Cardiff: the market in figures
Cardiff is the highest-priced of the four Welsh areas covered. Its £272,443 sits 25.9% over the national Welsh level of £216,363, and only 0.2% short of the UK level of £273,037. In the full table of 135 areas it takes 59th place.
Cardiff stands out for never having had a falling year in the decade. From £190,760 in 2016 the series rose every time, and the latest value is the highest. That is a total gain of 42.8%, or £81,683. The strongest stretch ran from 2021 (10.3%) to 2022 (8.9%). Afterwards the pace thinned to 2%, 1.3% and 0.6% before picking up to 2.1% in the latest twelve months, still short of the 3.1% for Wales.
Detached houses average £515,292 and flats £161,334, so the first costs 219.4% more, a gap of £353,958. Semi-detached homes sit at £324,962, terraced homes at £262,795. First-time buyers pay £234,533 on average, 13.9% below all buyers. Wales uses Land Transaction Tax and has no first-time relief, so first-time buyers are taxed just as other movers are. At the average price the tax is £2,847, 1% of it. Buying an additional property would cost £17,194. The HM Land Registry fee is £150.
Every neighbour in the fiche lies across the border in England, which allows a direct comparison of tax regimes. Valued at Cardiff's own average, a purchase would owe £3,622 in Stamp Duty Land Tax, against £2,847 in Land Transaction Tax under Welsh rules. On price, City of Bristol (£353,596) stands 29.8% above Cardiff, South Gloucestershire (£335,572) 23.2% above, North Somerset (£314,307) 15.4% above, Exeter (£289,403) 6.2% above and Somerset (£282,498) 3.7% above. Not one is cheaper. Over twelve months North Somerset rose 3.6%, while Exeter slipped 0.7%.
The register recorded 4,383 sales in Cardiff, counted from June 2025 to May 2026. That is a large count for a Welsh area and it supports the average above, along with the price of £161,334 for flats and the £515,292 for detached houses in the tables that follow. Cardiff is also the Welsh area where a buyer is most likely to compare prices with English areas across the border.
Payotte, from the UK HPI and the calculator.
Property professionals in Cardiff
One firm per trade, selected by Payotte on public data (3 of 5 trades filled in Cardiff). Companies, never individuals, with a regulator or register you can check with the official body.
| Trade | Firm | Google rating | Reviews | Score /100 | Status | Listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estate agent | Vacant | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mortgage adviser | TD Financial LTD | 5 | 28 | 72 | Selected | View |
| Conveyancer | Martyn Prowel Gartsides Solicitors | 4.7 | 191 | 79 | Selected | View |
| Surveyor | Structural Surveys UK | 5 | 26 | 69 | Partial | View |
| Valuer | Vacant | — | — | — | — | — |
One firm per trade and per area, chosen on public data and scored out of 100 points — Google reviews (35), age of the company (30), checkable regulator or register (15), local anchoring (15), bonus (5). The ranking is never paid for. No firm can buy its place or its recommendation. How Payotte ranks firms
Calculate for Cardiff
Frequently asked questions
What is the average house price in Cardiff?
The average price of a home in Cardiff was £272,443 in August 2026, +2.1% over twelve months (UK House Price Index).
Have house prices gone up in Cardiff?
The average price in Cardiff went from £190,760 in August 2016 to £272,443 in August 2026, a change of +42.8%; +2.1% over the last twelve months (UK House Price Index).
How much Land Transaction Tax on an average-priced home in Cardiff?
On £272,443, Land Transaction Tax (LTT) comes to £2,847 for a home mover (Wales has no first-time buyer relief) and £17,194 for an additional property, at the rates in force in Wales.
How much tax when you sell a home in Cardiff?
None on your main home if it was your only home, lived in for all the time you owned it, not let out and not used exclusively for business (Private Residence Relief). A second home or a buy-to-let pays Capital Gains Tax above the £3,000 allowance (2026 to 2027; rates in the calculator above). Bought at the average price in Cardiff in August 2016 (£190,760) and sold at the August 2026 average (£272,443), the gain of £81,683 costs a higher rate taxpayer £18,884, before deducting the costs of buying, selling and improving. The tax is reported and paid within 60 days of completion (HMRC).
Is Cardiff expensive?
Cardiff ranks 59th of the 135 areas Payotte covers for the average price in August 2026, from £1,204,072 in Kensington and Chelsea to £133,782 in City of Aberdeen.
Prices by property type, August 2026
| Type | Average price | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £515,292 | £336,551 |
| Semi-detached | £324,962 | £215,812 |
| Terraced | £262,795 | £174,317 |
| Flat or maisonette | £161,334 | £130,206 |
| All types | £272,443 | £216,363 |
| First-time buyers | £234,533 | £186,313 |
The UK HPI is a mix-adjusted average (a hedonic model), not the price of the homes sold in the month. Northern Ireland figures are quarterly.
The trend, August of each year
| Year | Average price | Change on the year before |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | £190,760 | — |
| 2017 | £196,333 | +2.9% |
| 2018 | £206,028 | +4.9% |
| 2019 | £210,310 | +2.1% |
| 2020 | £213,567 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | £235,540 | +10.3% |
| 2022 | £256,581 | +8.9% |
| 2023 | £261,807 | +2% |
| 2024 | £265,159 | +1.3% |
| 2025 | £266,750 | +0.6% |
| 2026 | £272,443 | +2.1% |
Sources
- Prices and sales: UK House Price Index, file UK-HPI-full-file-2026-08.csv. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2020. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Purchase tax: rates and sources of the calculator (Welsh Revenue Authority).
- Tax when you sell: Capital Gains Tax rates, Tax when you sell your home and Report and pay your Capital Gains Tax (GOV.UK, HMRC).