NavoyNostos

Bristol vs Cardiff

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Bristol edges it, 69 to 68, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Bristol is stronger on nothing outright; Cardiff on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 2.0 of 69 points (scores 18/100)Safety: 8.4 of 69 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 9.6 of 69 points (scores 86/100)Internet: 8.3 of 69 points (scores 74/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 69 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 8.0 of 69 points (scores 72/100)Climate: 2.8 of 69 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 10.3 of 69 points (scores 93/100)Quality of life: 10.7 of 69 points (scores 96/100)69
Bristol
out of 100

Creative, independent and an hour and a half from London

Full Bristol profile →Where to stay in Bristol →
Cost of living: 2.1 of 68 points (scores 19/100)Safety: 8.4 of 68 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 9.6 of 68 points (scores 86/100)Internet: 8.3 of 68 points (scores 75/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 68 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 8.0 of 68 points (scores 72/100)Climate: 1.9 of 68 points (scores 17/100)Air quality: 10.2 of 68 points (scores 92/100)Quality of life: 10.7 of 68 points (scores 96/100)68
Cardiff
out of 100

Compact Welsh capital with a castle and a stadium

Full Cardiff profile →Where to stay in Cardiff →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricBristolCardiff
Cost of living1819 ✓
Safety7676
Healthcare8686
Internet7475 ✓
Visa ease7777
Getting there & around7272 ✓
Climate25 ✓17
Air quality93 ✓92
Quality of life9696

Cost

MetricBristolCardiff
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$2,971$2,900 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricBristolCardiff
Homicides per 100k0.930.93
Political stability (0–100)70.770.7
UHC service coverage (0–100)8888
Life expectancy80.1 yrs80.1 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricBristolCardiff
Download52.8 Mbps55 Mbps ✓
Upload13.1 Mbps ✓12.8 Mbps

Visa

MetricBristolCardiff
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passporteTA required (online, before travel)eTA required (online, before travel)
Entry, EU passport180 days180 days
Entry, UK passporthome countryhome country

Getting there and around

MetricBristolCardiff
Non-stop airport destinations117119 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)33

Climate and air

MetricBristolCardiff
Comfortable months per year3 ✓2
Annual mean PM2.58.3 µg/m³ ✓8.5 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Bristol or Cardiff?
Cardiff is cheaper: about $2,900 per month versus $2,971 for one person.
Is Bristol or Cardiff safer?
Bristol scores higher on safety (76 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Bristol or Cardiff?
Cardiff: a measured median of 55 Mbps versus 52.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.