Birmingham vs East Devon: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £38,995 (18%) more in East Devon than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in East Devon: it takes 6.5× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | East Devon | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Devon (£40,087) is 11% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 18% more (£258,995 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 6.5× in East Devon. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 29% in East Devon. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in East Devon, 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 Devon is around the middle of 316 areas (141st most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and East Devon is the 105th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £47,000 in East Devon 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 East Devon 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 45.6 in East Devon, so recorded crime per resident is 60% lower in East Devon. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.3 in East Devon.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | East Devon |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £40,087 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 6.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 77% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | East Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £475,000 | +5% in East Devon |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £307,500 | +16% in East Devon |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £258,995 | +18% in East Devon |
| Flat | £145,000 | £186,250 | +28% in East Devon |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | East Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,303 | -9% in East Devon |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,035 | -10% in East Devon |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £971 | -11% in East Devon |
| Flat | £919 | £773 | -16% in East Devon |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 45.6 in East Devon, so recorded crime per resident is 60% lower in East Devon.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | East Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 45.6 | -60% in East Devon |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 22.0 | -52% in East Devon |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.5 | -48% in East Devon |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.2 | -92% in East Devon |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.2 | -81% in East Devon |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.3 | -88% in East Devon |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -83% in East Devon |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.4 | -41% in East Devon |
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 Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 109 | 114 |
| 2008 | 105 | 113 |
| 2009 | 95 | 104 |
| 2010 | 100 | 112 |
| 2011 | 97 | 111 |
| 2012 | 98 | 111 |
| 2013 | 100 | 112 |
| 2014 | 106 | 116 |
| 2015 | 111 | 120 |
| 2016 | 120 | 124 |
| 2017 | 129 | 131 |
| 2018 | 136 | 138 |
| 2019 | 140 | 141 |
| 2020 | 142 | 142 |
| 2021 | 157 | 150 |
| 2022 | 172 | 164 |
| 2023 | 174 | 169 |
| 2024 | 174 | 166 |
| 2025 | 178 | 168 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 169 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £202,112 in East Devon. Now it is £232,548 and £341,189: Birmingham is up 79% and East Devon is up 69%. 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Birmingham | East Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 9.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 10.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 9.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 9.9 years in East Devon. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.5 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 | East Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 102 |
| 2018 | 111 | 104 |
| 2019 | 113 | 105 |
| 2020 | 116 | 111 |
| 2021 | 118 | 116 |
| 2022 | 122 | 116 |
| 2023 | 132 | 121 |
| 2024 | 147 | 130 |
| 2025 | 156 | 134 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 143 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £677 in East Devon. Now it is £1,099 and £968: up 61% in Birmingham and up 43% in East Devon. 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 Devon
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in East Devon | Equivalent to rent in East Devon |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £26,500 |
| £40,000 | £47,000 | £35,500 |
| £50,000 | £59,000 | £44,500 |
| £60,000 | £70,500 | £53,000 |
Moving from East Devon to Birmingham
| Earning in East Devon | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £34,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £45,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £56,500 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £67,500 |