Pros and Cons of Moving to Wales

This guide to moving home to Wales has been so difficult to write!

Narrowing it down to only a few good reasons to move to Wales resulted in all the other great reasons having to be left out, and conversely finding reasons not to move to Wales was difficult to find.

So where do you start your search for a new home in Wales, in a land of such beauty and history? …..The hundreds of heritage sites, the mountains, the beaches, the people, the sport, the list goes on and on.

And because Wales is just so beautiful they can even get away with charging you an entrance fee to the country, (If you want to sneak in for free head down the M50, avoiding the Severn River Crossings)

By the way, it’s free to leave, although you will probably never want to!

Top 5 Happiest Places to Live in Wales

In a 2017 survey of more than 17,000 people by Rightmove, they asked people how happy they are with aspects of where they live, this is how they voted for the happiest places to live in Wales.

Llandrindod Wells

This town in Powys has been well known since Victorian times as a spa town, and people still come here to try the waters at the Chalybeate Spring in Rock Park. If architecture is your thing then you will have plenty to see here, with buildings from Victorian times to the era of Art Deco. There is always plenty to do, from the Victorian Week to the Welsh motorcycle enduro, and there is even a steampunk festival each year.

Llandudno

A traditional seaside town in North Wales, in fact, it is the largest seaside resort in Wales, complete with a pier, donkey rides, and Punch and Judy. Every May bank holiday there is a Victorian Fair. What’s not to like?

Cardiff

Everything you would expect to find in a capital city including a University, as well as being a significant tourist attraction in its own right. Cardiff accounts for a third of the total population of Wales.  Cardiff has better weather than the Wales average with more sunshine and less rain than elsewhere in Wales.

Wrexham

Wrexham is the largest town in North Wales and has an abundance of historical sites including the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct which is a World Heritage site. There are plenty of places to visit nearby and it has excellent roads to North Wales and the North West. Here you will also find the largest open-air market in Wales, as well as many quaint shops.

Newport

Newport the city, not the town in South West Wales. A city that can be walked across in 10 minutes but has probably the best road network in Wales. Generally low housing costs and plenty of history, sporting and music venues. Close by at Crumlin is the 14-lock canal system, a great place for a family walk.

What’s it like to live in Wales? Well, nine out of ten people in Wales, interviewed by Co-Op Insurance last year, stated that they were happy with where they lived, making it the happiest place in the UK to live.

You may also like to read: Can Moving Home Make You Happier? So now you know where the happiest places are in Wales it begs the question of whether moving home can make you happier or will you just take your stresses with you? In this guide, we seek to answer that question.

Cost of Living in Wales – City Guide

No matter where you intend to move to in the world, the cost of living will be a factor that you will want to consider.

So how much does it cost to live in Wales? Here are some average figures for a couple of hotspots in beautiful Wales.

Cost of Living in Cardiff:

• 85sqm home rents for between £600-£950pm
• Utilities for an 85sqm home with 2 occupants is about £130pm
• 45sqm studio rents for between £680-£1100pm
• Utilities for a 45sqm studio with 1 occupant is about £135pm
• Monthly public transport ticket will cost you about £46pm
• Basic pub grub for 2 is about £20
• The average price of a terraced house in Cardiff is £196,000
• The average price of a semi-detached house in Cardiff is £239,000
• The average price of a flat in Cardiff is £144,000

For other basic cost of living items in Cardiff, check out this expatistan website which has average prices updated regularly.

Cost of Living in Swansea

• 85sqm home rents for between £870-£1200pm
• Utilities for an 85sqm home with 2 occupants is about £160pm
• 45sqm studio rents for between £740-£1100pm
• Utilities for a 45sqm studio with 1 occupant is about £80pm
• Monthly public transport ticket will cost you about £50pm
• Basic pub grub for 2 is about £20
• The average price of a terraced house in Swansea is £111,000
• The average price of a semi-detached house in Swansea is £145,000
• The average price of a detached house in Swansea is £220,000

Food, clothing, and other costs, for Swansea, regularly updated, can be found at expatistan.

Cost of Living in Aberystwyth

• 85sqm home rents for between £720-£1520
• Utilities for an 85sqm home with 2 occupants is about £315
• 45sqm studio rents for between £390-£580pm
• Utilities for a 45sqm studio with 1 occupant is about £250
• Monthly public transport ticket will cost you about £35
• Basic pub grub for 2 is about £26.
• The average price of a terraced house in Aberystwyth is £164,000
• The average price of a detached house in Aberystwyth is £290,000
• The average price of a flat in Aberystwyth is £156,000

Further average prices of everyday living expenses in Aberystwyth can be found on the expatistan website.

