It’s one of the most popular questions asked on Google, Reddit, and even Facebook – so we thought we’d throw our hat in the ring as Cardiff-lovin’ locals and give you our best advice on the nicest areas to live in Cardiff.
Our hometown Cardiff comes with the unique feeling of being a town in a city, and every area or suburb has its own vibe, charm and buzz – and the great thing about Cardiff’s size is that you can easily get between them all in 30 minutes or under.
If you’re currently researching the best places to live in Cardiff before a big move, we’ve aggregated opinions & facts from everywhere to help you decide! So, let’s take it away…
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Roath / Plasnewydd
A vibrant mix of restaurants, shops, houses and communities, Roath is its own little metropolis within Cardiff – now with a lit-up lighthouse!
Why it’s great
- Sooo many choices for dining, shopping and ‘doing’
- The local green spaces – Roath Recreation Ground, Roath Pleasure Gardens, Roath Lake, Roath Park, Roath Gardens – are beautiful and popular with locals and visitors
- Great for young professionals, families and older residents
- New restaurants are arriving all the time, including an uptake in vegan/plant-based dining
Average house price
£240,857
Average rental price
£974 p.c.m
What do the locals say?
“I’d point you towards Roath as there are some good pubs, it’s mid-priced and it’s walkable to town. But if you don’t go to pubs or want to walk to town it’s possibly not for you.”
Yetts3030, Reddit user – ‘Young professional moving to Cardiff this summer, any tips on where to live/areas to avoid?’
“Roath …[is] really nice the further east you go and I have friends who love being close to Albany Road (lots of shops and cool cafes along there). Roath Park & lake is beautiful to walk/jog around. Can be a 20-30 minute walk into town or more.”
abbeyishere, Reddit user – ‘Moving to Cardiff’
Pen-y-lan
The Waitrose to Roath’s Sainsbury’s. This pretty, affluent neighbourhood is characterised by its leafy, tree-lined suburban streets and its artisanal delis.
Why it’s great
- Plenty of space for cycling and walking
- Great larger or smaller-sized parks with lots of space for walking dogs, chilling out, family picnics
- You’ll find a great community feel in Waterloo Gardens with friendly locals
- Home to the popular Pen-y-lan Pantry – a food market with takeaway dining
Average house price
£376,837
Average rental price
£775 p.c.m
What do the locals say?
“Pen-y-lan area is lovely. I lived there for a while after being a student. Loads of local shops, bars, pubs, beautiful parks in Roath.”
Cangarw, Reddit user – ‘Where to live in Cardiff (bar Cathays)‘
“Can’t recommend Pen-y-lan enough. Lots of greenery, nice restaurants and cafes, and a community feel, it’s clean, and safe, and a lot of it looks beautiful. Just good vibes all round.”
Arrival_Old, Reddit user – ‘Where to live in Cardiff (bar Cathays)‘
Splott / Adamsdown
Often unfairly derided by Cardiff residents, Splott has been slowly subverting people’s expectations for a while – helped by its ongoing additions of great dining options and local community projects.
Why it’s great
- Its house prices are lower than in other suburbs, and you’ll regularly find beautifully furnished and finished houses to rent or buy
- A new community hub space called Railway Gardens – built for gardening, social events, workshops and more – is bringing in investment and is set to open soon
- Incredibly close to the city centre with approx 20-25 minute walk
- Home to Space2B at The Maltings (a sibling brand in our family of companies) – a gorgeous, Grade II listed building with co-working spaces, social events and a professional community hub
Average house price
£177,624
Average rental price
£866 p.c.m
What do the locals say?
“Lots of great independent gems hidden away in areas like Splott, Riverside, Grangetown and Canton whether it’s world supermarkets or cafes/bars. “
Josh-sama, Reddit user – ‘Young professional moving to Cardiff this summer, any tips on where to live/areas to avoid?’
“It’s a really lovely community in Splott generally speaking, I helped run a soup kitchen and we had a bunch of charity gigs. The people are really lovely. Clifton Street and Splott Road have great shops, really lovely diverse shops and great cafes for a cooked breakfast :)”
agendagroid, Reddit user – ‘Should I be worried about moving to Splott?’
Cardiff Bay
Playing host to international sporting events, theatre, comedy, music and extreme sports, Cardiff Bay is a hotspot for tourists and Cardiffians alike.
Why it’s great
- As a sprawling area with plenty of residential buildings, you can find quiet places to live, walk or chill out with no bother – without being far from the action
- You’ll have front-row seats to events like the annual Cardiff Food & Drink Festival and local markets
- The Wales Millennium Centre hosts international and local entertainment – and it’s just opened its new outdoor street food experience, Teras
- As it’s on the water, you’ll find plenty of water-based fun with Cardiff Yacht Club and Cardiff International White Water
Average house price
£222,498
Average rental price
£1,060 p.c.m
What do the locals say?
“The Bay has a large Odeon cinema and an Everyman cinema, loads of bars and restaurants, white water rafting centre, international pool, you can get a boat or train into town if you like. I love it here.”
Firebrand777, Reddit user – ‘Renting a flat in Cardiff – need advice’
“I currently live in the Bay, Atlantic Wharf. Perfect placement as it’s a 15-minute walk in [to town] and a 10-minute trot to the Bay for when we want to go to a restaurant or bar down there. It’s nice to walk around the water!”
abbeyishere, Reddit user – ‘Moving to Cardiff’
View Cardiff Bay on Google Maps
Pontcanna
An unashamedly lovely suburb, Pontcanna is home to big houses and artisanal eateries – except butchers, jewellery shops, cafes and quiet residential streets.
