Birmingham vs Blaenau Gwent: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £95,000 (76%) more in Birmingham than in Blaenau Gwent. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 3.6× in Blaenau Gwent.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Blaenau Gwent | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Affordable |
| 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 Blaenau Gwent (£34,797) is 3% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 43% less (£125,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Blaenau Gwent 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 3.6× in Blaenau Gwent. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 22% in Blaenau Gwent. 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 Blaenau Gwent is the least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Blaenau Gwent is the 25th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £22,500 in Blaenau Gwent to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £23,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Blaenau Gwent 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 114.5 in Blaenau Gwent: about the same. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 9.1 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 17.1 in Blaenau Gwent.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Blaenau Gwent |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £34,797 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 3.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 139% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 22% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Blaenau Gwent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £185,000 | -30% in Blaenau Gwent |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £125,000 | -43% in Blaenau Gwent |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Blaenau Gwent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £720 | -37% in Blaenau Gwent |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £646 | -41% in Blaenau Gwent |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 114.5 in Blaenau Gwent: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Blaenau Gwent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 114.5 | +0% in Blaenau Gwent |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 45.0 | -3% in Blaenau Gwent |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 4.4 | -9% in Blaenau Gwent |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.7 | -79% in Blaenau Gwent |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 7.8 | -34% in Blaenau Gwent |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 7.3 | -28% in Blaenau Gwent |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -92% in Blaenau Gwent |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 17.1 | +88% in Blaenau Gwent |
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 | Blaenau Gwent |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 109 | 115 |
| 2008 | 105 | 111 |
| 2009 | 95 | 98 |
| 2010 | 100 | 99 |
| 2011 | 97 | 94 |
| 2012 | 98 | 92 |
| 2013 | 100 | 92 |
| 2014 | 106 | 92 |
| 2015 | 111 | 97 |
| 2016 | 120 | 104 |
| 2017 | 129 | 108 |
| 2018 | 136 | 113 |
| 2019 | 140 | 121 |
| 2020 | 142 | 125 |
| 2021 | 157 | 144 |
| 2022 | 172 | 167 |
| 2023 | 174 | 168 |
| 2024 | 174 | 172 |
| 2025 | 178 | 179 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 184 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £76,002 in Blaenau Gwent. Now it is £232,548 and £139,791: Birmingham is up 79% and Blaenau Gwent is up 84%. Prices have risen faster in Blaenau Gwent, 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 | Blaenau Gwent |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 4.5 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 3.9 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 3.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 3.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 3.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 4.5 years in Blaenau Gwent. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 3.9 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 | Birmingham | Blaenau Gwent |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 100 |
| 2017 | 108 | 100 |
| 2018 | 111 | 101 |
| 2019 | 113 | 101 |
| 2020 | 116 | 102 |
| 2021 | 118 | 108 |
| 2022 | 122 | 119 |
| 2023 | 132 | 131 |
| 2024 | 147 | 142 |
| 2025 | 156 | 155 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 166 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £410 in Blaenau Gwent. Now it is £1,099 and £681: up 61% in Birmingham and up 66% in Blaenau Gwent.
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 Blaenau Gwent
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Blaenau Gwent | Equivalent to rent in Blaenau Gwent |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £17,000 | £17,500 |
| £40,000 | £22,500 | £23,500 |
| £50,000 | £28,500 | £29,500 |
| £60,000 | £34,000 | £35,500 |
Moving from Blaenau Gwent to Birmingham
| Earning in Blaenau Gwent | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £53,000 | £51,000 |
| £40,000 | £70,500 | £68,000 |
| £50,000 | £88,000 | £85,000 |
| £60,000 | £105,500 | £101,500 |