Birmingham vs Blackburn with Darwen: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £95,000 (76%) more in Birmingham than in Blackburn with Darwen. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 3.8× in Blackburn with Darwen.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Blackburn with Darwen | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | About 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 Blackburn with Darwen (£33,076) is 8% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 43% less (£125,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Blackburn with Darwen is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.1× annual pay in Birmingham and 3.8× in Blackburn with Darwen. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 26% in Blackburn with Darwen. Both are harder in Birmingham, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Blackburn with Darwen is the 24th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Blackburn with Darwen is the 46th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £22,500 in Blackburn with Darwen to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £26,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Blackburn with Darwen 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 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 84.2 in Blackburn with Darwen, so recorded crime per resident is 26% lower in Blackburn with Darwen. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 11.7 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 5.6 in Blackburn with Darwen.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Blackburn with Darwen |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £33,076 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 3.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 132% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Blackburn with Darwen | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £305,500 | -32% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £195,000 | -26% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £125,000 | -43% in Blackburn with Darwen |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Blackburn with Darwen | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,020 | -29% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £766 | -33% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £721 | -34% in Blackburn with Darwen |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 84.2 in Blackburn with Darwen, so recorded crime per resident is 26% lower in Blackburn with Darwen.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Blackburn with Darwen | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 84.2 | -26% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 36.6 | -21% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.4 | -30% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.9 | -70% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 5.6 | -53% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 6.1 | -40% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.4 | -66% in Blackburn with Darwen |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 8.3 | -9% in Blackburn with Darwen |
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 | Birmingham | Blackburn with Darwen |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 114 |
| 2007 | 109 | 127 |
| 2008 | 105 | 128 |
| 2009 | 95 | 115 |
| 2010 | 100 | 115 |
| 2011 | 97 | 110 |
| 2012 | 98 | 110 |
| 2013 | 100 | 107 |
| 2014 | 106 | 106 |
| 2015 | 111 | 110 |
| 2016 | 120 | 114 |
| 2017 | 129 | 120 |
| 2018 | 136 | 124 |
| 2019 | 140 | 128 |
| 2020 | 142 | 130 |
| 2021 | 157 | 144 |
| 2022 | 172 | 156 |
| 2023 | 174 | 160 |
| 2024 | 174 | 165 |
| 2025 | 178 | 182 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 184 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £87,708 in Blackburn with Darwen. Now it is £232,548 and £161,032: Birmingham is up 79% and Blackburn with Darwen is up 84%. Prices have risen faster in Blackburn with Darwen, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
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 | Birmingham | Blackburn with Darwen |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 4.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 4.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 4.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 4.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 4.2 years in Blackburn with Darwen. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 4.8 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 | Birmingham | Blackburn with Darwen |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 102 |
| 2018 | 111 | 104 |
| 2019 | 113 | 105 |
| 2020 | 116 | 106 |
| 2021 | 118 | 110 |
| 2022 | 122 | 114 |
| 2023 | 132 | 119 |
| 2024 | 147 | 131 |
| 2025 | 156 | 144 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 152 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £470 in Blackburn with Darwen. Now it is £1,099 and £714: up 61% in Birmingham and up 52% in Blackburn with Darwen. 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 Birmingham to Blackburn with Darwen
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Blackburn with Darwen | Equivalent to rent in Blackburn with Darwen |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £17,000 | £20,000 |
| £40,000 | £22,500 | £26,500 |
| £50,000 | £28,500 | £33,000 |
| £60,000 | £34,000 | £39,500 |
Moving from Blackburn with Darwen to Birmingham
| Earning in Blackburn with Darwen | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £53,000 | £45,500 |
| £40,000 | £70,500 | £60,500 |
| £50,000 | £88,000 | £76,000 |
| £60,000 | £105,500 | £91,000 |