View from Anglesey Column - looking west along A5

Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll, #1 on this list · Photo: Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0

Gwynedd · 2026

Best places to live in Gwynedd

Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll ranks first of 13 Gwynedd towns of 2,500+ residents, and #581 of 2,138 UK towns. None grade A− or better; scores run from 57.4 down to 36.3.

The overall score, sorted within Gwynedd; the letter compares each town with every UK town, and its rank among UK towns sits beside it. How grades work

Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll

Gwynedd · 2,905 people

B⁺

Score 57.4·#581 of 2,138 UK towns

Strongest: safety A⁻, health B⁺·lowest: walkability D

Menai Bridge

Gwynedd · 3,045 people

Score 52.0·#822 of 2,138 UK towns

Strongest: cost of living A⁻, walkability B⁺·lowest: jobs & income C

Dolgellau

Gwynedd · 2,599 people

B⁻

Score 48.8·#974 of 2,138 UK towns

Strongest: walkability A⁺, cost of living A⁻·lowest: jobs & income D

All 13 towns, ranked

By overall score against UK towns; ranks are within Gwynedd, and each UK rank links to the national list. The score (0–100) blends the seven livability grades and sets the order; the letter places that score among UK towns of 2,500+, and A+ is the top 5%, so neighbours on the list often share a letter.

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13 towns.

#TownScoreGrade · UK rankWhat drives it

1Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll2,905 people57.4top 27.6%B⁺#581 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁻, health B⁺·lowest: walkability D

2Menai Bridge3,045 people52.0top 38.9%B#822 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A⁻, walkability B⁺·lowest: jobs & income C

3Dolgellau2,599 people48.8top 46.0%B⁻#974 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁺, cost of living A⁻·lowest: jobs & income D

4Tywyn3,134 people48.0top 47.7%B⁻#1,010 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, cost of living B⁺·lowest: jobs & income D⁻

5Porthmadog2,579 people42.4bottom 39.2%C⁺#1,294 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁺, cost of living A⁻·lowest: hazard risk D⁻

6Bethesda3,757 people41.7bottom 37.7%C⁺#1,327 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A⁻, walkability B·lowest: jobs & income D⁻

7Amlwch3,148 people41.0bottom 35.9%C⁺#1,364 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability B·lowest: jobs & income D⁻

8Llangefni5,264 people38.2bottom 29.6%C#1,500 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability B·lowest: jobs & income D

9Bangor16,994 people37.9bottom 28.8%C#1,516 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁺, cost of living A⁻·lowest: safety D

10Blaenau Ffestiniog3,449 people37.4bottom 27.4%C#1,547 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability A⁻·lowest: jobs & income D⁻

11Pwllheli3,622 people37.0bottom 26.6%C#1,563 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, cost of living B⁺·lowest: jobs & income D⁻

12Caernarfon9,831 people36.9bottom 26.1%C#1,574 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, cost of living B⁺·lowest: safety D⁻

13Holyhead11,753 people36.3bottom 24.5%C⁻#1,610 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability A·lowest: jobs & income D⁻

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Gwynedd?

Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll ranks first of 13 graded towns of 2,500+: safety (A−) and health (B+) are its strongest grades; walkability (D) is its lowest. Menai Bridge and Dolgellau follow.

How are these towns ranked?

By the overall grade, which blends seven livability grades (cost of living, safety, schools, health, jobs & income, walkability, hazard risk) from public data, each comparing a town with every UK town. The rank is within Gwynedd. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

The list covers places of 2,500+ residents with an overall grade. Smaller places, and towns missing figures the overall grade needs, show their subject grades on their own pages; every town in Gwynedd is listed on the county page.

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.