Cardiff sees largest influx of UK movers to Wales

A new survey published today has revealed that 31% of movers to Cardiff from outside of Wales are from London.

According to a survey by Compare My Move, 15% of all people moving to Wales in 2024 chose Cardiff, making it the most popular place to relocate in the country.

This marks a significant rise of 3.4% compared to 2023, highlighting growing interest in the capital.

While the top four moving destinations in Wales stayed the same as the previous year, Cardiff stands out for its growing momentum. In contrast, other popular Welsh hotspots saw little to no change in popularity.

The report explores the most sought-after places to live in Wales, and sheds light on why so many movers are now choosing Cardiff.

The only change in the top 5 is Barry sneaking into 5th with a 0.54% increase in movers, replacing last years 5th, Pontypridd, which fell to 10th, falling behind Caerphilly, Wrexham, Neath, and Llanelli. The percentage of movers choosing Newport stayed almost exactly the same but still falls behind Swansea.

[mid-content-banner]

Trend

Dave Sayce, co-founder and managing director of Compare My Move has commented on these findings, and if we are likely to see these trends continuing in 2025.

“When we look at where people are moving from, Cardiff’s growing appeal becomes clearer. In 2024, 31% of all people who moved to Cardiff from outside Wales came from London. This shift from the English capital to the Welsh capital along the M4 appears to be a popular trend, and cost is likely a major factor.

Below are the top 5 Welsh cities that people moved to in 2024. 

Rank

Destination

% Movers 2023

% Movers 2024

% Increase

1 =

Cardiff

11.45%

14.87%

3.43%

2 =

Swansea

5.21% 

5.89% 

0.68% 

3 =

Newport

4.51% 

4.51%  

0.00%  

4 =

Bridgend

2.27%  

2.89%   

0.63%   

5 ↑

Barry

1.14%  

1.68%  

0.54%  

Source: https://www.comparemymove.com/press-and-media/popular-cities-wales

The average house price in London is just over £680,000, compared to just under £300,000 in Cardiff. That means buyers from London are paying less than half of what they would if they stayed put.

[lower-mid-content-banner]

Hybrid working

Transport connections also make Cardiff an attractive option. Driving via the M4 takes around three hours, while trains can get you to London in under two. For people working remotely or in hybrid roles based in London, this makes it entirely possible to keep their job while enjoying a lower cost of living. Plus, staying in touch with friends and family back in London is still easy and convenient.

Because of the large gap in house prices between London and Cardiff, Londoners moving to Cardiff often have much greater buying power. This gives them more options in the local property market than they would have back in London.

However, this trend is also driving up house prices in Cardiff. In fact, prices are now 2% higher than the peak seen in 2022. While that’s good news for the market, it raises concerns that local residents, who don’t have the same financial leverage, could be priced out of their own city.”

The survey findings reflect a Sunday Telegraph article from 2024 which highlighted a record high in migrants from England moving to other parts of the UK amid cost of living struggles – with Wales seeing the most dramatic increase.

Discussing the published data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Economics Reporter, Melissa Lawford, shared that net migration out of England to other nations in the UK ‘soared by 53pc’ in the year to June 2023 to hit 31,393.

The levels of internal migration are the highest since comparable data began in 2001-2, excluding the height of the pandemic.