Cardiff vs Monmouthshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £17,000 (7%) more in Cardiff than in Monmouthshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cardiff: it takes 7.2× median annual pay, against 6.0× in Monmouthshire.
At a glance
| Cardiff | Monmouthshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | About average |
Buying rates the typical price of all homes against median pay; renting rates a year of average rent against median pay; crime rates recorded crime per resident against the England and Wales average.
What the numbers say
Median full-time pay in Monmouthshire (£41,529) is 12% higher than in Cardiff (£36,946), while a typical terraced house costs 6% less (£250,000 against £267,000). Set against local pay, Monmouthshire is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.2× annual pay in Cardiff and 6.0× in Monmouthshire. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Cardiff and 28% in Monmouthshire. Both are harder in Cardiff, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Cardiff is around the middle of 316 areas (173rd most expensive) to buy in, and Monmouthshire is around the middle of 316 areas (152nd most expensive). For renting against pay, Cardiff is the 98th most expensive of 316 areas and Monmouthshire is the 99th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Cardiff would need about £37,500 in Monmouthshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £32,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Monmouthshire would leave you better placed to buy. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.
Police recorded 93.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cardiff and 64.2 in Monmouthshire, so recorded crime per resident is 32% lower in Monmouthshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 7.5 per 1,000 in Cardiff against 2.3 in Monmouthshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Cardiff | Monmouthshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,946 | £41,529 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.2× | 6.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 69% | 83% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 28% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Cardiff | Monmouthshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £460,000 | £430,000 | -7% in Monmouthshire |
| Semi-detached | £307,250 | £280,500 | -9% in Monmouthshire |
| Terraced | £267,000 | £250,000 | -6% in Monmouthshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Cardiff | Monmouthshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,516 | £1,307 | -14% in Monmouthshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,186 | £1,026 | -13% in Monmouthshire |
| Terraced | £1,177 | £959 | -19% in Monmouthshire |
Crime
Police recorded 93.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cardiff and 64.2 in Monmouthshire, so recorded crime per resident is 32% lower in Monmouthshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Cardiff | Monmouthshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 93.8 | 64.2 | -32% in Monmouthshire |
| Violence against the person | 29.8 | 23.6 | -21% in Monmouthshire |
| Sexual offences | 3.5 | 3.5 | -1% in Monmouthshire |
| Robbery | 1.7 | 0.3 | -83% in Monmouthshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.6 | 4.2 | -10% in Monmouthshire |
| Vehicle offences | 7.5 | 2.3 | -69% in Monmouthshire |
| Theft from the person | 0.9 | 0.1 | -88% in Monmouthshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.0 | 6.8 | -14% in Monmouthshire |
Rates use resident population, so city centres and student areas show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on reporting and police recording practice.
How prices have changed in each area
Average house price for all property types, indexed so that 2005 is 100. A line at 200 means prices have doubled.
Show the figures
| Year | Cardiff | Monmouthshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 103 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 111 |
| 2008 | 106 | 106 |
| 2009 | 96 | 97 |
| 2010 | 101 | 104 |
| 2011 | 101 | 103 |
| 2012 | 103 | 103 |
| 2013 | 105 | 102 |
| 2014 | 112 | 108 |
| 2015 | 118 | 112 |
| 2016 | 125 | 118 |
| 2017 | 129 | 126 |
| 2018 | 135 | 136 |
| 2019 | 138 | 145 |
| 2020 | 141 | 149 |
| 2021 | 154 | 157 |
| 2022 | 169 | 173 |
| 2023 | 174 | 178 |
| 2024 | 174 | 178 |
| 2025 | 177 | 183 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 183 |
In 2005 the average home cost £150,636 in Cardiff and £180,338 in Monmouthshire. Now it is £270,053 and £329,767: Cardiff is up 79% and Monmouthshire is up 83%.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | Cardiff | Monmouthshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.0 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.7 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.4 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.2 years of pay | 7.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.5 years of pay in Cardiff and 7.4 years in Monmouthshire. In 2025 it was 7.2 years and 7.9 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Cardiff | Monmouthshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 100 |
| 2017 | 109 | 100 |
| 2018 | 113 | 102 |
| 2019 | 116 | 106 |
| 2020 | 120 | 108 |
| 2021 | 124 | 114 |
| 2022 | 124 | 123 |
| 2023 | 134 | 135 |
| 2024 | 149 | 148 |
| 2025 | 163 | 157 |
| August 2026 | 170 | 162 |
In 2015 the average rent was £691 a month in Cardiff and £613 in Monmouthshire. Now it is £1,177 and £994: up 70% in Cardiff and up 62% in Monmouthshire. Rents have risen faster in Cardiff.
What your salary is worth in each area
Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.
Moving from Cardiff to Monmouthshire
| Earning in Cardiff | Equivalent to buy in Monmouthshire | Equivalent to rent in Monmouthshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £24,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £32,500 |
| £50,000 | £47,000 | £40,500 |
| £60,000 | £56,000 | £49,000 |
Moving from Monmouthshire to Cardiff
| Earning in Monmouthshire | Equivalent to buy in Cardiff | Equivalent to rent in Cardiff |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £37,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £49,000 |
| £50,000 | £53,500 | £61,500 |
| £60,000 | £64,000 | £73,500 |