Bristol vs Cardiff: cost of living compared
On a £50k salary, the cheaper of the two saves you hundreds a month on essentials. Adjust the salary slider below to see how the gap shifts at your income — everything else (single renter, public transport, UK 2024/25 tax) is held constant.
Based on current UK tax rules and city cost benchmarks. Updated regularly.
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Cardiff
You save approximately £418/month living in Cardiff vs Bristol — about £5,016 a year on essentials.
Where the money goes
Monthly spend per category. Cheaper bar is highlighted.
- RentΔ £350Bristol£1,300Cardiff£950
- BillsΔ £8Bristol£388Cardiff£380
- FoodΔ £25Bristol£290Cardiff£265
- TransportΔ £10Bristol£80Cardiff£70
Side-by-side monthly breakdown
Bristol vs Cardiff on the same salary, same household assumptions. The cheaper city in each row is highlighted.
| Category | Bristol | Cardiff |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home pay | £3,293 | £3,293 |
| Rent / housing | £1,300 | £950 |
| Bills | £388 | £380 |
| Food | £290 | £265 |
| Transport | £80 | £70 |
| Lifestyle & misc | £240 | £215 |
| Total essentials | £2,298 | £1,880 |
| Disposable left | £995 | £1,413 |
- Take-home payTied
- Rent / housing+£350Cheaper in Cardiff
- Bills+£8Cheaper in Cardiff
- Food+£25Cheaper in Cardiff
- Transport+£10Cheaper in Cardiff
- Lifestyle & misc+£25Cheaper in Cardiff
- Total essentials+£418Cheaper in Cardiff
- Disposable left-£418More for Cardiff
How Bristol and Cardiff stack up
Bristol. Bristol's rents have risen sharply over the last decade and now sit closer to London than to other regional cities. Housing is the squeeze point — bills and groceries are roughly UK average, so the budget lives or dies on rent.
Cardiff. Cardiff offers a capital-city lifestyle at regional UK rent levels, with most amenities within walking distance. A balanced affordability profile — slightly cheaper than English cities of comparable size.
Compare Bristol with another city
Reality Score weighs take-home pay against essentials and any savings commitment to gauge how sustainable the setup is.
What this means
Comfortable. You can manage your expenses and maintain moderate savings.
Reality Score weighs take-home pay against essentials and any savings commitment to gauge how sustainable the setup is.
What this means
Comfortable. You can manage your expenses and maintain moderate savings.
What this actually means
- Bristol: You could realistically save around £498/month. Over 5 years that's £29,880 before any investment growth.
- Cardiff: You could realistically save around £707/month. Over 5 years that's £42,420 before any investment growth.
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Reality Score for this scenario: 78/100 — Comfortable
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These figures are estimates and may vary based on individual circumstances.
- Based on UK cost benchmarks
- Updated regularly
- Indicative estimates, not financial advice