Six reasons why Cardiff is one of the best places to live
Affordable housing, excellent retail and leisure facilities and outstanding schools are just some of the reasons why Cardiff is a popular place to live.
2 minutes to read
As well as being a great location for industry and investment, Cardiff proves to be an exciting place to live, having been voted as one of the best places to live in the UK. But what makes Cardiff an attractive place to live?
1. Affordability
The average house price in Cardiff is £208,558, which is below the UK average of £232,710 according to Land Registry. It’s also an attractive city for renters. Rents in Cardiff are more than 60% lower than in Greater London, according to Rightmove.
2. Retail and leisure
In terms of town centre retail space, Cardiff has a large amount compared to other UK cities, with 2.8 sq ft per person. A number of redevelopments schemes are expected to boost Cardiff’s retail offering.
Cardiff hosts a variety of cultural and sporting events and has numerous entertainment centres such as the National Theatre Wales, the Wales Millennium Centre and the Principality Stadium.
3. Access to green spaces
According to the Ordinance Survey, 8% of Cardiff’s inner city land area is publically accessible green space e.g. parks, gardens etc. the wider Cardiff area boasts over 330 parks and gardens. The Brecon Beacons National Park is less than an hour drive and is accessible via public transport.
4. Education
Within the city, there are two schools listed on the Good Schools Guide: Cardiff Sixth Form College and Howell’s School. It’s also home to three universities. Cardiff University currently ranks 27th in the UK and 187th globally, according to the World University Rankings 2020.
Many students opt to stay on after their studies. Knight Frank/UCAS research found in 2018 that over 45% of students studying in Cardiff intended to stay once their studies were complete.
5. Physical connectivity
Cardiff residents have one of the shortest commute times on average in the UK, amounting to just 26 minutes. The planned Cardiff “Crossrail” project is expected to reduce this time even further. A new light rail/tram line will travel from east to west connecting major population centres and new suburbs in the west with Cardiff Central Train Station.
6. Digital connectivity
Cardiff has an average download speed of 47.4Mbps, higher than the UK average of 37.9Mbps. Cardiff was also one of the first UK cities to gain 5G mobile (through EE). It’s expected to be available on the four major networks by the end of 2019.