Barnsley vs Birmingham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £82,000 (59%) more in Birmingham than in Barnsley. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 3.8× in Barnsley.
At a glance
| Barnsley | Birmingham | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above 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 2% lower than in Barnsley (£36,652), while a typical terraced house costs 59% more (£220,000 against £138,000). Set against local pay, Barnsley is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 3.8× annual pay in Barnsley and 6.1× in Birmingham. Renting one takes 22% of pay in Barnsley and 37% in Birmingham. Both are harder in Birmingham, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Barnsley is the 21st least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Barnsley is the 11th least expensive of 316 areas and Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Barnsley would need about £64,000 in Birmingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £65,000 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 95.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnsley and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 20% higher in Birmingham. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 6.1 per 1,000 in Barnsley against 10.2 in Birmingham.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Barnsley | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,652 | £35,989 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.8× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 133% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 22% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Barnsley | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £300,000 | £452,500 | +51% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £180,000 | £265,000 | +47% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £138,000 | £220,000 | +59% in Birmingham |
| Flat | £102,000 | £145,000 | +42% in Birmingham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Barnsley | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £951 | £1,434 | +51% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £746 | £1,151 | +54% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £672 | £1,095 | +63% in Birmingham |
| Flat | £579 | £919 | +59% in Birmingham |
Crime
Police recorded 95.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnsley and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 20% higher in Birmingham.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Barnsley | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 95.1 | 114.2 | +20% in Birmingham |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 46.1 | +26% in Birmingham |
| Sexual offences | 3.5 | 4.8 | +37% in Birmingham |
| Robbery | 1.3 | 3.1 | +140% in Birmingham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 10.4 | 11.7 | +13% in Birmingham |
| Vehicle offences | 6.1 | 10.2 | +68% in Birmingham |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 1.3 | +247% in Birmingham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.4 | 9.1 | -13% 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 | Barnsley | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 109 | 104 |
| 2007 | 118 | 109 |
| 2008 | 116 | 105 |
| 2009 | 104 | 95 |
| 2010 | 104 | 100 |
| 2011 | 101 | 97 |
| 2012 | 100 | 98 |
| 2013 | 99 | 100 |
| 2014 | 103 | 106 |
| 2015 | 104 | 111 |
| 2016 | 108 | 120 |
| 2017 | 113 | 129 |
| 2018 | 118 | 136 |
| 2019 | 122 | 140 |
| 2020 | 127 | 142 |
| 2021 | 139 | 157 |
| 2022 | 155 | 172 |
| 2023 | 158 | 174 |
| 2024 | 162 | 174 |
| 2025 | 169 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 173 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £100,361 in Barnsley and £130,237 in Birmingham. Now it is £173,949 and £232,548: Barnsley is up 73% and Birmingham is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in Birmingham, 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 | Barnsley | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.9 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.3 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.1 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.7 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.6 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Barnsley and 6.1 years in Birmingham. In 2025 it was 4.6 years and 6.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Birmingham 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 | Barnsley | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 100 | 105 |
| 2017 | 102 | 108 |
| 2018 | 104 | 111 |
| 2019 | 106 | 113 |
| 2020 | 108 | 116 |
| 2021 | 111 | 118 |
| 2022 | 116 | 122 |
| 2023 | 124 | 132 |
| 2024 | 135 | 147 |
| 2025 | 143 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 154 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £451 a month in Barnsley and £682 in Birmingham. Now it is £696 and £1,099: up 54% in Barnsley 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 Barnsley to Birmingham
| Earning in Barnsley | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £48,000 | £49,000 |
| £40,000 | £64,000 | £65,000 |
| £50,000 | £79,500 | £81,500 |
| £60,000 | £95,500 | £98,000 |
Moving from Birmingham to Barnsley
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Barnsley | Equivalent to rent in Barnsley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £19,000 | £18,500 |
| £40,000 | £25,000 | £24,500 |
| £50,000 | £31,500 | £30,500 |
| £60,000 | £37,500 | £37,000 |