Pay vs Place

Birmingham vs Hillingdon: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £280,000 (127%) more in Hillingdon than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Hillingdon: it takes 11.8× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.

Birmingham, terraced
£220,000
Income typically needed: £44,000
Median full-time pay: £35,989
Hillingdon, terraced
£500,000
Income typically needed: £100,000
Median full-time pay: £42,250

At a glance

Birmingham Hillingdon
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 Hillingdon (£42,250) is 17% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 127% more (£500,000 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 11.8× in Hillingdon. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 49% in Hillingdon. Both are harder in Hillingdon, 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 Hillingdon is the 19th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Hillingdon is the 50th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £91,000 in Hillingdon to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £63,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Hillingdon 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 91.6 in Hillingdon, so recorded crime per resident is 20% lower in Hillingdon. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 46.1 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 26.5 in Hillingdon.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Birmingham Hillingdon
Median full-time pay £35,989 £42,250
House price ÷ pay 6.1× 11.8×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 82% 42%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 37% 49%

Buying, by property type

Type Birmingham Hillingdon Difference
Detached £452,500 £837,500 +85% in Hillingdon
Semi-detached £265,000 £575,000 +117% in Hillingdon
Terraced £220,000 £500,000 +127% in Hillingdon
Flat £145,000 £300,000 +107% in Hillingdon

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Birmingham Hillingdon Difference
Detached £1,434 £2,375 +66% in Hillingdon
Semi-detached £1,151 £2,019 +75% in Hillingdon
Terraced £1,095 £1,738 +59% in Hillingdon
Flat £919 £1,445 +57% in Hillingdon

Crime

Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 91.6 in Hillingdon, so recorded crime per resident is 20% lower in Hillingdon.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Birmingham Hillingdon Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 114.2 91.6 -20% in Hillingdon
Violence against the person 46.1 26.5 -43% in Hillingdon
Sexual offences 4.8 2.9 -40% in Hillingdon
Robbery 3.1 2.2 -31% in Hillingdon
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 11.7 8.7 -26% in Hillingdon
Vehicle offences 10.2 10.5 +4% in Hillingdon
Theft from the person 1.3 3.0 +144% in Hillingdon
Criminal damage and arson 9.1 6.0 -34% in Hillingdon

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.

Birmingham: 179Hillingdon: 207
House prices in Birmingham and Hillingdon since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Birmingham now 179, Hillingdon now 207.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Birmingham and Hillingdon since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Birmingham now 179, Hillingdon now 207.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBirminghamHillingdon
2005100100
2006104104
2007109114
2008105115
200995102
2010100111
201197113
201298117
2013100121
2014106137
2015111158
2016120180
2017129186
2018136184
2019140181
2020142184
2021157191
2022172203
2023174202
2024174201
2025178207
12 months to July 2026179207

In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £228,889 in Hillingdon. Now it is £232,548 and £472,781: Birmingham is up 79% and Hillingdon is up 107%. Prices have risen faster in Hillingdon, 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.

Birmingham: 6.5 years of payHillingdon: 11.2 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Birmingham and HillingdonBirmingham now 6.5, Hillingdon now 11.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Birmingham and HillingdonBirmingham now 6.5, Hillingdon now 11.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBirminghamHillingdon
20056.1 years of pay8.3 years of pay
20105.5 years of pay8.5 years of pay
20155.8 years of pay11.0 years of pay
20206.3 years of pay12.0 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay11.2 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 8.3 years in Hillingdon. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 11.2 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Hillingdon over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Birmingham: 161Hillingdon: 145
Rents in Birmingham and Hillingdon since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Birmingham now 161, Hillingdon now 145.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Birmingham and Hillingdon since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Birmingham now 161, Hillingdon now 145.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBirminghamHillingdon
2015100100
2016105102
2017108104
2018111105
2019113105
2020116108
2021118111
2022122112
2023132119
2024147132
2025156141
August 2026161145

In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £1,081 in Hillingdon. Now it is £1,099 and £1,570: up 61% in Birmingham and up 45% in Hillingdon. 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 Hillingdon

Earning in Birmingham Equivalent to buy in Hillingdon Equivalent to rent in Hillingdon
£30,000 £68,000 £47,500
£40,000 £91,000 £63,500
£50,000 £113,500 £79,500
£60,000 £136,500 £95,000

Moving from Hillingdon to Birmingham

Earning in Hillingdon Equivalent to buy in Birmingham Equivalent to rent in Birmingham
£30,000 £13,000 £19,000
£40,000 £17,500 £25,000
£50,000 £22,000 £31,500
£60,000 £26,500 £38,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Birmingham figures · All Hillingdon figures