Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Chester

For one person, living costs are similar in Cardiff and in Chester: $2,454 and $2,365 a month, rent and utilities included.

119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
Learn more

Cardiff Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Chester
Learn more

Chester Living Index

Jump to prices

Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,454

/mo nomad

Chester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cardiff and in Chester

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cardiff and in Chester actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,454 in Cardiff versus $2,365 in Chester.

Cardiff $2,454
Chester $2,365

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Cardiff versus $3,402 in Chester.

Cardiff $3,414
Chester $3,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,373 in Cardiff versus $4,438 in Chester.

Cardiff $4,373
Chester $4,438

Living in Cardiff is roughly 4% more expensive than in Chester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cardiff 82% above, Chester 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 £15.04

$19.64 £14.74

2.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 £62.6

$87.2 £65.4

-4.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.06

$10.43 £7.82

2.97%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.34

$4.92 £3.69

-9.55%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 £2.19

$2.49 £1.87

17.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.83 £1.37

9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 £5.85

$6.48 £4.86

20.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 £4.74

$6.55 £4.92

-3.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.69 £1.27

1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.79 £1.34

-20.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 £1.61

$2.38 £1.78

-9.66%

Eggs

$3.62 £2.72

$3.98 £2.99

-9.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 £7.11

$8.61 £6.46

9.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 £6.64

$8.21 £6.16

7.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.18 £12.14

$13.77 £10.33

17.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$3.01 £2.26

-6.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.68 £1.26

-7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

$2.83 £2.12

7.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 £2.63

$2.90 £2.18

21.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.50

$1.94 £1.45

2.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.45 £1.09

6.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 £0.82

$1.28 £0.96

-14.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.55 £1.16

5.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.08 £17.31

$23.06 £17.30

0.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 £8.31

$11.14 £8.36

-0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 £2.29

$2.84 £2.13

7.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.48

$3.25 £2.44

1.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 £2.41

$2.61 £1.96

22.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 £59.3

$68.6 £51.5

15.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 £3.44

$5.33 £4.00

-14.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.38 £1.04

20.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.87 £26.91

$22.23 £16.68

61.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.9K £28.4K

$37.8K £28.4K

0.08%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.4K £30.3K

1.13%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$335 £252

$339 £254

-0.94%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.35 £19.02

$20.84 £15.64

21.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.54 £32.67

$40.75 £30.58

6.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.26 £27.95

$48.21 £36.17

-22.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.37 £8.53

$15.02 £11.27

-24.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 £7.77

$13.28 £9.96

-21.99%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,990 £1,493

$1,591 £1,194

25.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K £24.4K

$15.7K £11.8K

107.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.8 £73.4

$87.8 £65.9

11.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.54 £36.41

$41.24 £30.94

17.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 £86.9

$99.2 £74.4

16.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 £74.6

$88.7 £66.5

12.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,337 £1,003

-12.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 £826

$1,051 £789

4.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 £1,602

$1,972 £1,479

8.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 £1,112

$1,610 £1,208

-7.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,255 £3,942

$3,847 £2,886

36.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,432 £2,575

$3,289 £2,467

4.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,179 £2,385

$3,987 £2,991

-20.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

5.15

-0.78%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cardiff: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.9%

Chester

$1.1K 44.5% 4.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cardiff

$404 16.5%

Chester

$400 16.9% 1% $4.1

Eating Out

Cardiff

$317 12.9%

Chester

$310 13.1% 2.2% $7

Groceries & Markets

Cardiff

$306 12.5%

Chester

$295 12.5% 3.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cardiff

$163 6.6%

Chester

$143 6% 12.4% $20

Getting Around

Cardiff

$105 4.3%

Chester

$91 3.9% 12.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cardiff

$58 2.4%

Chester

$75 3.2% 28.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,168 in Cardiff and $1,337 in Chester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chester pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Cardiff vs $87.0 in Chester. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $295, with Chester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🇬🇧 Chester

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

Same time as Cardiff

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,100

119,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cardiff Chester 190 km

From you

Cardiff
Chester

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cardiff vs Chester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cardiff and Chester differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,454 vs $2,365 including rent). Chester is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Chester. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,168 in Cardiff versus $1,337 in Chester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chester – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $83.0 in Cardiff. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,454 per month in Cardiff versus $2,365 in Chester – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,365 in Chester versus $2,454 in Cardiff, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chester but tight or insufficient in Cardiff. The gap between the two cities makes Chester the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cardiff and Chester are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chester gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Cardiff. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.