Birmingham vs East Cambridgeshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £60,000 (27%) more in East Cambridgeshire than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in East Cambridgeshire: it takes 6.8× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | East Cambridgeshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly 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 East Cambridgeshire (£41,464) is 15% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 27% more (£280,000 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 6.8× in East Cambridgeshire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 30% in East Cambridgeshire. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in East Cambridgeshire, 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 East Cambridgeshire is around the middle of 316 areas (137th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and East Cambridgeshire is the 121st least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £51,000 in East Cambridgeshire 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 East Cambridgeshire 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 46.1 in East Cambridgeshire, so recorded crime per resident is 60% lower in East Cambridgeshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.9 in East Cambridgeshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | East Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £41,464 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 6.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 74% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 30% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | East Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £470,000 | +4% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £300,000 | +13% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £280,000 | +27% in East Cambridgeshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | East Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,449 | +1% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,086 | -6% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,025 | -6% in East Cambridgeshire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 46.1 in East Cambridgeshire, so recorded crime per resident is 60% lower in East Cambridgeshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | East Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 46.1 | -60% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 17.9 | -61% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.3 | -52% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.2 | -94% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 5.1 | -56% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 2.9 | -71% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.3 | -80% in East Cambridgeshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.4 | -51% in East Cambridgeshire |
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 | East Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 103 |
| 2007 | 109 | 115 |
| 2008 | 105 | 110 |
| 2009 | 95 | 99 |
| 2010 | 100 | 108 |
| 2011 | 97 | 107 |
| 2012 | 98 | 110 |
| 2013 | 100 | 114 |
| 2014 | 106 | 126 |
| 2015 | 111 | 139 |
| 2016 | 120 | 155 |
| 2017 | 129 | 164 |
| 2018 | 136 | 167 |
| 2019 | 140 | 169 |
| 2020 | 142 | 170 |
| 2021 | 157 | 174 |
| 2022 | 172 | 189 |
| 2023 | 174 | 193 |
| 2024 | 174 | 193 |
| 2025 | 178 | 202 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 205 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £167,015 in East Cambridgeshire. Now it is £232,548 and £343,016: Birmingham is up 79% and East Cambridgeshire is up 105%. Prices have risen faster in East Cambridgeshire, 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 | East Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 7.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 7.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 8.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 7.4 years in East Cambridgeshire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.1 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 | East Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 107 |
| 2017 | 108 | 112 |
| 2018 | 111 | 113 |
| 2019 | 113 | 114 |
| 2020 | 116 | 114 |
| 2021 | 118 | 117 |
| 2022 | 122 | 121 |
| 2023 | 132 | 128 |
| 2024 | 147 | 136 |
| 2025 | 156 | 144 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 146 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £713 in East Cambridgeshire. Now it is £1,099 and £1,038: up 61% in Birmingham and up 46% in East Cambridgeshire. 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 East Cambridgeshire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in East Cambridgeshire | Equivalent to rent in East Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £38,000 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £51,000 | £37,500 |
| £50,000 | £63,500 | £47,000 |
| £60,000 | £76,500 | £56,000 |
Moving from East Cambridgeshire to Birmingham
| Earning in East Cambridgeshire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,500 | £32,000 |
| £40,000 | £31,500 | £42,500 |
| £50,000 | £39,500 | £53,500 |
| £60,000 | £47,000 | £64,000 |