Birmingham vs Hinckley and Bosworth: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £25,000 (13%) more in Birmingham than in Hinckley and Bosworth. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Hinckley and Bosworth.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Hinckley and Bosworth | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Hinckley and Bosworth (£35,671) is 1% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 11% less (£195,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Hinckley and Bosworth 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 5.5× in Hinckley and Bosworth. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 31% in Hinckley and Bosworth. 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 Hinckley and Bosworth is around the middle of 316 areas (180th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Hinckley and Bosworth is around the middle of 316 areas (180th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £35,500 in Hinckley and Bosworth to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £33,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Hinckley and Bosworth 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 59.5 in Hinckley and Bosworth, so recorded crime per resident is 48% lower in Hinckley and Bosworth. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.7 in Hinckley and Bosworth.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Hinckley and Bosworth |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £35,671 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 31% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Hinckley and Bosworth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £371,000 | -18% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £249,500 | -6% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £195,000 | -11% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Hinckley and Bosworth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,238 | -14% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £981 | -15% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £914 | -17% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 59.5 in Hinckley and Bosworth, so recorded crime per resident is 48% lower in Hinckley and Bosworth.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Hinckley and Bosworth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 59.5 | -48% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 23.9 | -48% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.7 | -45% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.3 | -89% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 6.4 | -45% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.7 | -64% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.3 | -77% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 6.5 | -28% in Hinckley and Bosworth |
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 | Hinckley and Bosworth |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 109 | 111 |
| 2008 | 105 | 105 |
| 2009 | 95 | 94 |
| 2010 | 100 | 99 |
| 2011 | 97 | 97 |
| 2012 | 98 | 98 |
| 2013 | 100 | 99 |
| 2014 | 106 | 106 |
| 2015 | 111 | 111 |
| 2016 | 120 | 117 |
| 2017 | 129 | 129 |
| 2018 | 136 | 137 |
| 2019 | 140 | 140 |
| 2020 | 142 | 144 |
| 2021 | 157 | 158 |
| 2022 | 172 | 177 |
| 2023 | 174 | 177 |
| 2024 | 174 | 176 |
| 2025 | 178 | 181 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 184 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £141,637 in Hinckley and Bosworth. Now it is £232,548 and £260,980: Birmingham is up 79% and Hinckley and Bosworth is up 84%. Prices have risen faster in Hinckley and Bosworth, 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 | Hinckley and Bosworth |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.0 years in Hinckley and Bosworth. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.2 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Hinckley and Bosworth 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 | Hinckley and Bosworth |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 108 | 107 |
| 2018 | 111 | 111 |
| 2019 | 113 | 114 |
| 2020 | 116 | 118 |
| 2021 | 118 | 121 |
| 2022 | 122 | 127 |
| 2023 | 132 | 133 |
| 2024 | 147 | 149 |
| 2025 | 156 | 159 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 166 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £562 in Hinckley and Bosworth. