Birmingham vs Castle Point: buying or renting a home
A typical semi-detached house costs £102,000 (38%) more in Castle Point than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Castle Point: it takes 8.8× median annual pay, against 7.4× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Castle Point | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | 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 Castle Point (£41,745) is 16% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical semi-detached house costs 38% more (£367,000 against £265,000). Set against local pay, Birmingham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a semi-detached house takes 7.4× annual pay in Birmingham and 8.8× in Castle Point. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Birmingham and 39% in Castle Point. Buying is harder in Castle Point; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Castle Point is the 97th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Castle Point is the 122nd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £55,500 in Castle Point to be equally placed to buy a semi-detached house, and about £47,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Castle Point 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 52.1 in Castle Point, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in Castle Point. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.4 in Castle Point.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Semi-detached house | Birmingham | Castle Point |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £41,745 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.4× | 8.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 68% | 57% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 39% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Castle Point | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £432,500 | -4% in Castle Point |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £367,000 | +38% in Castle Point |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Castle Point | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,436 | +0% in Castle Point |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,358 | +18% in Castle Point |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 52.1 in Castle Point, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in Castle Point.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Castle Point | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 52.1 | -54% in Castle Point |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 23.6 | -49% in Castle Point |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.4 | -50% in Castle Point |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.4 | -87% in Castle Point |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 4.1 | -65% in Castle Point |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 2.4 | -76% in Castle Point |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -81% in Castle Point |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.8 | -36% in Castle Point |
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 | Castle Point |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 109 | 112 |
| 2008 | 105 | 111 |
| 2009 | 95 | 98 |
| 2010 | 100 | 109 |
| 2011 | 97 | 106 |
| 2012 | 98 | 106 |
| 2013 | 100 | 108 |
| 2014 | 106 | 118 |
| 2015 | 111 | 132 |
| 2016 | 120 | 149 |
| 2017 | 129 | 163 |
| 2018 | 136 | 166 |
| 2019 | 140 | 167 |
| 2020 | 142 | 170 |
| 2021 | 157 | 183 |
| 2022 | 172 | 201 |
| 2023 | 174 | 203 |
| 2024 | 174 | 198 |
| 2025 | 178 | 204 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 206 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £178,784 in Castle Point. Now it is £232,548 and £367,754: Birmingham is up 79% and Castle Point is up 106%. Prices have risen faster in Castle Point, 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 | Castle Point |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 7.9 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | – |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.6 years in Castle Point. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.7 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Castle Point 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 | Castle Point |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 104 |
| 2017 | 108 | 108 |
| 2018 | 111 | 113 |
| 2019 | 113 | 118 |
| 2020 | 116 | 120 |
| 2021 | 118 | 124 |
| 2022 | 122 | 127 |
| 2023 | 132 | 131 |
| 2024 | 147 | 139 |
| 2025 | 156 | 149 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 157 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £804 in Castle Point. Now it is £1,099 and £1,262: up 61% in Birmingham and up 57% in Castle Point.
What your salary is worth in each area
Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (semi-detached), going by median prices and average rents.
Moving from Birmingham to Castle Point
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Castle Point | Equivalent to rent in Castle Point |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £41,500 | £35,500 |
| £40,000 | £55,500 | £47,000 |
| £50,000 | £69,000 | £59,000 |
| £60,000 | £83,000 | £71,000 |
Moving from Castle Point to Birmingham
| Earning in Castle Point | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £21,500 | £25,500 |
| £40,000 | £29,000 | £34,000 |
| £50,000 | £36,000 | £42,500 |
| £60,000 | £43,500 | £51,000 |