Barking and Dagenham vs Birmingham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £180,000 (82%) more in Barking and Dagenham than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Barking and Dagenham: it takes 10.4× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Barking and Dagenham | Birmingham | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | 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 6% lower than in Barking and Dagenham (£38,467), while a typical terraced house costs 45% less (£220,000 against £400,000). Set against local pay, Birmingham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 10.4× annual pay in Barking and Dagenham and 6.1× in Birmingham. Renting one takes 58% of pay in Barking and Dagenham and 37% in Birmingham. Both are harder in Barking and Dagenham, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Barking and Dagenham is the 54th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Barking and Dagenham is the 20th most expensive of 316 areas and Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Barking and Dagenham would need about £22,000 in Birmingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £23,500 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 84.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barking and Dagenham and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 36% higher in Birmingham. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 3.1 per 1,000 in Barking and Dagenham against 4.8 in Birmingham.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Barking and Dagenham | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,467 | £35,989 |
| House price ÷ pay | 10.4× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 48% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 58% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Barking and Dagenham | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £445,000 | £265,000 | -40% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £400,000 | £220,000 | -45% in Birmingham |
| Flat | £236,500 | £145,000 | -39% in Birmingham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Barking and Dagenham | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £1,974 | £1,151 | -42% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £1,852 | £1,095 | -41% in Birmingham |
| Flat | £1,614 | £919 | -43% in Birmingham |
Crime
Police recorded 84.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barking and Dagenham and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 36% higher in Birmingham.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Barking and Dagenham | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 84.2 | 114.2 | +36% in Birmingham |
| Violence against the person | 31.5 | 46.1 | +47% in Birmingham |
| Sexual offences | 3.1 | 4.8 | +54% in Birmingham |
| Robbery | 3.8 | 3.1 | -16% in Birmingham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 8.3 | 11.7 | +41% in Birmingham |
| Vehicle offences | 8.5 | 10.2 | +20% in Birmingham |
| Theft from the person | 2.8 | 1.3 | -55% in Birmingham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.0 | 9.1 | +50% 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 | Barking and Dagenham | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 103 | 104 |
| 2007 | 113 | 109 |
| 2008 | 115 | 105 |
| 2009 | 96 | 95 |
| 2010 | 102 | 100 |
| 2011 | 100 | 97 |
| 2012 | 102 | 98 |
| 2013 | 106 | 100 |
| 2014 | 123 | 106 |
| 2015 | 143 | 111 |
| 2016 | 168 | 120 |
| 2017 | 176 | 129 |
| 2018 | 181 | 136 |
| 2019 | 183 | 140 |
| 2020 | 184 | 142 |
| 2021 | 189 | 157 |
| 2022 | 204 | 172 |
| 2023 | 207 | 174 |
| 2024 | 203 | 174 |
| 2025 | 213 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 214 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £167,923 in Barking and Dagenham and £130,237 in Birmingham. Now it is £359,960 and £232,548: Barking and Dagenham is up 114% and Birmingham is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in Barking and Dagenham, 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 | Barking and Dagenham | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.4 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.5 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.4 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.4 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.3 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.4 years of pay in Barking and Dagenham and 6.1 years in Birmingham. In 2025 it was 9.3 years and 6.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Barking and Dagenham 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 | Barking and Dagenham | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 109 | 105 |
| 2017 | 116 | 108 |
| 2018 | 119 | 111 |
| 2019 | 121 | 113 |
| 2020 | 123 | 116 |
| 2021 | 124 | 118 |
| 2022 | 127 | 122 |
| 2023 | 132 | 132 |
| 2024 | 143 | 147 |
| 2025 | 161 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 168 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,008 a month in Barking and Dagenham and £682 in Birmingham. Now it is £1,698 and £1,099: up 68% in Barking and Dagenham and up 61% in Birmingham. Rents have risen faster in Barking and Dagenham.
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 Barking and Dagenham to Birmingham
| Earning in Barking and Dagenham | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £16,500 | £17,500 |
| £40,000 | £22,000 | £23,500 |
| £50,000 | £27,500 | £29,500 |
| £60,000 | £33,000 | £35,500 |
Moving from Birmingham to Barking and Dagenham
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Barking and Dagenham | Equivalent to rent in Barking and Dagenham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £54,500 | £50,500 |
| £40,000 | £72,500 | £67,500 |
| £50,000 | £91,000 | £84,500 |
| £60,000 | £109,000 | £101,500 |