Birmingham vs Cannock Chase: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £38,000 (21%) more in Birmingham than in Cannock Chase. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.0× in Cannock Chase.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Cannock Chase | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cannock Chase (£36,140) is the same than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 17% less (£182,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Cannock Chase 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 5.0× in Cannock Chase. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 29% in Cannock Chase. Both are harder in Birmingham, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Cannock Chase is the 77th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Cannock Chase is the 102nd least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £33,000 in Cannock Chase to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £32,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Cannock Chase 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 72.2 in Cannock Chase, so recorded crime per resident is 37% lower in Cannock Chase. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 11.7 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.6 in Cannock Chase.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Cannock Chase |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £36,140 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 5.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 99% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Cannock Chase | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £331,000 | -27% in Cannock Chase |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £215,000 | -19% in Cannock Chase |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £182,000 | -17% in Cannock Chase |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Cannock Chase | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,169 | -18% in Cannock Chase |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £910 | -21% in Cannock Chase |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £876 | -20% in Cannock Chase |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 72.2 in Cannock Chase, so recorded crime per resident is 37% lower in Cannock Chase.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Cannock Chase | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 72.2 | -37% in Cannock Chase |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 32.7 | -29% in Cannock Chase |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.4 | -31% in Cannock Chase |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.8 | -74% in Cannock Chase |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.6 | -78% in Cannock Chase |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 4.0 | -60% in Cannock Chase |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -88% in Cannock Chase |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.0 | -44% in Cannock Chase |
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 | Cannock Chase |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 111 |
| 2008 | 105 | 108 |
| 2009 | 95 | 97 |
| 2010 | 100 | 99 |
| 2011 | 97 | 98 |
| 2012 | 98 | 99 |
| 2013 | 100 | 100 |
| 2014 | 106 | 108 |
| 2015 | 111 | 111 |
| 2016 | 120 | 117 |
| 2017 | 129 | 123 |
| 2018 | 136 | 128 |
| 2019 | 140 | 133 |
| 2020 | 142 | 139 |
| 2021 | 157 | 153 |
| 2022 | 172 | 170 |
| 2023 | 174 | 177 |
| 2024 | 174 | 174 |
| 2025 | 178 | 185 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 188 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £123,512 in Cannock Chase. Now it is £232,548 and £232,542: Birmingham is up 79% and Cannock Chase is up 88%. Prices have risen faster in Cannock Chase, 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 | Cannock Chase |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 5.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 5.8 years in Cannock Chase. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.3 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 | Cannock Chase |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 102 |
| 2017 | 108 | 105 |
| 2018 | 111 | 108 |
| 2019 | 113 | 110 |
| 2020 | 116 | 113 |
| 2021 | 118 | 120 |
| 2022 | 122 | 127 |
| 2023 | 132 | 135 |
| 2024 | 147 | 144 |
| 2025 | 156 | 152 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 163 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £533 in Cannock Chase. Now it is £1,099 and £867: up 61% in Birmingham and up 63% in Cannock Chase.
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 Cannock Chase
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Cannock Chase | Equivalent to rent in Cannock Chase |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £24,000 |
| £40,000 | £33,000 | £32,000 |
| £50,000 | £41,500 | £40,000 |
| £60,000 | £49,500 | £48,000 |
Moving from Cannock Chase to Birmingham
| Earning in Cannock Chase | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,500 | £37,500 |
| £40,000 | £48,500 | £50,000 |
| £50,000 | £60,500 | £62,500 |
| £60,000 | £72,500 | £75,000 |