Average salary in Cardiff
The median full-time salary for jobs in Cardiff is £38,225 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,587 a month.
Where Cardiff ranks
Cardiff ranks 133rd of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 3rd of 22 in Wales. Its average rent ranks 128th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,242 a month) ranks joint 146th of 316, in the upper half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £38,225 | 133rd of 348 | 3rd of 22 |
| Median pay, residents | £36,946 | 228th of 348 | 7th of 22 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,587 | 132nd of 348 | 3rd of 22 |
| Average rent a month | £1,177 | 128th of 316 | 1st of 22 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,013.18 | 308th of 348 | 22nd of 22 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,242 | joint 146th of 316 | 19th of 22 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Cardiff: Brent (£38,311), Barnet (£38,294), Highland (£38,272), Rutland (£38,186), Chelmsford (£38,181) and Greenwich (£38,128). UK occupations with a median close to the Cardiff median of £38,225: mining and quarry workers and related operatives (£38,301), managers and proprietors in agriculture and horticulture (£38,182), librarians (£38,068) and publicans and managers of licensed premises (£38,043).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Cardiff
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Cardiff rose 5.6%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For Wales as a whole it was a rise of 4.5%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,696 | £2,058 | £21,301 | £1,775 |
| 25th percentile | £29,585 | £2,465 | £24,821 | £2,068 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £38,225 | £3,185 | £31,042 | £2,587 |
| 75th percentile | £51,498 | £4,292 | £40,426 | £3,369 |
| 90th percentile | £67,145 | £5,595 | £49,502 | £4,125 |
Take-home at England and Wales rates. ONS rates the median for jobs in Cardiff as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 3%.
People who work in Cardiff and people who live there
The median for people who live in Cardiff is £36,946, which is £1,279 (3.3%) lower than the £38,225 median for jobs based there. The jobs figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 228th of 348 and the jobs median 133rd of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 0.7%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Cardiff, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Cardiff, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Cardiff as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 3.8%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Cardiff (£38,225), the average rent of £1,177 takes 45.5% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£29,585) it takes 56.9%. For the average rent to be 30% of take-home pay, the rule of thumb in our rent affordability calculator, you would need a salary of at least £62,970 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Cardiff pay more than that.
| Property | Average rent a month | Rent as a share of take-home | Left after rent and Band D council tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| All properties | £1,177 | 45.5% | £1,242 |
| 1 bedroom | £908 | 35.1% | £1,511 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,085 | 41.9% | £1,334 |
Band D is £168 a month. This is the average Band D for the council area, including police and an average community council charge. Rents are ONS figures for August 2026 and may be revised.
Cardiff and other areas in Wales
Among these 7 areas, Cardiff has the highest median and the 6th highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £32,294 in Blaenau Gwent to £38,225 in Cardiff.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | £38,225 | £1,177 | £1,242 |
| Bridgend | £35,951 | £763 | £1,481 |
| Caerphilly | £33,137 | £747 | £1,361 |
| Carmarthenshire | £32,982 | £687 | £1,389 |
| Ceredigion | £32,688 | £723 | £1,330 |
| Conwy | £32,484 | £796 | £1,240 |
| Blaenau Gwent | £32,294 | £681 | £1,339 |
The areas either side of Cardiff in the alphabetical list for Wales, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 22 in the Wales table.
How Cardiff compares with Wales and the UK
The median for jobs in Cardiff is £2,429 (6.8%) higher than the Wales median and £814 (2.1%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
| Area | Median, jobs there | Median, residents | Take-home a month (England and Wales rates) | Average rent, August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | £38,225 | £36,946 | £2,587 | £1,177 |
| Wales | £35,796 | £36,354 | £2,441 | £846 |
| United Kingdom | £39,039 | £39,039 | £2,636 | £1,400 |
Related pages
Every area in the Wales table, salary by job, the take home pay calculator, rent affordability calculator and cost of living calculator.
How this is worked out
Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 provisional. Take-home: 2026/27 England and Wales rates, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan. How to read these figures.
Sources
- ASHE Table 7: earnings by place of work, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- ASHE Table 8: earnings by place of residence, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, released 16 September 2026 (ONS)
- Council Tax levels: 2026/27 (Welsh Government)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
Figures checked on 12 October 2026. ONS plans to publish its next ASHE figures on 22 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
There is no official definition of a good salary. ONS figures for full-time jobs in Cardiff (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £24,696, a quarter pay less than £29,585, half pay less than £38,225, a quarter pay more than £51,498 and one in ten pay more than £67,145. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,587 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Cardiff ranks 133rd of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 3rd of 22 in Wales. Its median of £38,225 is £814 (2.1%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Cardiff was £1,177 in August 2026: £908 for one bedroom and £1,085 for two bedrooms. That is 45.5% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Cardiff is £2,013.18 for 2026/27, about £168 a month, which ranks 308th of 348 council areas and 22nd of 22 in Wales. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.