are counted from OpenStreetMap and the score describes how close services are, not waiting times, capacity or clinical quality.

The nearest railway station is Cardiff Queen Street Rail Station, about 0.5 km away, and there are 131 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 100 out of 100. Stops come from the DfT NaPTAN dataset and are counted for this exact point, so the figure measures access rather than how frequently anything runs.

Cardiff is in the Cardiff local authority, Wales. It falls within the Cathays ward and the Cardiff South and Penarth parliamentary constituency. Cost of living, housing, affordability, employment, broadband and education figures in this report are published at local-authority level, so every postcode and town inside Cardiff shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Cardiff scores 75 out of 100 on our remote workers profile, which is weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather. That is close to its general score of 75, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-remote-workers/.

Cardiff scores 73 out of 100 on our young professionals profile, which is weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. That is close to its general score of 75, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area.

Cardiff sits in the top 3% of the 539 UK areas we have scored. The median area in the index scores 67 out of 100. It is furthest above the benchmark for its nation on healthcare, lifestyle and transport. It is furthest below on cost of living, affordability and environment. Categories are compared against the area's own nation where the samples allow it, because crime and school attainment are measured differently either side of the border.

Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Cardiff, the highest are Barry (71 out of 100, about 7 miles away), Newport (71 out of 100, about 11 miles away) and Pontypridd (71 out of 100, about 11 miles away). Cardiff itself scores 75. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Cheltenham (Cheltenham, South West, England), York (York, Yorkshire and The Humber, England) and Norwich (Norwich, East of England, England). Similarity is the average gap across every category both areas have data for, with immediate neighbours excluded, so these are places that score alike rather than places that look alike or sit nearby.

Weather, crime, local amenities, healthcare access, transport access and air quality are measured for this exact point. Cost of living, affordability, housing, employment and broadband come from official statistics for the Cardiff council area, so nearby postcodes and towns in the same council share those figures. Education comes from the local authority, or from the county where attainment is only published at county level. The "How detailed is this report" section explains each level.