Adur vs Birmingham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £123,500 (56%) more in Adur than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Adur: it takes 8.8× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Adur | Birmingham | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | Above average |
Buying rates the typical price of all homes against median pay; renting rates a year of average rent against median pay; crime rates recorded crime per resident against the England and Wales average.
What the numbers say
Median full-time pay in Birmingham (£35,989) is 8% lower than in Adur (£39,029), while a typical terraced house costs 36% less (£220,000 against £343,500). Set against local pay, Birmingham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.8× annual pay in Adur and 6.1× in Birmingham. Renting one takes 46% of pay in Adur and 37% in Birmingham. Both are harder in Adur, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Adur is the 60th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Adur is the 56th most expensive of 316 areas and Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Adur would need about £25,500 in Birmingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £29,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Birmingham would leave you better placed to buy. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.
Police recorded 55.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Adur and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident in Birmingham is 2.1 times the rate in Adur. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 2.8 per 1,000 in Adur against 11.7 in Birmingham.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Adur | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,029 | £35,989 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.8× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 57% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 46% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Adur | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £510,000 | £452,500 | -11% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £420,000 | £265,000 | -37% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £343,500 | £220,000 | -36% in Birmingham |
| Flat | £230,000 | £145,000 | -37% in Birmingham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Adur | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,810 | £1,434 | -21% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £1,532 | £1,151 | -25% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £1,496 | £1,095 | -27% in Birmingham |
| Flat | £1,158 | £919 | -21% in Birmingham |
Crime
Police recorded 55.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Adur and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident in Birmingham is 2.1 times the rate in Adur.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Adur | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 55.2 | 114.2 | +107% in Birmingham |
| Violence against the person | 20.0 | 46.1 | +131% in Birmingham |
| Sexual offences | 2.4 | 4.8 | +103% in Birmingham |
| Robbery | 0.9 | 3.1 | +245% in Birmingham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 2.8 | 11.7 | +316% in Birmingham |
| Vehicle offences | 2.5 | 10.2 | +312% in Birmingham |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.3 | +525% in Birmingham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.0 | 9.1 | +83% in Birmingham |
Rates use resident population, so city centres and student areas show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on reporting and police recording practice.
How prices have changed in each area
Average house price for all property types, indexed so that 2005 is 100. A line at 200 means prices have doubled.
Show the figures
| Year | Adur | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 104 |
| 2007 | 118 | 109 |
| 2008 | 116 | 105 |
| 2009 | 100 | 95 |
| 2010 | 113 | 100 |
| 2011 | 111 | 97 |
| 2012 | 116 | 98 |
| 2013 | 118 | 100 |
| 2014 | 133 | 106 |
| 2015 | 146 | 111 |
| 2016 | 162 | 120 |
| 2017 | 170 | 129 |
| 2018 | 174 | 136 |
| 2019 | 173 | 140 |
| 2020 | 175 | 142 |
| 2021 | 188 | 157 |
| 2022 | 205 | 172 |
| 2023 | 206 | 174 |
| 2024 | 199 | 174 |
| 2025 | 206 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 207 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £181,965 in Adur and £130,237 in Birmingham. Now it is £376,357 and £232,548: Adur is up 107% and Birmingham is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in Adur, so the gap between the two has widened.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | Adur | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | – | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 9.7 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 10.5 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.5 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.6 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 9.7 years of pay in Adur and 5.5 years in Birmingham. In 2025 it was 9.6 years and 6.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Birmingham over that time.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Adur | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 105 |
| 2017 | 109 | 108 |
| 2018 | 112 | 111 |
| 2019 | 113 | 113 |
| 2020 | 115 | 116 |
| 2021 | 117 | 118 |
| 2022 | 123 | 122 |
| 2023 | 138 | 132 |
| 2024 | 148 | 147 |
| 2025 | 153 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 160 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £881 a month in Adur and £682 in Birmingham. Now it is £1,410 and £1,099: up 60% in Adur and up 61% in Birmingham.
What your salary is worth in each area
Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.
Moving from Adur to Birmingham
| Earning in Adur | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £19,000 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £25,500 | £29,500 |
| £50,000 | £32,000 | £36,500 |
| £60,000 | £38,500 | £44,000 |
Moving from Birmingham to Adur
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Adur | Equivalent to rent in Adur |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £47,000 | £41,000 |
| £40,000 | £62,500 | £54,500 |
| £50,000 | £78,000 | £68,500 |
| £60,000 | £93,500 | £82,000 |