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Original poster

Moving from London to Cardiff: are we crazy?

56 replies

boogiewps · 02/05/2024 20:19

DP is from Swansea originally. He couldn't wait to escape and go across the border for university where we met. His parents now live in Cardiff.

I'm 38 and DP is 41 and are hoping to start a family in the next year or two. Very much aware that time is running out and if we can't conceive we'll adopt.

I love Wales but also love the buzz of London. DP and I both work 9am-8pm most days and sometimes longer, but we do earn very well because of it. We have decided we want to give up the high powered careers and go for something more relaxed.

If we sell up here, we'll have almost £1mil in equity, which will buy a lovely house in Cardiff. We'd consider taking out a mortgage of 200-300k for the right place.

Jobs wise we can move to a similar but much more relaxed role, but this would be a 70% pay cut. Yes I know. But that would still be a salary of c £170k which is very high for Cardiff (so says DH.)

We'd then have much more time for family life and can relax a bit (lot) more.

OP posts:
BoudiccaOfSuburbia · 02/05/2024 22:22

Surely with your equity and salaries you can afford a lovely bit of London AND to step back on the pressure a bit?

Personally I found London a fantastic place to have a family!

IPartridge · 03/05/2024 12:12

I'm currently living about 30 mins from Cardiff having lived in England previously but always had family in Wales.

I rarely go to Cardiff and if I do I feel disappointed. As a pp said it feels like it's gone downhill, as have a lot of town/city centres. It has a sad feel to it, not helped by the rain! I much prefer Bristol.

I would say that Wales does feel less well looked after in terms of public services (can't comment on schools).

The countryside and coast are amazing though. And I find the Welsh people are really friendly.

Givemethesun · 03/05/2024 19:53

All sounds great other than this : also love the buzz of London

im in London with a Dc and I absolutely love it. There’s a lot of London haters on MN so you need to work out what you want. Could you not have your Dc and then see what you want to do with career and how it goes in London?

StillEndlesslySearching · 03/05/2024 21:37

So, we did this move for four years . Rented for various reasons. Planned Welsh language school if we had kids…
Husband from West wales but lots of friends all established in Cardiff.
We moved back to London permanently when we had kids. It depends what you like but our life was always will be in London.

redmapleleaves1 · 04/05/2024 08:01

Just to say, like your DP, I grew up in Swansea, and couldn't wait to leave. As did so many of my generation (no jobs then). But I'm on the point of moving back again, - its a different place than it was. Cardiff too.

Lower key than renting for six months, why not go on holiday there and rent an airbnb for a week? You'd get a sense of what it would be like, and have more evidence for a decision.

Meadowfinch · 04/05/2024 08:07

I like Cardiff and I'm sure there are lovely places to live there, but if planning children, it would be a no from me unless you can afford private school. The Welsh education system is not good, standards are through the floor due to their govt, and it will take decades to put right.

Ifailed · 04/05/2024 08:09

you can get to London within 2hrs now the railway's been electrocuted

Not really selling rail travel to me.

Uncooperativefingers · 04/05/2024 08:12

Tbh I think the craziest part of your plan is thinking about getting a 200-300k mortgage when you have 1mil equity. Why not take the opportunity to go mortgage free and then you'll notice the drop in salary even less?!

ImCamembertTheBigCheese · 04/05/2024 08:29

How much time have you actually spent in Cardiff? It is very different from London and I would caution a move without really understanding what you will move to. I have no idea what floats your boat but I would think carefully about such a huge move.

As PP said, I would not sell but rent first and see if you like it. I've lived in Wales and London and I am still in London now. It just wasn't for me.

abovethefold · 04/05/2024 08:36

It sounds like you’re planning a lot of big changes - changing careers, having kids, moving cities. What is the most important thing you’re looking for? Are you sure you want the simple life? I’ve seen other high earners do this and the thing they struggle with is not so much the change in lifestyle as the change in community/ status/ identity as they go from being people who are known and rewarded and celebrated to being outsiders in a completely new context. Not saying it won’t work but are you really looking for all of that, or are you looking for a change and a new challenge?

Personally I love raising a family in London so wouldn’t knock that as an option. But I know a lot of people who have moved to Cardiff in recent years - in that respect it’s the new Bristol I think.

People often want to return to where they grew up to raise a family. I think this means that even if your dh wanted to escape at one point he probably had a happy childhood that a part of him wants to replicate.

I wanted to have a family in a completely different way to the way I was raised. What do you want op?

Radicaloptimism · 04/05/2024 08:44

I moved from London to Cardiff as I wanted to buy my own place and couldn’t afford London as a single person. I like Cardiff but I would have definitely stayed in London if I had your money!

I would say the big advantage for you would be to become mortgage free if you moved.

As you are planning a family I would look into education and schools and health in Wales as we can be the poor relation compared to England.

I am on the outskirts of Cardiff now and enjoy living by the sea!

Mynewnameis · 04/05/2024 08:48

The parts of Cardiff with houses for £1.2mill are most definitely green and leafy.

Have you spent time in cardiff op?
I think its a brilliant city, but has some negatives and is not London.

VenetiaHallisWellPosh · 04/05/2024 08:50

Cardiff is a nice city, but I've only ever visited as a tourist.

I grew up in a small town but have lived in London for almost 30 years. When I moved to London the culture shock was immense. It's full on here. You aren't allowed to bored. My DD was born in London and finds staying at her GPs in the provinces boring.

