Birmingham logs 25 frost days a year to Cardiff's 10 — Cardiff wins by 15. Birmingham also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 1.

Birmingham runs about $2,247/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Cardiff's $2,015/mo — Cardiff comes in $232 cheaper each month, roughly 12% less.

Birmingham and Cardiff score neck-and-neck on mobility (2.6 vs 2.8, 0–5 scale).

Birmingham and Cardiff score neck-and-neck on culture (3.7 vs 3.7, 0–5 scale).

Cardiff's nature & outdoors score of 4.2 sits well above Birmingham's 3.7, with the biggest gap on sea access. Birmingham still holds an edge on forest access.

Cardiff's safety score is ~1.4× Birmingham's — in the middle of the scale, while Birmingham lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on property crime safety.

Birmingham and Cardiff score neck-and-neck on career (3.4 vs 3.3, 0–5 scale).

Birmingham and Cardiff score neck-and-neck on social & community (3.6 vs 3.6, 0–5 scale).

On food & dining, Birmingham scores 3.2 vs Cardiff's 3.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety. Cardiff still holds an edge on brunch availability.

Birmingham and Cardiff score neck-and-neck on family (3.0 vs 3.1, 0–5 scale).

On healthcare, Birmingham scores 3.4 vs Cardiff's 2.7 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on public healthcare quality. Cardiff still holds an edge on private healthcare quality.

Birmingham averages 8.1 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Cardiff's 8.5 µg/m³ (good) — Birmingham breathes ~5% cleaner air (0.4 µg/m³ lower).

Who Thrives Here