Pay vs Place

Birmingham vs Cornwall: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £10,000 (5%) more in Cornwall than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cornwall: it takes 6.6× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.

Birmingham, terraced
£220,000
Income typically needed: £44,000
Median full-time pay: £35,989
Cornwall, terraced
£230,000
Income typically needed: £46,000
Median full-time pay: £35,002

At a glance

Birmingham Cornwall
Buying a home Fairly affordable Expensive
Renting a home Expensive 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 Cornwall (£35,002) is 3% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 5% more (£230,000 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 6.6× in Cornwall. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 35% in Cornwall. Buying is harder in Cornwall; 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 Cornwall is around the middle of 316 areas (136th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Cornwall is around the middle of 316 areas (142nd most expensive).

Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £42,000 in Cornwall to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £37,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Cornwall 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 62.7 in Cornwall, so recorded crime per resident is 45% lower in Cornwall. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.6 in Cornwall.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Birmingham Cornwall
Median full-time pay £35,989 £35,002
House price ÷ pay 6.1× 6.6×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 82% 76%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 37% 35%

Buying, by property type

Type Birmingham Cornwall Difference
Detached £452,500 £399,950 -12% in Cornwall
Semi-detached £265,000 £265,000 0% in Cornwall
Terraced £220,000 £230,000 +5% in Cornwall
Flat £145,000 £175,000 +21% in Cornwall

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Birmingham Cornwall Difference
Detached £1,434 £1,278 -11% in Cornwall
Semi-detached £1,151 £1,070 -7% in Cornwall
Terraced £1,095 £1,033 -6% in Cornwall
Flat £919 £810 -12% in Cornwall

Crime

Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 62.7 in Cornwall, so recorded crime per resident is 45% lower in Cornwall.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Birmingham Cornwall Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 114.2 62.7 -45% in Cornwall
Violence against the person 46.1 29.7 -36% in Cornwall
Sexual offences 4.8 3.5 -27% in Cornwall
Robbery 3.1 0.3 -89% in Cornwall
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 11.7 2.6 -78% in Cornwall
Vehicle offences 10.2 1.6 -85% in Cornwall
Theft from the person 1.3 0.3 -74% in Cornwall
Criminal damage and arson 9.1 7.5 -17% in Cornwall

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.

Birmingham: 179Cornwall: 156
House prices in Birmingham and Cornwall since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Birmingham now 179, Cornwall now 156.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Birmingham and Cornwall since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Birmingham now 179, Cornwall now 156.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearBirminghamCornwall
2005100100
2006104105
2007109114
2008105110
20099599
2010100106
201197104
201298103
2013100104
2014106107
2015111112
2016120114
2017129118
2018136124
2019140126
2020142131
2021157144
2022172163
2023174164
2024174159
2025178156
12 months to July 2026179156

In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £178,433 in Cornwall. Now it is £232,548 and £278,852: Birmingham is up 79% and Cornwall is up 56%. Prices have risen faster in Birmingham, 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.

Birmingham: 6.5 years of payCornwall: 7.9 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Birmingham and CornwallBirmingham now 6.5, Cornwall now 7.9 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Birmingham and CornwallBirmingham now 6.5, Cornwall now 7.9 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBirminghamCornwall
20056.1 years of pay9.4 years of pay
20105.5 years of pay8.6 years of pay
20155.8 years of pay8.6 years of pay
20206.3 years of pay8.6 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay7.9 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 9.4 years in Cornwall. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.9 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.

Birmingham: 161Cornwall: 147
Rents in Birmingham and Cornwall since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Birmingham now 161, Cornwall now 147.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Birmingham and Cornwall since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Birmingham now 161, Cornwall now 147.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBirminghamCornwall
2015100100
2016105101
2017108103
2018111106
2019113109
2020116112
2021118114
2022122119
2023132127
2024147133
2025156143
August 2026161147

In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £678 in Cornwall. Now it is £1,099 and £1,000: up 61% in Birmingham and up 47% in Cornwall. 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 Cornwall

Earning in Birmingham Equivalent to buy in Cornwall Equivalent to rent in Cornwall
£30,000 £31,500 £28,500
£40,000 £42,000 £37,500
£50,000 £52,500 £47,000
£60,000 £62,500 £56,500

Moving from Cornwall to Birmingham

Earning in Cornwall Equivalent to buy in Birmingham Equivalent to rent in Birmingham
£30,000 £28,500 £32,000
£40,000 £38,500 £42,500
£50,000 £48,000 £53,000
£60,000 £57,500 £63,500
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Birmingham figures · All Cornwall figures