Birmingham vs Central Bedfordshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £92,000 (42%) more in Central Bedfordshire than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Central Bedfordshire: it takes 7.1× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Central Bedfordshire | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Central Bedfordshire (£43,645) is 21% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 42% more (£312,000 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 7.1× in Central Bedfordshire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 33% in Central Bedfordshire. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Central Bedfordshire, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Birmingham.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Central Bedfordshire is the 125th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Central Bedfordshire is around the middle of 316 areas (139th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £56,500 in Central Bedfordshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £44,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Central Bedfordshire 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 47.3 in Central Bedfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in Central Bedfordshire. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 11.7 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.2 in Central Bedfordshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £43,645 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 70% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 33% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Central Bedfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £521,500 | +15% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £370,000 | +40% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £312,000 | +42% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Flat | £145,000 | £190,000 | +31% in Central Bedfordshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Central Bedfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,761 | +23% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,352 | +17% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,205 | +10% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Flat | £919 | £989 | +8% in Central Bedfordshire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 47.3 in Central Bedfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in Central Bedfordshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Central Bedfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 47.3 | -59% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 17.7 | -62% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.1 | -56% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.7 | -79% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.2 | -73% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 4.5 | -56% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -84% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.4 | -51% in Central Bedfordshire |
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 | Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 109 | 113 |
| 2008 | 105 | 112 |
| 2009 | 95 | 99 |
| 2010 | 100 | 105 |
| 2011 | 97 | 104 |
| 2012 | 98 | 105 |
| 2013 | 100 | 108 |
| 2014 | 106 | 118 |
| 2015 | 111 | 132 |
| 2016 | 120 | 151 |
| 2017 | 129 | 162 |
| 2018 | 136 | 167 |
| 2019 | 140 | 163 |
| 2020 | 142 | 164 |
| 2021 | 157 | 169 |
| 2022 | 172 | 184 |
| 2023 | 174 | 187 |
| 2024 | 174 | 185 |
| 2025 | 178 | 193 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 196 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £181,536 in Central Bedfordshire. Now it is £232,548 and £355,075: Birmingham is up 79% and Central Bedfordshire is up 96%. Prices have risen faster in Central Bedfordshire, 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 | Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 8.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 5.5 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.6 years in Central Bedfordshire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.0 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 | Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 108 |
| 2017 | 108 | 115 |
| 2018 | 111 | 116 |
| 2019 | 113 | 116 |
| 2020 | 116 | 117 |
| 2021 | 118 | 122 |
| 2022 | 122 | 127 |
| 2023 | 132 | 132 |
| 2024 | 147 | 142 |
| 2025 | 156 | 152 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 159 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £786 in Central Bedfordshire. Now it is £1,099 and £1,250: up 61% in Birmingham and up 59% in Central Bedfordshire.
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 Central Bedfordshire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Central Bedfordshire | Equivalent to rent in Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £42,500 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £56,500 | £44,000 |
| £50,000 | £71,000 | £55,000 |
| £60,000 | £85,000 | £66,000 |
Moving from Central Bedfordshire to Birmingham
| Earning in Central Bedfordshire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £21,000 | £27,500 |
| £40,000 | £28,000 | £36,500 |
| £50,000 | £35,500 | £45,500 |
| £60,000 | £42,500 | £54,500 |