Birmingham vs Cambridge: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £272,500 (124%) more in Cambridge than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cambridge: it takes 11.3× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Cambridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| 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 Cambridge (£43,741) is 22% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 124% more (£492,500 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 11.3× in Cambridge. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 50% in Cambridge. Both are harder in Cambridge, 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 Cambridge is the 31st most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Cambridge is the 28th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £89,500 in Cambridge to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £67,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Cambridge 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 91.7 in Cambridge, so recorded crime per resident is 20% lower in Cambridge. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 4.2 in Cambridge.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £43,741 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 11.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 44% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 50% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £810,153 | +79% in Cambridge |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £550,138 | +108% in Cambridge |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £492,500 | +124% in Cambridge |
| Flat | £145,000 | £320,000 | +121% in Cambridge |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £2,342 | +63% in Cambridge |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £2,008 | +74% in Cambridge |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,833 | +67% in Cambridge |
| Flat | £919 | £1,455 | +58% in Cambridge |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 91.7 in Cambridge, so recorded crime per resident is 20% lower in Cambridge.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 91.7 | -20% in Cambridge |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 27.4 | -41% in Cambridge |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.0 | -38% in Cambridge |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 1.2 | -61% in Cambridge |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 6.8 | -42% in Cambridge |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 4.2 | -58% in Cambridge |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 2.3 | +87% in Cambridge |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 7.0 | -22% in Cambridge |
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 | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 111 |
| 2007 | 109 | 124 |
| 2008 | 105 | 116 |
| 2009 | 95 | 111 |
| 2010 | 100 | 123 |
| 2011 | 97 | 126 |
| 2012 | 98 | 135 |
| 2013 | 100 | 147 |
| 2014 | 106 | 163 |
| 2015 | 111 | 184 |
| 2016 | 120 | 193 |
| 2017 | 129 | 199 |
| 2018 | 136 | 201 |
| 2019 | 140 | 198 |
| 2020 | 142 | 201 |
| 2021 | 157 | 200 |
| 2022 | 172 | 221 |
| 2023 | 174 | 219 |
| 2024 | 174 | 217 |
| 2025 | 178 | 214 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 211 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £225,245 in Cambridge. Now it is £232,548 and £475,300: Birmingham is up 79% and Cambridge is up 111%. Prices have risen faster in Cambridge, 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 | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 13.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 13.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 11.0 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 5.5 years of pay in Birmingham and 9.0 years in Cambridge. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 11.0 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Cambridge 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 | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 107 |
| 2017 | 108 | 109 |
| 2018 | 111 | 109 |
| 2019 | 113 | 111 |
| 2020 | 116 | 112 |
| 2021 | 118 | 114 |
| 2022 | 122 | 119 |
| 2023 | 132 | 127 |
| 2024 | 147 | 137 |
| 2025 | 156 | 145 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £1,223 in Cambridge. Now it is £1,099 and £1,805: up 61% in Birmingham and up 48% in Cambridge. 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 Cambridge
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Cambridge | Equivalent to rent in Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £67,000 | £50,000 |
| £40,000 | £89,500 | £67,000 |
| £50,000 | £112,000 | £83,500 |
| £60,000 | £134,500 | £100,500 |
Moving from Cambridge to Birmingham
| Earning in Cambridge | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £13,500 | £18,000 |
| £40,000 | £18,000 | £24,000 |
| £50,000 | £22,500 | £30,000 |
| £60,000 | £27,000 | £36,000 |