But I find that, outside of London, the culture shock sets back in again because The Rest of The Country is not like it. Not even going to Birmingham or Manchester gives the same feeling. And that's ok because it really depends on what you are looking for and what you might miss? I would miss Deliveroo and Uber in my home town, because it doesn't have them. But I could learn to do without them. They aren't essential to life. There will always be a period of adjustment.

Alwaystired23 · 04/05/2024 09:02

redmapleleaves1 · 04/05/2024 08:01

Just to say, like your DP, I grew up in Swansea, and couldn't wait to leave. As did so many of my generation (no jobs then). But I'm on the point of moving back again, - its a different place than it was. Cardiff too.

Lower key than renting for six months, why not go on holiday there and rent an airbnb for a week? You'd get a sense of what it would be like, and have more evidence for a decision.

I was born and grew up in Cardiff. Then I met Dh, who is from Swansea, and moved down this way. We live outside of Swansea, but I work in Swansea and dh works in Cross hands. We both have well-paid jobs and have a lovely home, with more land than we could afford in Cardiff. My parents have moved from Cardiff to Swansea and have a lovely home. I don't rate Swansea City centre, but there are so many beautiful places along this coastline. For example, we're off to Tenby today and will be there in less than an hour. I wouldn't go back to Cardiff to live as it feels too busy to me now. But I suppose coming from London to Cardiff will feel quiet in comparison. I absolutely London by the way, it's a great city. It really depends on the lifestyle you're looking for OP. But I loved living and growing up in Cardiff and still have lots of family and friends who live there, who are happy and have a nice standard of life.

PastorCarrBonarra · 04/05/2024 15:44

I’ve lived in both cities post-uni and I loved both for different reasons. I’d happily raise kids in London, it’s a great city. But I totally see the appeal of Cardiff. Friends who settled there seem to have very nice lives.

Newgirls · 04/05/2024 15:48

Would you consider Bristol, Clifton area or Bath? So closer to family but perhaps more the London vibe you are used too?

MadKittenWoman · 04/05/2024 16:26

Newgirls · 04/05/2024 15:48

Would you consider Bristol, Clifton area or Bath? So closer to family but perhaps more the London vibe you are used too?

As long as she realises that £1 million won't buy much there, so she absolutely will still need a mortgage.

Barleypilaf · 04/05/2024 16:56

Move to Penarth. Beautiful red-brick Victorian houses, by the sea and very quick access to Cardiff.

Dorsetpea · 04/05/2024 17:41

Wales is very Welsh! How do you really feel about the Welsh language? Your future dc would have to learn it in school. You will be very obviously living in a duel language country. I visit a lot and I find duel everything grates a bit and gets wearing ( I've no interest in learning Welsh) and feel it is inescapable and personally I find that tiresome - appreciate I might get flamed but that's how I feel!

Yddraig25 · 04/05/2024 19:22

Dorsetpea · 04/05/2024 17:41

Wales is very Welsh! How do you really feel about the Welsh language? Your future dc would have to learn it in school. You will be very obviously living in a duel language country. I visit a lot and I find duel everything grates a bit and gets wearing ( I've no interest in learning Welsh) and feel it is inescapable and personally I find that tiresome - appreciate I might get flamed but that's how I feel!

Do you find it wearing when visiting France
or Spain?! Wales is a bilingual country and anyone moving or visiting there should respect that. Such an ignorant view! 🙄

I'm assuming the OP is not as narrow minded as you and will be able to cope with the dual language signs! OP Cardiff is a great place to live especially for families and you should be able to get a lot for your budget. Plenty of greenspaces, good links to London if you want to go back and visit, and easy access to the countryside.

Dorsetpea · 04/05/2024 22:56

I think my point is you have to know what you are signing up to especially if you've no interest in learning the language but your dc will have to. It's not ignorant - it's a valid consideration for moving to a country.

Persipan · 04/05/2024 23:20

I would definitely echo those posters pointing out that 'city' means something quite different when applied to anywhere other than London. My sense is that you like London and are energised by the buzz of it, and in that situation, leaving can go one of two ways. I like the idea that's been suggested of staying for a couple of weeks and doing non-holiday things. (Bonus points if you can WFH at that time.) I think that'll help give you a sense of which way things might go for you personally.

And I agree with others that the 200k mortgage idea sounds a bit daft. I would understand it in locations where your budget might not buy much, but it would buy a very nice and substantial home in Cardiff so I'm not sure I see the point/need.

Moonshine5 · 04/05/2024 23:27

There's no where like London.
It's a special place.

MolkosTeenageAngst · 04/05/2024 23:37

I love Cardiff, having grown up in Wales loads of my friends went to uni there and settled afterwards. However, now they are having kids lots of them are moving away as they feel Cardiff isn’t really geared towards young families. The city centre in particular doesn’t have many truly child friendly cafes and by 2pm on a weekend it’s full of students and hen/ stag parties already raucously drunk. No zoo, aquarium or city farms etc like you would get in London if you wanted a child friendly day out. Lots of farms and of course the beach if you’re willing to drive out of the centre towards Caerphilly or the gower etc but if you don’t want to be driving everywhere your options are far more limited than London for things to do that you can walk or catch a bus to. I probably wouldn’t choose it as a place to raise a family although I have loved visiting my childfree friends there and enjoying gigs and it has a really good food scene.

HesterPrincess · 06/05/2024 08:13

Echoing what the PP said above - we went yesterday and I was honestly gobsmacked by the drunks in the city centre even at 4pm. We used to regularly take our DC there for the day and park in the Bay then walk up into the centre but I wouldn't do that now.