Best areas to open restaurant in Wales
22 Wales local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open a restaurant in Wales?
In Wales, the best area to open a restaurant is Gwynedd, with a Gera Business Location Score of 67.6/100: premises at £68/m²/yr and local median pay £25,217. Cardiff / Caerdydd ranks lowest of 22 Wales authorities at 51.4/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Wales ranked for restaurant
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gwynedd | 67.6/100 | £68 | £25,217 | £2,938 |
| 2 | Blaenau Gwent | 66.4/100 | £43 | £26,241 | £1,858 |
| 3 | Powys | 65.9/100 | £68 | £26,839 | £2,938 |
| 4 | Conwy | 65.1/100 | £83 | £26,961 | £3,586 |
| 5 | Denbighshire / Sir Ddinbych | 65/100 | £68 | £27,011 | £2,938 |
| 6 | Isle of Anglesey / Ynys Môn | 64.9/100 | £69 | £29,867 | £2,981 |
| 7 | Pembrokeshire / Sir Benfro | 64.8/100 | £91 | £26,535 | £3,931 |
| 8 | Merthyr Tydfil / Merthyr Tudful | 64.2/100 | £63 | £27,843 | £2,722 |
| 9 | Ceredigion | 63.6/100 | £89 | £27,868 | £3,845 |
| 10 | Caerphilly / Caerffili | 62.6/100 | £77 | £28,187 | £3,326 |
| 11 | Carmarthenshire / Sir Gaerfyrddin | 62.2/100 | £79 | £29,835 | £3,413 |
| 12 | Neath Port Talbot / Castell-nedd Port Talbot | 61.8/100 | £76 | £30,055 | £3,283 |
| 13 | Wrexham / Wrecsam | 61.3/100 | £80 | £30,080 | £3,456 |
| 14 | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 61.1/100 | £93 | £28,454 | £4,018 |
| 15 | Bridgend / Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr | 60.3/100 | £93 | £30,377 | £4,018 |
| 16 | Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg | 59.4/100 | £118 | £28,528 | £5,098 |
| 17 | Monmouthshire / Sir Fynwy | 59.1/100 | £100 | £32,805 | £4,320 |
| 18 | Swansea / Abertawe | 58.8/100 | £108 | £31,348 | £4,666 |
| 19 | Newport / Casnewydd | 57.1/100 | £118 | £32,340 | £5,098 |
| 20 | Torfaen / Tor-faen | 56/100 | £135 | £31,105 | £5,832 |
| 21 | Flintshire / Sir y Fflint | 55.5/100 | £124 | £34,480 | £5,357 |
| 22 | Cardiff / Caerdydd | 51.4/100 | £179 | £33,599 | £7,733 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for restaurant premises in Wales?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in Wales is £43/m²/yr in Blaenau Gwent. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Gwynedd ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for restaurant in Gwynedd?
- For a 100 m² unit in Gwynedd, business rates are roughly £2,938/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £6,800/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a restaurant in Wales?
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Contains public sector information published by Valuation Office Agency and Office for National Statistics and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: VOA Business Floorspace + ONS Business Counts + ONS ASHE (work geography) + ONS population estimates (2025 (VOA 31 March 2025; ASHE 2025 provisional; Business Counts 2025; population mid-2024), published December 2025).