Pay vs Place

Lichfield: what a home costs and what you need to earn

West Midlands. House prices are based on 1,305 sales over the last 12 months.

Buying a home
Fairly affordable
A typical home costs 7.4× median full-time pay
Renting a home
Fairly affordable
Average rent takes 32% of median pay
Recorded crime
Low
55.4 per 1,000 residents (England and Wales: 81.3)

How we rate: buying compares the typical home price with median pay (under 5× affordable, 5 to 8× fairly affordable, 8 to 11× expensive, over 11× very expensive). Renting compares a year of average rent with median pay (under 25% affordable, 25 to 33% fairly affordable, 33 to 40% expensive, over 40% very expensive). Crime compares the rate per resident with the England and Wales average.

Median full-time pay
£41,803
Gross a year, people living in Lichfield
Terraced house price ÷ pay
5.9×
A typical terraced house costs this many years of median pay
Renting a terraced house
31%
of median gross pay goes on rent (£1,095 a month)

What the numbers say about Lichfield

Across all property types, the typical home sold in Lichfield over the past year cost £310,000, which is 7.4× median full-time pay. Measured against pay, Lichfield is around the middle of 316 areas (169th most expensive) for buying; the typical area is 7.6×. Within the West Midlands it is the 9th most expensive of 30 areas.

For a terraced house at £245,000, a lender would typically look for an income of around £49,000, and the 10% deposit would be £24,500, about 7 months of median gross pay. Median full-time pay here is £41,803, 85% of the income needed, so on these assumptions it takes two median incomes, or one well above the median, to meet the test.

Renting a terraced house costs about £1,095 a month, which is 31% of median gross pay. Across all property types the average rent is £1,103 a month. Measured against pay, it is around the middle of 316 areas (173rd most expensive) for renting. Rents rose 7.5% over the latest year ONS measured, faster than the typical area (3.9%).

Median full-time pay of £41,803 is the 96th highest of 316 areas; the typical area is £38,328. This is pay for people who live in Lichfield, wherever they work.

Police recorded 55.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in the year, which is 32% below average for England and Wales (81.3). That makes it the 78th lowest of 310 areas for recorded crime per resident. The category furthest above average is vehicle offences (28% above). The category furthest below average is criminal damage and arson (45% below).

Buying

Property type Sales Median price Price ÷ pay Deposit (10%) Income typically needed
Detached 472 £487,500 11.7× £49,000 £97,500
Semi-detached 437 £288,000 6.9× £29,000 £57,500
Terraced 246 £245,000 5.9× £24,500 £49,000
Flat 150 £163,500 3.9× £16,500 £32,500

Renting

Property type Average rent a month Rent a year Share of median pay
Detached £1,521 £18,252 44%
Semi-detached £1,139 £13,668 33%
Terraced £1,095 £13,140 31%
Flat £888 £10,656 25%
Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in Lichfield, before tax, and rents are the ONS average for the area. Property types with fewer than 100 sales in the last 12 months are left out.

How prices in Lichfield have changed

Average house price for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest 12 months.

Average house price in Lichfield, 1995 to July 2026Average price rose from £61,348 in 1995 to £333,081 now.£0£100k£200k£300k£400k1995200020052010201520202025£333,081Average house price in Lichfield, 1995 to July 2026Average price rose from £61,348 in 1995 to £333,081 now.£0£100k£200k£300k£400k200020102020£333,081
Show the figures
YearAverage price
1995£61,348
1996£62,162
1997£66,894
1998£75,603
1999£79,472
2000£88,337
2001£98,636
2002£114,065
2003£140,287
2004£163,176
2005£181,369
2006£186,361
2007£197,621
2008£193,913
2009£171,771
2010£187,206
2011£182,871
2012£184,054
2013£186,739
2014£201,748
2015£212,857
2016£222,278
2017£230,911
2018£245,159
2019£243,570
2020£255,942
2021£273,517
2022£302,095
2023£304,052
2024£311,960
2025£326,963
12 months to July 2026£333,081

The average home price in Lichfield was £222,278 in 2016 and £333,081 in the 12 months to July 2026, a rise of 50% over ten years. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 36%. That makes Lichfield the 70th fastest-rising of 316 areas for ten-year price growth.

