Birmingham vs Derbyshire Dales: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £15,000 (7%) more in Derbyshire Dales than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Derbyshire Dales.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Derbyshire Dales | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Affordable |
| 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 Derbyshire Dales (£43,071) is 20% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 7% more (£235,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Derbyshire Dales 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 5.5× in Derbyshire Dales. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 21% in Derbyshire Dales. 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 Derbyshire Dales is around the middle of 316 areas (168th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Derbyshire Dales is the 13th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £42,500 in Derbyshire Dales to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £28,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Derbyshire Dales 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 45.0 in Derbyshire Dales, so recorded crime per resident is 61% lower in Derbyshire Dales. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.4 in Derbyshire Dales.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Derbyshire Dales |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £43,071 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 92% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 21% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Derbyshire Dales | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £463,500 | +2% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £285,000 | +8% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £235,000 | +7% in Derbyshire Dales |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Derbyshire Dales | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,089 | -24% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £886 | -23% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £768 | -30% in Derbyshire Dales |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 45.0 in Derbyshire Dales, so recorded crime per resident is 61% lower in Derbyshire Dales.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Derbyshire Dales | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 45.0 | -61% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 18.3 | -60% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.1 | -56% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.1 | -97% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.0 | -74% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.4 | -86% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.3 | -75% in Derbyshire Dales |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.2 | -53% in Derbyshire Dales |
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 | Derbyshire Dales |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 109 | 111 |
| 2008 | 105 | 103 |
| 2009 | 95 | 98 |
| 2010 | 100 | 107 |
| 2011 | 97 | 104 |
| 2012 | 98 | 106 |
| 2013 | 100 | 108 |
| 2014 | 106 | 112 |
| 2015 | 111 | 116 |
| 2016 | 120 | 121 |
| 2017 | 129 | 125 |
| 2018 | 136 | 130 |
| 2019 | 140 | 134 |
| 2020 | 142 | 137 |
| 2021 | 157 | 149 |
| 2022 | 172 | 163 |
| 2023 | 174 | 168 |
| 2024 | 174 | 166 |
| 2025 | 178 | 171 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 176 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £196,994 in Derbyshire Dales. Now it is £232,548 and £346,564: Birmingham is up 79% and Derbyshire Dales is up 76%.
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 | Derbyshire Dales |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 7.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 7.7 years in Derbyshire Dales. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.8 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 | Derbyshire Dales |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 102 |
| 2017 | 108 | 105 |
| 2018 | 111 | 106 |
| 2019 | 113 | 107 |
| 2020 | 116 | 110 |
| 2021 | 118 | 115 |
| 2022 | 122 | 123 |
| 2023 | 132 | 121 |
| 2024 | 147 | 129 |
| 2025 | 156 | 128 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 138 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £592 in Derbyshire Dales. Now it is £1,099 and £819: up 61% in Birmingham and up 38% in Derbyshire Dales. 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 Derbyshire Dales
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Derbyshire Dales | Equivalent to rent in Derbyshire Dales |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £21,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £28,000 |
| £50,000 | £53,500 | £35,000 |
| £60,000 | £64,000 | £42,000 |
Moving from Derbyshire Dales to Birmingham
| Earning in Derbyshire Dales | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £43,000 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £57,000 |
| £50,000 | £47,000 | £71,500 |
| £60,000 | £56,000 | £85,500 |