United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Cardiff vs Swansea
Cardiff (Wales · ~369k people) · Swansea (Wales · ~247k people)
Of 5 strictly-comparable measures: Cardiff leads on 1, Swansea on 3, 1 effectively tied. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Cardiff
£37,024/yr
Worse than 74% of UK LAs
Swansea
£37,378/yr
Worse than 71% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Cardiff
£266,000
Around UK average
Swansea
£197,000
Better than 81% of UK LAs
Swansea: 35% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Cardiff
£1,157/mo
Worse than 61% of UK LAs
Swansea
£833/mo
Better than 68% of UK LAs
Swansea: 39% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
Welsh Gov · 2026-27
Cardiff
£2,013/yr
Better than 97% of UK LAs
Swansea
£2,238/yr
Better than 89% of UK LAs
Cardiff: £225 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Cardiff
96.8/1k
Worse than 82% of UK LAs
Swansea
76.4/1k
Worse than 57% of UK LAs
Swansea: 27% lower recorded-crime rate.
Not comparable for this pair
- Deprivation (IMD): England only — SIMD/WIMD/NIMDM use separate methodologies that don't cross-compare.
- Schools (Ofsted): England only — Estyn, Education Scotland and ETI inspect under non-comparable frameworks.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
Cardiff
Rent takes 38% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 7.2× median annual pay
Swansea
Rent takes 27% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 5.3× median annual pay
Full Cardiff profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Swansea profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.