Pay vs Place

Bexley vs Birmingham: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £196,000 (89%) more in Bexley than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bexley: it takes 9.5× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.

Bexley, terraced
£416,000
Income typically needed: £83,000
Median full-time pay: £43,969
Birmingham, terraced
£220,000
Income typically needed: £44,000
Median full-time pay: £35,989

At a glance

Bexley Birmingham
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Expensive
Recorded crime Low 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 18% lower than in Bexley (£43,969), while a typical terraced house costs 47% less (£220,000 against £416,000). Set against local pay, Birmingham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 9.5× annual pay in Bexley and 6.1× in Birmingham. Renting one takes 49% of pay in Bexley and 37% in Birmingham. Both are harder in Bexley, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bexley is the 61st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bexley is the 67th most expensive of 316 areas and Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bexley would need about £21,000 in Birmingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £24,500 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 60.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bexley and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 90% higher in Birmingham. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 20.6 per 1,000 in Bexley against 46.1 in Birmingham.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bexley Birmingham
Median full-time pay £43,969 £35,989
House price ÷ pay 9.5× 6.1×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 53% 82%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 49% 37%

Buying, by property type

Type Bexley Birmingham Difference
Detached £700,000 £452,500 -35% in Birmingham
Semi-detached £500,000 £265,000 -47% in Birmingham
Terraced £416,000 £220,000 -47% in Birmingham
Flat £265,000 £145,000 -45% in Birmingham

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bexley Birmingham Difference
Detached £2,268 £1,434 -37% in Birmingham
Semi-detached £1,977 £1,151 -42% in Birmingham
Terraced £1,790 £1,095 -39% in Birmingham
Flat £1,387 £919 -34% in Birmingham

Crime

Police recorded 60.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bexley and 114.2 in Birmingham, so recorded crime per resident is 90% higher in Birmingham.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bexley Birmingham Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 60.2 114.2 +90% in Birmingham
Violence against the person 20.6 46.1 +125% in Birmingham
Sexual offences 2.2 4.8 +118% in Birmingham
Robbery 1.3 3.1 +140% in Birmingham
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.9 11.7 +100% in Birmingham
Vehicle offences 6.2 10.2 +65% in Birmingham
Theft from the person 0.8 1.3 +60% in Birmingham
Criminal damage and arson 6.2 9.1 +45% 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.

Bexley: 219Birmingham: 179
House prices in Bexley and Birmingham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bexley now 219, Birmingham now 179.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bexley and Birmingham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bexley now 219, Birmingham now 179.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBexleyBirmingham
2005100100
2006103104
2007112109
2008113105
200910195
2010108100
201110897
201210998
2013114100
2014131106
2015147111
2016172120
2017180129
2018184136
2019181140
2020184142
2021198157
2022215172
2023214174
2024215174
2025218178
12 months to July 2026219179

In 2005 the average home cost £186,507 in Bexley and £130,237 in Birmingham. Now it is £409,139 and £232,548: Bexley is up 119% and Birmingham is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in Bexley, 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.

Bexley: 9.2 years of payBirmingham: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bexley and BirminghamBexley now 9.2, Birmingham now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bexley and BirminghamBexley now 9.2, Birmingham now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBexleyBirmingham
20056.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.4 years of pay5.5 years of pay
20158.6 years of pay5.8 years of pay
20208.6 years of pay6.3 years of pay
20259.2 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.9 years of pay in Bexley and 6.1 years in Birmingham. In 2025 it was 9.2 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Bexley over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bexley: 166Birmingham: 161
Rents in Bexley and Birmingham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bexley now 166, Birmingham now 161.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bexley and Birmingham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bexley now 166, Birmingham now 161.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBexleyBirmingham
2015100100
2016106105
2017109108
2018110111
2019112113
2020115116
2021121118
2022127122
2023135132
2024144147
2025160156
August 2026166161

In 2015 the average rent was £926 a month in Bexley and £682 in Birmingham. Now it is £1,537 and £1,099: up 66% in Bexley 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 Bexley to Birmingham

Earning in Bexley Equivalent to buy in Birmingham Equivalent to rent in Birmingham
£30,000 £16,000 £18,500
£40,000 £21,000 £24,500
£50,000 £26,500 £30,500
£60,000 £31,500 £36,500

Moving from Birmingham to Bexley

Earning in Birmingham Equivalent to buy in Bexley Equivalent to rent in Bexley
£30,000 £56,500 £49,000
£40,000 £75,500 £65,500
£50,000 £94,500 £81,500
£60,000 £113,500 £98,000
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 Bexley figures · All Birmingham figures