Pay vs Place

Barnet vs Birmingham: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £410,000 (186%) more in Barnet than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Barnet: it takes 13.4× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.

Barnet, terraced
£630,000
Income typically needed: £126,000
Median full-time pay: £47,141
Birmingham, terraced
£220,000
Income typically needed: £44,000
Median full-time pay: £35,989

At a glance

Barnet Birmingham
Buying a home Very 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 24% lower than in Barnet (£47,141), while a typical terraced house costs 65% less (£220,000 against £630,000). Set against local pay, Birmingham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 13.4× annual pay in Barnet and 6.1× in Birmingham. Renting one takes 57% of pay in Barnet and 37% in Birmingham. Both are harder in Barnet, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Barnet is the 13th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Barnet is the 27th most expensive of 316 areas and Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Barnet would need about £14,000 in Birmingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £19,500 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 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnet and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 68% higher in Birmingham. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 2.0 per 1,000 in Barnet against 4.8 in Birmingham.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Barnet Birmingham
Median full-time pay £47,141 £35,989
House price ÷ pay 13.4× 6.1×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 37% 82%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 57% 37%

Buying, by property type

Type Barnet Birmingham Difference
Detached £1,196,250 £452,500 -62% in Birmingham
Semi-detached £805,000 £265,000 -67% in Birmingham
Terraced £630,000 £220,000 -65% in Birmingham
Flat £380,000 £145,000 -62% in Birmingham

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Barnet Birmingham Difference
Detached £3,018 £1,434 -52% in Birmingham
Semi-detached £2,572 £1,151 -55% in Birmingham
Terraced £2,231 £1,095 -51% in Birmingham
Flat £1,738 £919 -47% in Birmingham

Crime

Police recorded 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnet and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 68% higher in Birmingham.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Barnet Birmingham Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 67.8 114.2 +68% in Birmingham
Violence against the person 19.4 46.1 +137% in Birmingham
Sexual offences 2.0 4.8 +141% in Birmingham
Robbery 1.9 3.1 +61% in Birmingham
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 11.0 11.7 +7% in Birmingham
Vehicle offences 8.4 10.2 +22% in Birmingham
Theft from the person 2.2 1.3 -42% in Birmingham
Criminal damage and arson 4.4 9.1 +104% 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.

Barnet: 201Birmingham: 179
House prices in Barnet and Birmingham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Barnet now 201, Birmingham now 179.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Barnet and Birmingham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Barnet now 201, Birmingham now 179.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBarnetBirmingham
2005100100
2006104104
2007117109
2008118105
200910795
2010119100
201112197
201212898
2013134100
2014154106
2015171111
2016188120
2017193129
2018191136
2019187140
2020188142
2021199157
2022213172
2023210174
2024209174
2025206178
12 months to July 2026201179

In 2005 the average home cost £296,425 in Barnet and £130,237 in Birmingham. Now it is £594,641 and £232,548: Barnet is up 101% and Birmingham is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in Barnet, 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.

Barnet: 13.0 years of payBirmingham: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Barnet and BirminghamBarnet now 13.0, Birmingham now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Barnet and BirminghamBarnet now 13.0, Birmingham now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBarnetBirmingham
200510.0 years of pay6.1 years of pay
201010.8 years of pay5.5 years of pay
201515.4 years of pay5.8 years of pay
202015.3 years of pay6.3 years of pay
202513.0 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 10.0 years of pay in Barnet and 6.1 years in Birmingham. In 2025 it was 13.0 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Barnet over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Barnet: 141Birmingham: 161
Rents in Barnet and Birmingham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Barnet now 141, Birmingham now 161.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Barnet and Birmingham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Barnet now 141, Birmingham now 161.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBarnetBirmingham
2015100100
2016105105
2017106108
2018105111
2019106113
2020107116
2021107118
2022110122
2023119132
2024127147
2025136156
August 2026141161

In 2015 the average rent was £1,380 a month in Barnet and £682 in Birmingham. Now it is £1,949 and £1,099: up 41% in Barnet 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 Barnet to Birmingham

Earning in Barnet Equivalent to buy in Birmingham Equivalent to rent in Birmingham
£30,000 £10,500 £14,500
£40,000 £14,000 £19,500
£50,000 £17,500 £24,500
£60,000 £21,000 £29,500

Moving from Birmingham to Barnet

Earning in Birmingham Equivalent to buy in Barnet Equivalent to rent in Barnet
£30,000 £86,000 £61,000
£40,000 £114,500 £81,500
£50,000 £143,000 £102,000
£60,000 £172,000 £122,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Barnet figures · All Birmingham figures