You may also like to read: What are the Average Moving Costs? One of the crucial questions you will have about moving to Wales is how much does it cost? In this guide, we look at average moving costs across the UK so that you can budget for your relocation accordingly.

Did you know? The world’s oldest record store can be found in Cardiff, it is Spillers Records and was opened in 1894.

The Pros and Cons of Moving to Wales

Should I move to Wales?

It’s time to weigh up the pros and cons of living in Wales, so in no particular order, here are our top 5 reasons to move to Wales which just might help you make that decision.

Top 5 Reasons to Move to Wales – The Pros

#1 National Parks are your backyard

26% of Wales is designated as a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

It is almost pointless deliberating on where to live, or what type of property to live in. You will want to spend so much time outdoors exploring, that your new home will literally be a place just to lay your head after another full day of amazing activity.

#2 It is cheaper than England

The average cost of living in Wales is considerably lower than the UK average although where you live in Wales influences by how much cheaper.

The average cost of a property in Wales is £144k compared with the average UK of £216k.

Weekly wages average £566.

#3 History

From prehistoric, through Roman, Norman and every era in between and since, you will find artifacts and buildings to captivate you.

There are approximately 600 castles still to be found in Wales, making it the castle capital of Europe. Wales also has 6 World Heritage sites.

#4 Beaches

Wales has over 150 stunning beaches, offering true back-to-nature isolation to tourist hot spots. Whales, seals puffins, basking sharks, and an abundance of birds can all be spotted along the coastline of Wales.

#5 People

People are outnumbered by sheep3:1 in Wales but the people you do meet are considered to be friendly and welcoming to newcomers. They have a great sense of humour and generally do not take themselves too seriously.

Did you know? The All Wales Coastal Path means Wales is the only country in the world with a national walking trail that follows its entire coastline, all 870 miles of it.

To give you a balanced and objective view of moving home to the overlooked, under-rated, stunningly picturesque, and mystical land of Wales, here are our 5 reasons not to move to Wales.

You may also like to read: Can’t Find a Place to Live? Have you Considered Intentional Living? Wales is a very rural country as well as having a real sense of community in most towns and villages and lends itself perfectly to sustainable living for example. Intentional living is when a group of like-minded people with common goals live together. In this guide, we introduce you to what could be a great new way of life.

Top 5 Reasons Not to Move to Wales – The Cons

#1 Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch.

Just imagine trying to pronounce that to a taxi driver after a couple too many Penderyn whiskies.

Obviously, the Welsh just want to mess with your head, why would they even think that this is a word?

Perhaps it is a secret plot so the Welsh can win the World Scrabble tournament? Best that you train hard at Scrabble before moving to Wales.

#2 Elvis Festival

Porthcawl every year holds the world’s largest Elvis festival. More people come to this festival than Elvis week in Memphis.

Blue suede shoes and rain surely don’t mix, this must be a ruse just to get you to visit another stunningly quaint Welsh seaside town.

Don’t fall for this trick of a weekend full of fun, it’s not like there aren’t 398 beautiful lakes in Wales you could visit instead.

#3 Sports

Mountain biking, adventure sports, zip lines (North Wales is the zip line capital of the world), hiking, mountaineering, water sports, rally driving, and of course rugby.

All those amazingly varied outdoor sports, combined with all that pure fresh air is an obvious disadvantage of living in Wales.

#4 Patriotism

Everywhere you go in Wales you will see the Red Dragon of Wales, the Welsh are rightly proud of their culture, history, and traditions.

If you suffer from Dracophobia (the fear of dragons) moving home to the fairytale landscape of Wales may be a problem.

#5 Rain

Eddie Bowen from Swansea invented artificial rain, as if Wales needs more rain!

Maybe that’s why rain is referred to as liquid sunshine here.

There are so many wonderful castles, quaint villages, and jaw-dropping vistas that the rain will never deter you.

An obvious plot to ensure you have a wonderful life in your new home in Wales. Beware.

Did you know? The sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr featured in the film Lawrence of Arabia, as a stand-in for the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan.

Wales is clearly an amazing country and there are so many great reasons to move there that it is definitely an underrated place to live.

From vibrant cities like Cardiff to the solitude of the stunning countryside, from stunning coastlines to mountains, Wales has it all.

Good luck in your search for your new home and once you have made that decision to move be sure to come back and visit our home moving blog to find ways to move cheaply, easily, and safely.

Mwynhewch Cymru a’ch cartref newydd.