Amber Valley vs Birmingham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £55,000 (33%) more in Birmingham than in Amber Valley. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Amber Valley.
At a glance
| Amber Valley | Birmingham | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | 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 5% lower than in Amber Valley (£37,756), while a typical terraced house costs 33% more (£220,000 against £165,000). Set against local pay, Amber Valley is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.4× annual pay in Amber Valley and 6.1× in Birmingham. Renting one takes 25% of pay in Amber Valley and 37% in Birmingham. Both are harder in Birmingham, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Amber Valley is the 59th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Amber Valley is the 39th least expensive of 316 areas and Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Amber Valley would need about £53,500 in Birmingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £57,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Birmingham would leave you worse 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 68.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Amber Valley and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 67% higher in Birmingham. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.5 per 1,000 in Amber Valley against 10.2 in Birmingham.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Amber Valley | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,756 | £35,989 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.4× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 114% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 25% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Amber Valley | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £337,750 | £452,500 | +34% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £212,750 | £265,000 | +25% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £165,000 | £220,000 | +33% in Birmingham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Amber Valley | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,061 | £1,434 | +35% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £843 | £1,151 | +37% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £771 | £1,095 | +42% in Birmingham |
Crime
Police recorded 68.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Amber Valley and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 67% higher in Birmingham.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Amber Valley | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 68.3 | 114.2 | +67% in Birmingham |
| Violence against the person | 30.4 | 46.1 | +52% in Birmingham |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 4.8 | +53% in Birmingham |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 3.1 | +516% in Birmingham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.5 | 11.7 | +235% in Birmingham |
| Vehicle offences | 2.5 | 10.2 | +312% in Birmingham |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 1.3 | +229% in Birmingham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.8 | 9.1 | +34% 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 | Amber Valley | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 104 |
| 2007 | 114 | 109 |
| 2008 | 109 | 105 |
| 2009 | 98 | 95 |
| 2010 | 103 | 100 |
| 2011 | 99 | 97 |
| 2012 | 100 | 98 |
| 2013 | 103 | 100 |
| 2014 | 109 | 106 |
| 2015 | 114 | 111 |
| 2016 | 119 | 120 |
| 2017 | 125 | 129 |
| 2018 | 131 | 136 |
| 2019 | 135 | 140 |
| 2020 | 141 | 142 |
| 2021 | 155 | 157 |
| 2022 | 168 | 172 |
| 2023 | 174 | 174 |
| 2024 | 174 | 174 |
| 2025 | 182 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 187 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £124,847 in Amber Valley and £130,237 in Birmingham. Now it is £232,866 and £232,548: Amber Valley is up 87% and Birmingham is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in Amber Valley, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
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 | Amber Valley | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.2 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.3 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.2 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.0 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.5 years of pay in Amber Valley and 6.1 years in Birmingham. In 2025 it was 6.0 years and 6.5 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Amber Valley | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 105 |
| 2017 | 104 | 108 |
| 2018 | 106 | 111 |
| 2019 | 109 | 113 |
| 2020 | 110 | 116 |
| 2021 | 113 | 118 |
| 2022 | 118 | 122 |
| 2023 | 130 | 132 |
| 2024 | 139 | 147 |
| 2025 | 149 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 156 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £513 a month in Amber Valley and £682 in Birmingham. Now it is £799 and £1,099: up 56% in Amber Valley and up 61% in Birmingham. Rents have risen faster 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 Amber Valley to Birmingham
| Earning in Amber Valley | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £40,000 | £42,500 |
| £40,000 | £53,500 | £57,000 |
| £50,000 | £66,500 | £71,000 |
| £60,000 | £80,000 | £85,000 |
Moving from Birmingham to Amber Valley
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Amber Valley | Equivalent to rent in Amber Valley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £22,500 | £21,000 |
| £40,000 | £30,000 | £28,000 |
| £50,000 | £37,500 | £35,000 |
| £60,000 | £45,000 | £42,000 |