Birmingham vs East Hampshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £105,000 (48%) more in East Hampshire than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in East Hampshire: it takes 6.8× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | East Hampshire | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Hampshire (£47,630) is 32% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 48% more (£325,000 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 Hampshire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 32% in East Hampshire. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in East Hampshire, 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 Hampshire is the 94th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and East Hampshire is around the middle of 316 areas (171st most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £59,000 in East Hampshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £47,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to East Hampshire 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 43.4 in East Hampshire, so recorded crime per resident is 62% lower in East Hampshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.9 in East Hampshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | East Hampshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £47,630 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 6.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 73% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 32% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | East Hampshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £635,000 | +40% in East Hampshire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £405,000 | +53% in East Hampshire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £325,000 | +48% in East Hampshire |
| Flat | £145,000 | £199,975 | +38% in East Hampshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | East Hampshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,749 | +22% in East Hampshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,425 | +24% in East Hampshire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,282 | +17% in East Hampshire |
| Flat | £919 | £994 | +8% in East Hampshire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 43.4 in East Hampshire, so recorded crime per resident is 62% lower in East Hampshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | East Hampshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 43.4 | -62% in East Hampshire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 17.6 | -62% in East Hampshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.2 | -54% in East Hampshire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.2 | -93% in East Hampshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.8 | -68% in East Hampshire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.9 | -81% in East Hampshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -82% in East Hampshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.3 | -53% in East Hampshire |
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 Hampshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 109 | 115 |
| 2008 | 105 | 114 |
| 2009 | 95 | 105 |
| 2010 | 100 | 113 |
| 2011 | 97 | 115 |
| 2012 | 98 | 115 |
| 2013 | 100 | 116 |
| 2014 | 106 | 129 |
| 2015 | 111 | 138 |
| 2016 | 120 | 152 |
| 2017 | 129 | 159 |
| 2018 | 136 | 163 |
| 2019 | 140 | 160 |
| 2020 | 142 | 164 |
| 2021 | 157 | 172 |
| 2022 | 172 | 186 |
| 2023 | 174 | 187 |
| 2024 | 174 | 187 |
| 2025 | 178 | 186 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 187 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £236,071 in East Hampshire. Now it is £232,548 and £441,192: Birmingham is up 79% and East Hampshire is up 87%. Prices have risen faster in East Hampshire, 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 Hampshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 11.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 10.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 8.9 years in East Hampshire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 9.2 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 Hampshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 108 | 105 |
| 2018 | 111 | 108 |
| 2019 | 113 | 109 |
| 2020 | 116 | 112 |
| 2021 | 118 | 114 |
| 2022 | 122 | 119 |
| 2023 | 132 | 128 |
| 2024 | 147 | 138 |
| 2025 | 156 | 147 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 150 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £843 in East Hampshire. Now it is £1,099 and £1,262: up 61% in Birmingham and up 50% in East Hampshire. 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 Hampshire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in East Hampshire | Equivalent to rent in East Hampshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £44,500 | £35,000 |
| £40,000 | £59,000 | £47,000 |
| £50,000 | £74,000 | £58,500 |
| £60,000 | £88,500 | £70,000 |
Moving from East Hampshire to Birmingham
| Earning in East Hampshire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,500 | £25,500 |
| £40,000 | £27,000 | £34,000 |
| £50,000 | £34,000 | £42,500 |
| £60,000 | £40,500 | £51,000 |