Birmingham vs Bracknell Forest: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £155,000 (70%) more in Bracknell Forest than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bracknell Forest: it takes 8.7× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Bracknell Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above average | Low |
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 Bracknell Forest (£43,206) is 20% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 70% more (£375,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Birmingham 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 8.7× in Bracknell Forest. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 39% in Bracknell Forest. Both are harder in Bracknell Forest, 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 Bracknell Forest is the 64th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Bracknell Forest is the 80th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £68,000 in Bracknell Forest to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £52,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Bracknell Forest would leave you worse 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 52.6 in Bracknell Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in Bracknell Forest. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 11.7 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.8 in Bracknell Forest.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Bracknell Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £43,206 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 8.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 58% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 39% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Bracknell Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £635,000 | +40% in Bracknell Forest |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £460,000 | +74% in Bracknell Forest |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £375,000 | +70% in Bracknell Forest |
| Flat | £145,000 | £230,000 | +59% in Bracknell Forest |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Bracknell Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £2,193 | +53% in Bracknell Forest |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,626 | +41% in Bracknell Forest |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,422 | +30% in Bracknell Forest |
| Flat | £919 | £1,178 | +28% in Bracknell Forest |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 52.6 in Bracknell Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in Bracknell Forest.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Bracknell Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 52.6 | -54% in Bracknell Forest |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 20.9 | -55% in Bracknell Forest |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.6 | -45% in Bracknell Forest |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.7 | -79% in Bracknell Forest |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.8 | -76% in Bracknell Forest |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.5 | -65% in Bracknell Forest |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -81% in Bracknell Forest |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.1 | -54% in Bracknell Forest |
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 | Bracknell Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 109 | 115 |
| 2008 | 105 | 113 |
| 2009 | 95 | 100 |
| 2010 | 100 | 111 |
| 2011 | 97 | 111 |
| 2012 | 98 | 112 |
| 2013 | 100 | 118 |
| 2014 | 106 | 132 |
| 2015 | 111 | 148 |
| 2016 | 120 | 168 |
| 2017 | 129 | 170 |
| 2018 | 136 | 170 |
| 2019 | 140 | 164 |
| 2020 | 142 | 165 |
| 2021 | 157 | 172 |
| 2022 | 172 | 188 |
| 2023 | 174 | 189 |
| 2024 | 174 | 188 |
| 2025 | 178 | 190 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 189 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £208,296 in Bracknell Forest. Now it is £232,548 and £394,041: Birmingham is up 79% and Bracknell Forest is up 89%. Prices have risen faster in Bracknell Forest, 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 | Birmingham | Bracknell Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 7.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 9.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 7.4 years in Bracknell Forest. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 9.2 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Bracknell Forest 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 | Bracknell Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 102 |
| 2017 | 108 | 103 |
| 2018 | 111 | 105 |
| 2019 | 113 | 106 |
| 2020 | 116 | 108 |
| 2021 | 118 | 108 |
| 2022 | 122 | 111 |
| 2023 | 132 | 117 |
| 2024 | 147 | 130 |
| 2025 | 156 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 144 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £1,014 in Bracknell Forest. Now it is £1,099 and £1,462: up 61% in Birmingham and up 44% in Bracknell Forest. 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 Bracknell Forest
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Bracknell Forest | Equivalent to rent in Bracknell Forest |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £51,000 | £39,000 |
| £40,000 | £68,000 | £52,000 |
| £50,000 | £85,000 | £65,000 |
| £60,000 | £102,500 | £78,000 |
Moving from Bracknell Forest to Birmingham
| Earning in Bracknell Forest | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £17,500 | £23,000 |
| £40,000 | £23,500 | £31,000 |
| £50,000 | £29,500 | £38,500 |
| £60,000 | £35,000 | £46,000 |