Bath and North East Somerset vs Birmingham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £137,500 (63%) more in Bath and North East Somerset than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bath and North East Somerset: it takes 8.8× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Bath and North East Somerset | 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 11% lower than in Bath and North East Somerset (£40,448), while a typical terraced house costs 38% less (£220,000 against £357,500). Set against local pay, Birmingham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.8× annual pay in Bath and North East Somerset and 6.1× in Birmingham. Renting one takes 60% of pay in Bath and North East Somerset and 37% in Birmingham. Both are harder in Bath and North East Somerset, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bath and North East Somerset is the 67th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bath and North East Somerset is the 16th most expensive of 316 areas and Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bath and North East Somerset would need about £24,500 in Birmingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £21,500 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 79.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bath and North East Somerset and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 44% higher in Birmingham. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.5 per 1,000 in Bath and North East Somerset against 10.2 in Birmingham.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bath and North East Somerset | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £40,448 | £35,989 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.8× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 57% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 60% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bath and North East Somerset | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £570,000 | £452,500 | -21% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £400,000 | £265,000 | -34% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £357,500 | £220,000 | -38% in Birmingham |
| Flat | £280,500 | £145,000 | -48% in Birmingham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bath and North East Somerset | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,399 | £1,434 | -40% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £2,003 | £1,151 | -43% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £2,021 | £1,095 | -46% in Birmingham |
| Flat | £1,392 | £919 | -34% in Birmingham |
Crime
Police recorded 79.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bath and North East Somerset and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 44% higher in Birmingham.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bath and North East Somerset | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 79.1 | 114.2 | +44% in Birmingham |
| Violence against the person | 31.5 | 46.1 | +47% in Birmingham |
| Sexual offences | 3.1 | 4.8 | +55% in Birmingham |
| Robbery | 1.2 | 3.1 | +164% in Birmingham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.0 | 11.7 | +94% in Birmingham |
| Vehicle offences | 3.5 | 10.2 | +192% in Birmingham |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 1.3 | +229% in Birmingham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.1 | 9.1 | +49% 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 | Bath and North East Somerset | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 115 | 109 |
| 2008 | 111 | 105 |
| 2009 | 101 | 95 |
| 2010 | 112 | 100 |
| 2011 | 112 | 97 |
| 2012 | 115 | 98 |
| 2013 | 119 | 100 |
| 2014 | 126 | 106 |
| 2015 | 135 | 111 |
| 2016 | 148 | 120 |
| 2017 | 155 | 129 |
| 2018 | 162 | 136 |
| 2019 | 159 | 140 |
| 2020 | 165 | 142 |
| 2021 | 178 | 157 |
| 2022 | 200 | 172 |
| 2023 | 201 | 174 |
| 2024 | 203 | 174 |
| 2025 | 203 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 204 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £202,782 in Bath and North East Somerset and £130,237 in Birmingham. Now it is £412,867 and £232,548: Bath and North East Somerset is up 104% and Birmingham is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in Bath and North East Somerset, 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 | Bath and North East Somerset | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.8 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 8.6 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 9.7 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.8 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.2 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.8 years of pay in Bath and North East Somerset and 6.1 years in Birmingham. In 2025 it was 10.2 years and 6.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Bath and North East Somerset 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 | Bath and North East Somerset | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 105 |
| 2017 | 114 | 108 |
| 2018 | 117 | 111 |
| 2019 | 118 | 113 |
| 2020 | 119 | 116 |
| 2021 | 120 | 118 |
| 2022 | 129 | 122 |
| 2023 | 136 | 132 |
| 2024 | 145 | 147 |
| 2025 | 160 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 173 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,091 a month in Bath and North East Somerset and £682 in Birmingham. Now it is £1,885 and £1,099: up 73% in Bath and North East Somerset and up 61% in Birmingham. Rents have risen faster in Bath and North East Somerset.
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 Bath and North East Somerset to Birmingham
| Earning in Bath and North East Somerset | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £18,500 | £16,500 |
| £40,000 | £24,500 | £21,500 |
| £50,000 | £31,000 | £27,000 |
| £60,000 | £37,000 | £32,500 |
Moving from Birmingham to Bath and North East Somerset
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Bath and North East Somerset | Equivalent to rent in Bath and North East Somerset |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £49,000 | £55,500 |
| £40,000 | £65,000 | £74,000 |
| £50,000 | £81,500 | £92,500 |
| £60,000 | £97,500 | £110,500 |
All Bath and North East Somerset figures · All Birmingham figures