Adamsdown
Cardiff 036 · 5 sub-areas · 13,226 residents
Cardiff 036 is a densely populated neighbourhood within Cardiff, home to around 13,200 people and skewed heavily towards younger residents — nearly half the population is aged 18 to 34. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for around £1,070 a month, noticeably below the UK median for a 2-bed, though rents are rising at close to 5% a year.
Adamsdown is a green, lower-density part of Cardiff — parks within walking distance of most addresses, a slower weekday rhythm, and a population skewed toward longer-tenure households rather than transient renters. The population skews young, with a high concentration of 18- to 34-year-olds.
Overview
What's it like to live in Adamsdown?
3 parks and 2 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; food and drink within walking distance is workable but not dense — around 12 restaurants and 2 pubs in five minutes; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,157 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Adamsdown in Cardiff
Living in Adamsdown
Cardiff 036 reads like a student and young-professional district more than a family one. With 45.7% of residents aged 18 to 34, it has the demographic profile of somewhere that fills up in September and empties in summer — lively, transient, and built around single-person households, which make up about two in five of all homes.
On the cost side, it's one of the more accessible parts of Cardiff. A two-bedroom flat averages around £1,070 a month — well below what you'd pay in comparable inner-city areas in Bristol or Leeds, and roughly £130 below the UK national median for a 2-bed. The deposit hurdle is relatively low too: around three years of savings at typical local take-home pay to reach a 10% deposit. The trade-off is that rent-to-income is high — renters here typically spend close to 56% of take-home pay on rent, which leaves little slack.
The area's diversity index sits at 59.4, and just over a third of residents (36.4%) were born outside the UK — a cosmopolitan mix that's fairly pronounced for a Welsh neighbourhood. Degree-holders make up 35% of residents, pointing to a well-educated but not necessarily high-earning base, with median resident salaries around £32,800 a year.
Practically, the nearest mainline rail station is under a kilometre away — roughly an 11-minute walk — which keeps the area well connected. Nearly 30% of residents work from home, and greenspace is genuinely close: around 85% of residents are within walking distance of a park or green area, with the nearest just over 200 metres away on average. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on which pockets sit closer to the station or the main green corridors.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Cardiff 036 a nice place to live?
- It depends on what you're after. Cardiff 036 suits young professionals and students well — it's affordable by UK standards, green space is close by, and the rail station is a short walk. The high crime rate and limited school quality make it less appealing for families. The transient demographic means it's lively but not the most settled community.
- What is the rent in Cardiff 036?
- A one-bedroom flat typically costs around £894 a month, a two-bed around £1,068, and a three-bed around £1,186. These are estimates scaled from city-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose 4.8% over the past year. On a two-bed, that puts Cardiff 036 below the UK median of around £1,200 a month.
- Is Cardiff 036 safe?
- The recorded crime rate is around 228 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — roughly three times the UK national average of around 80. That's typical of dense, inner-city areas with large young populations rather than a specific local hazard, but it's worth factoring in. Safety varies by street, so it's worth walking the area at different times before committing.
- What's the commute from Cardiff 036 to Cardiff city centre?
- The nearest mainline rail station is about 875 metres away — roughly an 11-minute walk. Around 30% of residents work from home, and just under 10% use public transport as their main mode. For longer trips, London is around 119 minutes by rail and Birmingham around 132 minutes.
- Who lives in Cardiff 036?
- Predominantly young adults — nearly half the population is aged 18 to 34. Around two in five households are single-person, and families with children make up only 14% of homes. The area has a high degree-qualified share and notable international diversity, with just over a third of residents born outside the UK.
- What schools are near Cardiff 036?
- There are five schools within a typical 2km catchment radius, but none is currently rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. The nearest Outstanding school is around 24 km away. For families, this is a significant limitation — it's worth checking the latest Ofsted reports directly, as ratings can change after inspections.
- How affordable is Cardiff 036 compared to other UK cities?
- It's notably cheaper than most comparable inner-city areas in England. The median 2-bed rent of around £1,068 sits below the UK median of around £1,200, and the deposit timeline of roughly three years is relatively short. The catch is that rent still takes up close to 56% of typical take-home pay — the affordability is real but not unlimited.