Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chester and Cardiff

For one person, living is cheaper in Chester: $2,405 a month against $2,503 in Cardiff, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Chester
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Chester Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index

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Chester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,405

/mo nomad

Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chester and in Cardiff

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Chester versus $2,503 in Cardiff.

Chester $2,405
Cardiff $2,503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,486 in Chester versus $3,495 in Cardiff.

Chester $3,486
Cardiff $3,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,568 in Chester versus $4,488 in Cardiff.

Chester $4,568
Cardiff $4,488

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chester 78% above, Cardiff 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.88 £14.78

$20.04 £14.89

-0.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 £65.5

$86.1 £64.0

2.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.93

$10.89 £8.10

-2.02%

Cappuccino

$5.24 £3.89

$4.68 £3.48

11.97%

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

$2.55 £1.89

$3.25 £2.41

-21.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.34

$2.04 £1.52

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 £4.89

$7.87 £5.85

-16.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 £4.93

$6.26 £4.66

6.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.80 £1.34

-5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.30

$1.43 £1.06

22.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.71

$2.16 £1.61

6.48%

Eggs

$4.23 £3.14

$3.82 £2.84

10.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 £6.78

$9.19 £6.83

-0.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 £6.66

$8.52 £6.33

5.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 £10.60

$16.06 £11.94

-11.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.19

$2.84 £2.11

3.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.50 £1.11

14.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.13

$3.01 £2.24

-4.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 £2.21

$3.59 £2.67

-16.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 £1.49

$1.96 £1.46

2.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.56 £1.16

-5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.94

$1.07 £0.80

18.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.65 £1.22

-1.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.13 £17.94

$23.35 £17.35

3.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 £8.32

$11.03 £8.20

1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.25

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.42

$3.20 £2.38

1.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.07

$3.29 £2.45

25.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.8 £54.1

$80.8 £60.1

-9.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 £3.51

$4.72 £3.50

0.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.74 £1.30

-1.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.77 £16.18

$36.00 £26.76

-39.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.53

$2.15 £1.60

-4.19%

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

$38.4K £28.5K

$39.0K £29.0K

-1.73%

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

$40.9K £30.4K

$40.3K £29.9K

1.42%

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

$322 £239

$348 £258

-7.46%

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

$21.03 £15.63

$26.30 £19.55

-20.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.39 £31.50

$45.28 £33.66

-6.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.10 £26.83

$36.60 £27.20

-1.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 £11.38

$11.88 £8.83

28.87%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 £10.06

$10.83 £8.05

25.02%

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

$1,775 £1,319

$2,229 £1,656

-20.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K £18.0K

$27.5K £20.4K

-11.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 £65.8

$99.9 £74.2

-11.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 £28.42

$48.38 £35.96

-20.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.6

$122 £90.4

-16.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.0 £68.4

$99.5 £73.9

-7.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 £1,042

$1,292 £960

8.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 £809

$1,125 £836

-3.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 £1,603

$2,129 £1,582

1.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 £1,268

$1,547 £1,149

10.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 £3,233

$5,337 £3,966

-18.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,187 £2,369

$3,503 £2,603

-9.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,138 £3,076

$3,642 £2,707

13.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

5.11

0.78%

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

Last update for Chester: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cardiff: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chester

$1.1K 45.2%

Cardiff

$1.1K 45% 3.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chester

$385 16%

Cardiff

$419 16.7% 8.8% $34

Eating Out

Chester

$317 13.2%

Cardiff

$322 12.9% 1.5% $4.8

Groceries & Markets

Chester

$305 12.7%

Cardiff

$304 12.2% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Chester

$144 6%

Cardiff

$166 6.6% 15.2% $22

Getting Around

Chester

$103 4.3%

Cardiff

$107 4.3% 4.6% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chester

$63 2.6%

Cardiff

$58 2.3% 7.8% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,401 in Chester and $1,292 in Cardiff. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chester pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88 in Chester vs $86 in Cardiff for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $304 per month, with Cardiff cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chester

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

Same time as Chester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,000

346,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chester Cardiff 190 km

From you

Chester
Cardiff

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

Chester vs Cardiff: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,405 in Chester and $2,503 in Cardiff, so Chester is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Chester, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,401 in Chester versus $1,292 in Cardiff. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,775 in Chester versus $2,229 in Cardiff. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,405 per month in Chester versus $2,503 in Cardiff – Chester is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Chester is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Chester and Cardiff are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.