Babergh vs Birmingham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £40,000 (18%) more in Babergh than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Babergh: it takes 7.7× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Babergh | Birmingham | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | 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 6% higher than in Babergh (£33,904), while a typical terraced house costs 15% less (£220,000 against £260,000). Set against local pay, Birmingham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.7× annual pay in Babergh and 6.1× in Birmingham. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Babergh and 37% in Birmingham. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Babergh, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Birmingham.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Babergh is the 71st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Babergh is around the middle of 316 areas (145th most expensive) and Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Babergh would need about £34,000 in Birmingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £47,000 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 46.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Babergh and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident in Birmingham is 2.4 times the rate in Babergh. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.9 per 1,000 in Babergh against 10.2 in Birmingham.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Babergh | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £33,904 | £35,989 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.7× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 65% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Babergh | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £437,000 | £452,500 | +4% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £295,000 | £265,000 | -10% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £260,000 | £220,000 | -15% in Birmingham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Babergh | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,294 | £1,434 | +11% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £1,055 | £1,151 | +9% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £935 | £1,095 | +17% in Birmingham |
Crime
Police recorded 46.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Babergh and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident in Birmingham is 2.4 times the rate in Babergh.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Babergh | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 46.6 | 114.2 | +145% in Birmingham |
| Violence against the person | 20.2 | 46.1 | +128% in Birmingham |
| Sexual offences | 2.9 | 4.8 | +70% in Birmingham |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 3.1 | +1108% in Birmingham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.2 | 11.7 | +269% in Birmingham |
| Vehicle offences | 1.9 | 10.2 | +424% in Birmingham |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.3 | +525% in Birmingham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.7 | 9.1 | +94% 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 | Babergh | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 115 | 109 |
| 2008 | 111 | 105 |
| 2009 | 98 | 95 |
| 2010 | 107 | 100 |
| 2011 | 109 | 97 |
| 2012 | 111 | 98 |
| 2013 | 112 | 100 |
| 2014 | 121 | 106 |
| 2015 | 131 | 111 |
| 2016 | 142 | 120 |
| 2017 | 153 | 129 |
| 2018 | 158 | 136 |
| 2019 | 159 | 140 |
| 2020 | 160 | 142 |
| 2021 | 168 | 157 |
| 2022 | 185 | 172 |
| 2023 | 183 | 174 |
| 2024 | 177 | 174 |
| 2025 | 181 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 183 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £180,773 in Babergh and £130,237 in Birmingham. Now it is £330,061 and £232,548: Babergh is up 83% 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 | Babergh | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.5 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | – | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.5 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.1 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.7 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.5 years of pay in Babergh and 6.1 years in Birmingham. In 2025 it was 9.7 years and 6.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Babergh 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 | Babergh | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 105 |
| 2017 | 107 | 108 |
| 2018 | 110 | 111 |
| 2019 | 115 | 113 |
| 2020 | 116 | 116 |
| 2021 | 117 | 118 |
| 2022 | 123 | 122 |
| 2023 | 131 | 132 |
| 2024 | 141 | 147 |
| 2025 | 149 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 153 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £629 a month in Babergh and £682 in Birmingham. Now it is £965 and £1,099: up 53% in Babergh 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 Babergh to Birmingham
| Earning in Babergh | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £35,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £47,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £58,500 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £70,500 |
Moving from Birmingham to Babergh
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Babergh | Equivalent to rent in Babergh |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £25,500 |
| £40,000 | £47,500 | £34,000 |
| £50,000 | £59,000 | £42,500 |
| £60,000 | £71,000 | £51,000 |