NavoyNostos

Cardiff vs Exeter

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Exeter edges it, 68 to 68, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Cardiff is stronger on nothing outright; Exeter on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

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 →
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: 10.6 of 68 points (scores 96/100)Quality of life: 10.7 of 68 points (scores 96/100)68
Exeter
out of 100

Devon's cathedral city, with Dartmoor and the coast close by

Full Exeter profile →Hotels in the United Kingdom →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricCardiffExeter
Cost of living1919
Safety7676
Healthcare8686
Internet75 ✓75
Visa ease7777
Getting there & around72 ✓72
Climate1717
Air quality9296 ✓
Quality of life9696

Cost

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

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricCardiffExeter
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)

MetricCardiffExeter
Download55 Mbps ✓50.2 Mbps
Upload12.8 Mbps17.9 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricCardiffExeter
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

MetricCardiffExeter
Non-stop airport destinations119 ✓118
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)33

Climate and air

MetricCardiffExeter
Comfortable months per year22
Annual mean PM2.58.5 µg/m³7 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Cardiff or Exeter?
Exeter is cheaper: about $2,900 per month versus $2,900 for one person.
Is Cardiff or Exeter safer?
Cardiff scores higher on safety (76 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Cardiff or Exeter?
Cardiff: a measured median of 55 Mbps versus 50.2 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); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.