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Buy or rent / Cardiff

Buy or rent in Cardiff?

A typical home in Cardiff costs around £265,000, and renting one costs around £1,200 a month. That's 18.4 years of rent to buy outright. A first-time buyer with a 15% deposit would need £44,300 in cash, including £2,400 of LTT. Over 10 years, with the calculator's starting assumptions, buying comes out £31,233 ahead.

These local figures are rough starting points, last updated 16 October 2026. Change them to match the homes you're actually looking at.

£
%

£39,750

£/month

After 10 years

Buying leaves you £31,233 better off

Buying gets ahead of renting in year 3, after selling costs. Renting here assumes you invest whatever buying would have cost you extra.

£0£50k£100k£150k£200kYr 2Yr 4Yr 6Yr 8Yr 10RentingBuyingBuying ahead from year 3
Net worth each year. Buying: home equity after selling costs, plus anything invested. Renting: investments plus the tenancy deposit.
years

There's no first-time buyer relief in Wales, so this doesn't change the Land Transaction Tax.

Mortgage
%
years
%

Most people remortgage instead, so this is a cautious guess.

years
Growth and returns
% a year
% a year
% a year

What the renter earns on money not spent on the home, after fees. Assumed tax-free, as in an ISA.

% a year
Running and one-off costs
£/month

Paid whether you buy or rent.

£/month
% of value a year
£/month
£/month
£
£
% of price
Cash needed to buy
£44,300Deposit £39,750, LTT £2,400, fees £2,150
First month's costs
£1,987 vs £1,380Buying (mortgage £1,451 plus running costs) vs renting
What if your assumptions are wrong?
ScenarioBetter off after 10 yrsBuying ahead from
Your assumptionsBuying by £31,233Year 3
Mortgage rates 1.5 points higherRenting by £11,475Not within the period
House prices don't growRenting by £69,767Not within the period
Rent rises 2.5 points fasterBuying by £56,534Year 3
Investments return 2 points lessBuying by £53,151Year 3

Before you decide

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