Compare My Move has released a report on the most underrated places to live for young adults in the UK, looking at the things that matter most, budget, happiness, employment, safety, and the amount of young adults that already call that place home.
Swansea has come out quite high up the list, beating the likes of Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester, and London. But why is living in Swansea so beneficial for young people? We’ve explored the reasoning behind this ranking and what makes Swansea such a haven for young adults in 2024.
Swansea is the 6th best place for young adults to live in the UK.
| Rank | Area name |
| 1st | Wigan |
| 2nd | York |
| 3rd | Derby |
| 4th | Peterborough |
| 5th | Reading |
| 6th | Swansea |
| 7th | Bolton |
| 8th | Leeds |
| 9th | Edinburgh |
| 10th | Coventry |
To see the full list of the most underrated places to live in the UK, go to The Most Underrated Places in the UK for Young Adults
Swansea just misses out on the top 5 most underrated places to live in the UK, the city is known for its inexpensive living and is becoming a popular place to move to for people wanting to save some money on their cost of living. In fact, Compare My Move’s “Best Places to Live in Wales” article shows that Swansea is becoming increasingly popular to move to, with a 5% increase in movers from 2022, making it the fastest-growing city for movers in Wales in the last year.
Below we compare Wales’ two most populated cities, Swansea and Cardiff, and how they rank against each other as places to live for young adults.
| Swansea | Cardiff | |
| Rank | 6th | 19th |
| % of 18-34 Year Olds | 22.8% | 29.1% |
| Monthly Cost of Living | £1,363 | £1,404 |
| Average Flat Price | £115,345 | £179,517 |
| Average Rent & Utilities | £781 | £846 |
| Average Monthly Salary After Tax | £2,060 | £2,137 |
| Monthly Disposable Income | £697 | £733 |
| Cost of a Pint | £3.90 | £4.02 |
| Total Recorded Crime per 1000 People | 82.7 | 107.1 |
| Employment Rate | 72.7% | 74.6% |
| Average Life Satisfaction (Out Of 10) | 7.47 | 7.15 |
Swansea comes out top when it comes to prices, with the Welsh capital hosting a cost of living that’s £41 a month pricier, rent and utilities that will cost you £65 more a month, and a flat price that is £64,172 more expensive than Swansea. Swansea being much cheaper than Cardiff sets the city apart the most, but other factors play a massive part in Swansea’s rank in this list. For instance, Swansea is a much safer city than Cardiff, with 24.4 fewer crimes committed per 1000 people and crucially, the average life satisfaction in Swansea is a lot higher than in Cardiff.
The only large difference we see in Cardiff’s favour is the percentage of 18-34-year-olds in the city population. This is likely due to Cardiff University being the 17th biggest university in the UK when it comes to enrollment numbers, hosting 11,695 more students than Swansea University, not including the 12,620 students enrolled in Cardiff Metropolitan University.