Birmingham vs Epping Forest: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £255,000 (116%) more in Epping Forest than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Epping Forest: it takes 10.4× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Epping Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above average | About average |
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 Epping Forest (£45,618) is 27% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 116% more (£475,000 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 10.4× in Epping Forest. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 48% in Epping Forest. Both are harder in Epping Forest, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Epping Forest is the 25th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Epping Forest is the 33rd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £86,500 in Epping Forest to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £66,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Epping Forest 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 63.3 in Epping Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 45% lower in Epping Forest. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 4.8 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.8 in Epping Forest.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Epping Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £45,618 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 10.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 48% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 48% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Epping Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £845,000 | +87% in Epping Forest |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £570,000 | +115% in Epping Forest |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £475,000 | +116% in Epping Forest |
| Flat | £145,000 | £310,000 | +114% in Epping Forest |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Epping Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £2,563 | +79% in Epping Forest |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,970 | +71% in Epping Forest |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,820 | +66% in Epping Forest |
| Flat | £919 | £1,436 | +56% in Epping Forest |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 63.3 in Epping Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 45% lower in Epping Forest.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Epping Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 63.3 | -45% in Epping Forest |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 24.6 | -47% in Epping Forest |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 1.8 | -63% in Epping Forest |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.8 | -75% in Epping Forest |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 6.4 | -46% in Epping Forest |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 7.2 | -29% in Epping Forest |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.5 | -62% in Epping Forest |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.6 | -38% in Epping Forest |
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 | Epping Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 116 |
| 2008 | 105 | 120 |
| 2009 | 95 | 106 |
| 2010 | 100 | 118 |
| 2011 | 97 | 118 |
| 2012 | 98 | 121 |
| 2013 | 100 | 126 |
| 2014 | 106 | 140 |
| 2015 | 111 | 154 |
| 2016 | 120 | 174 |
| 2017 | 129 | 183 |
| 2018 | 136 | 185 |
| 2019 | 140 | 183 |
| 2020 | 142 | 186 |
| 2021 | 157 | 190 |
| 2022 | 172 | 204 |
| 2023 | 174 | 203 |
| 2024 | 174 | 203 |
| 2025 | 178 | 202 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 203 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £261,039 in Epping Forest. Now it is £232,548 and £530,962: Birmingham is up 79% and Epping Forest is up 103%. Prices have risen faster in Epping Forest, 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 | Epping Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 10.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 11.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 13.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 11.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 8.7 years in Epping Forest. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 11.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Epping Forest 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 | Epping Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 107 |
| 2017 | 108 | 113 |
| 2018 | 111 | 117 |
| 2019 | 113 | 119 |
| 2020 | 116 | 121 |
| 2021 | 118 | 122 |
| 2022 | 122 | 125 |
| 2023 | 132 | 130 |
| 2024 | 147 | 138 |
| 2025 | 156 | 150 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 159 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £1,160 in Epping Forest. Now it is £1,099 and £1,844: up 61% in Birmingham and up 59% in Epping Forest.
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 Epping Forest
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Epping Forest | Equivalent to rent in Epping Forest |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £65,000 | £50,000 |
| £40,000 | £86,500 | £66,500 |
| £50,000 | £108,000 | £83,000 |
| £60,000 | £129,500 | £99,500 |
Moving from Epping Forest to Birmingham
| Earning in Epping Forest | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £14,000 | £18,000 |
| £40,000 | £18,500 | £24,000 |
| £50,000 | £23,000 | £30,000 |
| £60,000 | £28,000 | £36,000 |