Going back to 2005, the average price has moved from £181,369 to £333,081, a rise of 84% (the typical area: a rise of 84%).

Prices fell 13% after the 2008 financial crisis, from £197,621 in 2007 to £171,771 in 2009. They did not get back to their 2007 level until 2014.

Prices are cash figures, not adjusted for inflation, and come from the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, which uses a different method from the median prices above, so the two will not match exactly.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay, in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2025. A higher number means homes are harder to afford.

Lichfield: 7.8 years of payTypical area in England and Wales: 7.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Lichfield, 2005 to 2025Rose from 7.4 to 7.8 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×2005201020202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Lichfield, 2005 to 2025Rose from 7.4 to 7.8 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×2005201020202025
Show the figures
YearLichfieldTypical area in England and Wales
20057.4 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20106.7 years of pay6.5 years of pay
20207.0 years of pay7.8 years of pay
20257.8 years of pay7.5 years of pay

In 2005 the average home in Lichfield cost 7.4 years of median full-time pay. By 2025 it cost 7.8 years, so homes have become harder to afford relative to local pay.

Between 2005 and 2025, median pay in Lichfield rose 71% (from £24,386 to £41,803), while the average house price rose 80%.

The typical area of England and Wales needed 7.5 years of pay in 2025, so Lichfield is above the typical area.

Pay is the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax, in cash terms (not adjusted for inflation). The 2025 figure is provisional. Where ONS withheld a figure because it was unreliable, or the council did not exist in its current form, that year is left out.

How rents in Lichfield have changed

Average monthly rent for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest month.

Average monthly rent in Lichfield, 2015 to August 2026Average rent rose from £672 a month in 2015 to £1,103 now.£0£500£1,000£1,500201620182020202220242026£1,103Average monthly rent in Lichfield, 2015 to August 2026Average rent rose from £672 a month in 2015 to £1,103 now.£0£500£1,000£1,500201520202025£1,103
Show the figures
YearAverage rent
2015£672 a month
2016£690 a month
2017£711 a month
2018£726 a month
2019£749 a month
2020£775 a month
2021£810 a month
2022£847 a month
2023£909 a month
2024£976 a month
2025£1,019 a month
August 2026£1,103 a month

The average rent in Lichfield was £672 a month in 2015 and £1,103 in August 2026, a rise of 64%. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 52%. That makes Lichfield the 47th fastest-rising of 316 areas for rent growth since 2015.

Over the same period the average house price rose 56%. Rents have risen faster than house prices here, by 8 percentage points.

Rent figures are from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents and are cash figures, not adjusted for inflation.

Crime

Police recorded crime in the year ending March 2026, per 1,000 residents, against the average for the areas of England and Wales covered here.

Type of crime Per 1,000 residents England and Wales average Compared with average Change on a year earlier
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 55.4 81.3 32% below average −1%
Violence against the person 22.4 31.0 28% below average −5%
Sexual offences 2.6 3.4 23% below average +11%
Robbery 0.7 1.4 48% below average –
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.3 6.2 30% below average +6%
Vehicle offences 6.3 4.9 28% above average +13%
Theft from the person 0.1 1.6 92% below average –
Criminal damage and arson 3.9 7.1 45% below average −10%

Recorded crime in Lichfield was 56.3 per 1,000 residents in the year ending March 2025 and 55.4 in the year ending March 2026, little changed. Across England and Wales it was down 4%.

Changes are left blank where the rate is very low, as a few extra crimes would look like a big swing. This is one year's change only, so it can reflect one-off events or changes in how police record crime, not just a real trend. Rates per resident use ONS population estimates for each year.

Rates use the resident population, so areas with many daytime visitors, students or a busy night-time economy, such as city centres, show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on how likely crimes are to be reported and how police record them. Residential burglary is per 1,000 households. Robbery and theft from the person are concentrated in a few city centres, so most areas sit well below the national average for them.

Compare Lichfield with another area