Ashfield vs Birmingham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £75,000 (52%) more in Birmingham than in Ashfield. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.5× in Ashfield.
At a glance
| Ashfield | 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 10% higher than in Ashfield (£32,577), while a typical terraced house costs 52% more (£220,000 against £145,000). Set against local pay, Ashfield is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.5× annual pay in Ashfield and 6.1× in Birmingham. Renting one takes 29% of pay in Ashfield and 37% in Birmingham. Both are harder in Birmingham, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Ashfield is the 62nd least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Ashfield is the 111th least expensive of 316 areas and Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Ashfield would need about £60,500 in Birmingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £56,500 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 79.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashfield and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 43% higher in Birmingham. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.6 per 1,000 in Ashfield against 10.2 in Birmingham.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Ashfield | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £32,577 | £35,989 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.5× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 112% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 29% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Ashfield | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £277,250 | £452,500 | +63% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £185,000 | £265,000 | +43% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £145,000 | £220,000 | +52% in Birmingham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Ashfield | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,042 | £1,434 | +38% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £847 | £1,151 | +36% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £776 | £1,095 | +41% in Birmingham |
Crime
Police recorded 79.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashfield and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 43% higher in Birmingham.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Ashfield | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 79.6 | 114.2 | +43% in Birmingham |
| Violence against the person | 29.4 | 46.1 | +57% in Birmingham |
| Sexual offences | 3.5 | 4.8 | +38% in Birmingham |
| Robbery | 1.3 | 3.1 | +136% in Birmingham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.6 | 11.7 | +110% in Birmingham |
| Vehicle offences | 3.6 | 10.2 | +179% in Birmingham |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 1.3 | +229% in Birmingham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.1 | 9.1 | +12% 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 | Ashfield | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 109 | 109 |
| 2008 | 105 | 105 |
| 2009 | 94 | 95 |
| 2010 | 98 | 100 |
| 2011 | 96 | 97 |
| 2012 | 95 | 98 |
| 2013 | 96 | 100 |
| 2014 | 105 | 106 |
| 2015 | 108 | 111 |
| 2016 | 116 | 120 |
| 2017 | 122 | 129 |
| 2018 | 128 | 136 |
| 2019 | 131 | 140 |
| 2020 | 137 | 142 |
| 2021 | 153 | 157 |
| 2022 | 172 | 172 |
| 2023 | 174 | 174 |
| 2024 | 175 | 174 |
| 2025 | 176 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £105,740 in Ashfield and £130,237 in Birmingham. Now it is £188,929 and £232,548: Ashfield is up 79% and Birmingham is up 79%.
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 | Ashfield | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.4 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.9 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.8 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.7 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.4 years of pay in Ashfield and 6.1 years in Birmingham. In 2025 it was 5.7 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 | Ashfield | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 100 | 105 |
| 2017 | 103 | 108 |
| 2018 | 104 | 111 |
| 2019 | 106 | 113 |
| 2020 | 110 | 116 |
| 2021 | 118 | 118 |
| 2022 | 124 | 122 |
| 2023 | 132 | 132 |
| 2024 | 145 | 147 |
| 2025 | 155 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 164 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £486 a month in Ashfield and £682 in Birmingham. Now it is £795 and £1,099: up 64% in Ashfield 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 Ashfield to Birmingham
| Earning in Ashfield | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £45,500 | £42,500 |
| £40,000 | £60,500 | £56,500 |
| £50,000 | £76,000 | £70,500 |
| £60,000 | £91,000 | £84,500 |
Moving from Birmingham to Ashfield
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Ashfield | Equivalent to rent in Ashfield |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,000 | £21,500 |
| £40,000 | £26,500 | £28,500 |
| £50,000 | £33,000 | £35,500 |
| £60,000 | £39,500 | £42,500 |