Why it’s great
- It’s a leafy, buzzy little area with good (if sometimes pricey) food and upmarket shopping
- On the doorstep of the biggest green spaces in Cardiff, with Llandaff Fields, Blackweir Fields, Pontcanna Fields and Bute Park all interconnected
- Close to multiple Welsh-medium schools
- Home of Brød, a popular Danish bakery, and three Michelin Plate-awarded restaurants; Milkwood, Heaneys and Bullys
Average house price
£397,905
Average rental price
£1,230 p.c.m
What do the locals say?
“I had some friends living in Pontcanna, that’s a pretty trendy area these days – loads of nice restaurants, pubs and parks.”
berrycrunch92, Reddit user – ‘Renting a flat in Cardiff – need advice’
“Pontcanna and Canton are beautiful, have lots of indie hospitality venues and you won’t necessarily be far from the centre.”
benjajinj, Reddit user – ‘Renting a flat in Cardiff – need advice’
Canton
Big with foodies, this west-of-the-city area is great for pop-ups, markets, indie shops and great dining – it also has the Chapter Arts Centre, a beloved community space.
Why it’s great
- Plenty of dining options – from sit-down restaurants to street-food-style delis – plus much-loved pubs like The Lansdowne and St Canna’s Ale House
- It’s got new indie markets and ‘things to do’ popping up all the time
- It’s right next door to Pontcanna, so you can sample its amenities easily
- Nearby green spaces include Victoria Park, Sanatorium Park and Thompson’s Park
Average house price
£250,063
Average rental price
£835 p.c.m
What do the locals say?
“I think Canton is the better location for young professionals personally. It’s really come up the last few years. Lots of good places to eat and trendy places like Hard Lines coffee.”
longboytheeternal, Reddit user – ‘Moving to Cardiff’
“Canton is great, filled with loads of independent shops, pubs and restaurants and a short walk to the city centre and Pontcanna (which has its own variety of stuff too). You’ll also get two parks, Victoria and Thompson’s, which are both nice.”
McFlyJohn, Reddit user – ‘Young professional moving to Cardiff this summer, any tips on where to live/areas to avoid?’
Photo: XiaoxiaXu on Unsplash
Llandaff
Technically a city within a city (it has its own beautiful cathedral, after all), Llandaff is a stunning area with a ‘village’ feel. Highlights include Insole Court, a 19th-century mansion, and the cathedral itself.
Why it’s great
- Great walking distance to Canton and Pontcanna, so you’ll never be stuck for places to go or things to do
- It sits on the edge of Hailey Park and Llandaff Fields, so lots of lovely green spaces
- It’s been named one of the best urban places to live in the UK by the Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide (2015)
- New housing developments – including 20% affordable housing – are being built in the former site of the BBC
Average house price
£350,996
Average rental price
£1,011 p.c.m
What do the locals say?
“I’d probably look at Llandaff or Whitchurch. Nice pretty houses, with better parking and bigger properties. Llandaff is walking distance to Pontcanna with all the nice bakeries and cafes and Whitchurch High Street is pretty decent.”
DrCMJ, Reddit user – ‘Young professional moving to Cardiff this summer, any tips on where to live/areas to avoid?’
“Welcome to Llandaff North. The community here is bloody lovely. Definitely check out My Loaf the local bakery, and if you need anything for the garden or a pet, Nova at Village & Garden Supplies is fab!”
LoganGNU, Reddit user – ‘Just moved to Cardiff – any words of wisdom?’
Moving to Cardiff?
We hope you’ll love it here! It’s a beautiful, friendly city that’s regenerating all the time. It’s steeped in history and heritage, but with modern amenities and exciting new ventures popping up all over the place.
Before you get here, we wanted to suggest our 5 top things to see, do or visit when you arrive…
- Cardiff Castle – whether you stroll through the grounds or actually go inside and see the glorious architecture, you just have to do it once
- Nata & Co – a homespun Portuguese bakery with good coffee and the best pastéis de nata (custard tarts) in Cardiff. Three locations already!
- Boneyard / Corporation Yard / Indie Superstore / Riverside Food Market – some of our best weekly and daily markets with independent shops, traders and food stalls
- Fresh Local & Wild – a brand new shopping experience, now in the old Topshop venue on Cardiff Queen Street, selling local produce, clothing, plants, cosmetics and more
- Cardiff Arcades – we’re the ‘city of arcades’ for a reason! Stroll through our 7 gorgeous, Diagon Alley-esque arcades full of boutiques, cafes, art spaces and unique hidden gems…
Photo: Mike Erskine on Unsplash
Where we’re going next…
It’s impossible to include every Cardiff suburb in one blog, of course, so a few places we’d like to feature in future editions…
- Llanishen
- St Mellons
- Ely
- Radyr
- Llanedeyrn
- Heath
- Whitchurch
- Penarth
- Rumney
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House prices in this article have been found using zoopla.com while rental prices have been found using home.co.uk. All figures are correct at the time of publication.
Some quotes from Cardiff locals have been edited for grammatical consistency and length. blue self storage is not responsible for any third party opinions or content linked to on other websites.
