Birmingham vs East Suffolk: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £12,250 (6%) more in Birmingham than in East Suffolk. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.6× in East Suffolk.
At a glance
| Birmingham | East Suffolk | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Suffolk (£36,793) is 2% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 6% less (£207,750 against £220,000). Set against local pay, East Suffolk 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 5.6× in East Suffolk. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 28% in East Suffolk. 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 East Suffolk is around the middle of 316 areas (155th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and East Suffolk is the 77th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £38,000 in East Suffolk to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £31,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to East Suffolk would leave you better 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 49.4 in East Suffolk, so recorded crime per resident is 57% lower in East Suffolk. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.1 in East Suffolk.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | East Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £36,793 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 5.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 89% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 28% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | East Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £386,000 | -15% in East Suffolk |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £266,500 | +1% in East Suffolk |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £207,750 | -6% in East Suffolk |
| Flat | £145,000 | £160,000 | +10% in East Suffolk |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | East Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,121 | -22% in East Suffolk |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £920 | -20% in East Suffolk |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £844 | -23% in East Suffolk |
| Flat | £919 | £651 | -29% in East Suffolk |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 49.4 in East Suffolk, so recorded crime per resident is 57% lower in East Suffolk.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | East Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 49.4 | -57% in East Suffolk |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 20.4 | -56% in East Suffolk |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.2 | -34% in East Suffolk |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.2 | -94% in East Suffolk |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.7 | -69% in East Suffolk |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 2.1 | -79% in East Suffolk |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.3 | -78% in East Suffolk |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.8 | -36% in East Suffolk |
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 Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 109 | 115 |
| 2008 | 105 | 113 |
| 2009 | 95 | 103 |
| 2010 | 100 | 112 |
| 2011 | 97 | 110 |
| 2012 | 98 | 111 |
| 2013 | 100 | 113 |
| 2014 | 106 | 120 |
| 2015 | 111 | 128 |
| 2016 | 120 | 137 |
| 2017 | 129 | 146 |
| 2018 | 136 | 152 |
| 2019 | 140 | 153 |
| 2020 | 142 | 158 |
| 2021 | 157 | 168 |
| 2022 | 172 | 187 |
| 2023 | 174 | 187 |
| 2024 | 174 | 184 |
| 2025 | 178 | 180 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £155,801 in East Suffolk. Now it is £232,548 and £281,317: Birmingham is up 79% and East Suffolk is up 81%.
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 Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 108 | 105 |
| 2018 | 111 | 107 |
| 2019 | 113 | 108 |
| 2020 | 116 | 110 |
| 2021 | 118 | 112 |
| 2022 | 122 | 118 |
| 2023 | 132 | 124 |
| 2024 | 147 | 135 |
| 2025 | 156 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 154 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £547 in East Suffolk. Now it is £1,099 and £842: up 61% in Birmingham and up 54% in East Suffolk. 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 Suffolk
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in East Suffolk | Equivalent to rent in East Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,500 | £23,000 |
| £40,000 | £38,000 | £31,000 |
| £50,000 | £47,000 | £38,500 |
| £60,000 | £56,500 | £46,000 |
Moving from East Suffolk to Birmingham
| Earning in East Suffolk | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £39,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £52,000 |
| £50,000 | £53,000 | £65,000 |
| £60,000 | £63,500 | £78,000 |