In 2023, Cardiff was crowned both the UK’s best city and the UK’s most friendly city in a reader survey by popular travel magazine Condé Nast.
And as 2024 gets underway, the Welsh capital has again been topping polls, this time outscoring a number of heavyweights from across the continent in a Europe-wide survey about the best cities to live in.
The European Commission’s Quality of Life in European Cities report ranks 83 cities in Europe on various ‘liveability’ factors, from the abundance of green space to noise levels. The results were based on feedback from residents from each of the 83 cities included, with over 70,000 interviews conducted in total.
In results that may make surprising reading for some, Cardiff came in first position in the category focused around young families. With 96 per cent of Cardiff residents saying the city is a good place for families with young children to live. The Welsh capital took top spot over Oulu, in Finland, where 95 per cent of respondents answered yes to the same question, and Braga, in Portugal, also with 95 per cent.
Cardiff also came out on top of the pack in the category focused on immigration. When Cardiff residents were asked: is your city a good place for immigrants from other countries to live? 95 per cent of respondents said yes, giving it a higher percentage than Lisbon (90 per cent), Braga (89 per cent), and Groningen (88 per cent).
Following this theme of inclusivity, the Welsh capital also placed amongst the top ten for a question focused on whether Cardiff is a good place for members of the LGBTQ+ community to live, with 93 per cent of respondents saying yes, placing it sixth on the list, one above Stockholm. Another question, focused around whether residents were satisfied with the amount of green space in their city, saw Cardiff finishing in ninth place, tied with Copenhagen, with 89 per cent of interviewees responding positively.
As usual, the Welsh capital appears to be punching above its weight.
Learn more about Cardiff’s colourful history, or read about great things to see and do in the city.