Birmingham vs Cheshire East: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £3,000 (1%) more in Birmingham than in Cheshire East. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.3× in Cheshire East.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Cheshire East | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cheshire East (£40,991) is 14% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 1% less (£217,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Cheshire East 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 5.3× in Cheshire East. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 28% in Cheshire East. 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 Cheshire East is around the middle of 316 areas (177th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Cheshire East is the 104th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £39,500 in Cheshire East to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £35,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Cheshire East 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 61.0 in Cheshire East, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in Cheshire East. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.7 in Cheshire East.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Cheshire East |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £40,991 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 5.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 94% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 28% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Cheshire East | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £448,000 | -1% in Cheshire East |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £268,500 | +1% in Cheshire East |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £217,000 | -1% in Cheshire East |
| Flat | £145,000 | £159,000 | +10% in Cheshire East |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Cheshire East | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,432 | -0% in Cheshire East |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,089 | -5% in Cheshire East |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £968 | -12% in Cheshire East |
| Flat | £919 | £821 | -11% in Cheshire East |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 61.0 in Cheshire East, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in Cheshire East.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Cheshire East | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 61.0 | -47% in Cheshire East |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 26.7 | -42% in Cheshire East |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.2 | -33% in Cheshire East |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.3 | -90% in Cheshire East |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.9 | -67% in Cheshire East |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.7 | -83% in Cheshire East |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -88% in Cheshire East |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.4 | -52% in Cheshire East |
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 | Cheshire East |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 114 |
| 2008 | 105 | 111 |
| 2009 | 95 | 101 |
| 2010 | 100 | 107 |
| 2011 | 97 | 105 |
| 2012 | 98 | 103 |
| 2013 | 100 | 106 |
| 2014 | 106 | 113 |
| 2015 | 111 | 116 |
| 2016 | 120 | 123 |
| 2017 | 129 | 126 |
| 2018 | 136 | 132 |
| 2019 | 140 | 135 |
| 2020 | 142 | 139 |
| 2021 | 157 | 150 |
| 2022 | 172 | 163 |
| 2023 | 174 | 167 |
| 2024 | 174 | 172 |
| 2025 | 178 | 181 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 184 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £162,970 in Cheshire East. Now it is £232,548 and £299,566: Birmingham is up 79% and Cheshire East is up 84%. Prices have risen faster in Cheshire East, 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 | Cheshire East |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.2 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 5.5 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.7 years in Cheshire East. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.2 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Birmingham 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 | Cheshire East |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 102 |
| 2017 | 108 | 104 |
| 2018 | 111 | 107 |
| 2019 | 113 | 108 |
| 2020 | 116 | 110 |
| 2021 | 118 | 113 |
| 2022 | 122 | 119 |
| 2023 | 132 | 129 |
| 2024 | 147 | 133 |
| 2025 | 156 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 152 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £647 in Cheshire East. Now it is £1,099 and £985: up 61% in Birmingham and up 52% in Cheshire East. 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 Cheshire East
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Cheshire East | Equivalent to rent in Cheshire East |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £26,500 |
| £40,000 | £39,500 | £35,500 |
| £50,000 | £49,500 | £44,000 |
| £60,000 | £59,000 | £53,000 |
Moving from Cheshire East to Birmingham
| Earning in Cheshire East | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £34,000 |
| £40,000 | £40,500 | £45,000 |
| £50,000 | £50,500 | £56,500 |
| £60,000 | £61,000 | £68,000 |