Bedford vs Birmingham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £75,000 (34%) more in Bedford than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bedford: it takes 7.2× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Bedford | Birmingham | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | 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 13% lower than in Bedford (£41,214), while a typical terraced house costs 25% less (£220,000 against £295,000). Set against local pay, Birmingham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.2× annual pay in Bedford and 6.1× in Birmingham. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Bedford and 37% in Birmingham. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Bedford, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Birmingham.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bedford is the 120th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bedford is around the middle of 316 areas (146th most expensive) and Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bedford would need about £30,000 in Birmingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,000 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 76.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bedford and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 49% higher in Birmingham. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.1 per 1,000 in Bedford against 11.7 in Birmingham.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bedford | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,214 | £35,989 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.2× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 70% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bedford | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £489,000 | £452,500 | -7% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £343,688 | £265,000 | -23% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £295,000 | £220,000 | -25% in Birmingham |
| Flat | £185,000 | £145,000 | -22% in Birmingham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bedford | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,599 | £1,434 | -10% in Birmingham |
| Semi-detached | £1,313 | £1,151 | -12% in Birmingham |
| Terraced | £1,147 | £1,095 | -5% in Birmingham |
| Flat | £915 | £919 | +0% in Birmingham |
Crime
Police recorded 76.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bedford and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 49% higher in Birmingham.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bedford | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 76.7 | 114.2 | +49% in Birmingham |
| Violence against the person | 29.1 | 46.1 | +59% in Birmingham |
| Sexual offences | 3.3 | 4.8 | +49% in Birmingham |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 3.1 | +199% in Birmingham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.1 | 11.7 | +187% in Birmingham |
| Vehicle offences | 5.7 | 10.2 | +79% in Birmingham |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 1.3 | +136% in Birmingham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.2 | 9.1 | +46% 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 | Bedford | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 112 | 109 |
| 2008 | 110 | 105 |
| 2009 | 97 | 95 |
| 2010 | 103 | 100 |
| 2011 | 103 | 97 |
| 2012 | 105 | 98 |
| 2013 | 107 | 100 |
| 2014 | 117 | 106 |
| 2015 | 128 | 111 |
| 2016 | 145 | 120 |
| 2017 | 157 | 129 |
| 2018 | 163 | 136 |
| 2019 | 161 | 140 |
| 2020 | 160 | 142 |
| 2021 | 170 | 157 |
| 2022 | 187 | 172 |
| 2023 | 190 | 174 |
| 2024 | 189 | 174 |
| 2025 | 195 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 200 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £164,542 in Bedford and £130,237 in Birmingham. Now it is £328,694 and £232,548: Bedford is up 100% and Birmingham is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in Bedford, 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 | Bedford | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.1 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.1 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.5 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.6 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.8 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Bedford and 6.1 years in Birmingham. In 2025 it was 7.8 years and 6.5 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Bedford | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 105 |
| 2017 | 114 | 108 |
| 2018 | 118 | 111 |
| 2019 | 118 | 113 |
| 2020 | 119 | 116 |
| 2021 | 122 | 118 |
| 2022 | 130 | 122 |
| 2023 | 136 | 132 |
| 2024 | 144 | 147 |
| 2025 | 157 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 163 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £718 a month in Bedford and £682 in Birmingham. Now it is £1,173 and £1,099: up 63% in Bedford and up 61% 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 Bedford to Birmingham
| Earning in Bedford | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £22,500 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £30,000 | £38,000 |
| £50,000 | £37,500 | £47,500 |
| £60,000 | £44,500 | £57,500 |
Moving from Birmingham to Bedford
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Bedford | Equivalent to rent in Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £40,000 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £53,500 | £42,000 |
| £50,000 | £67,000 | £52,500 |
| £60,000 | £80,500 | £63,000 |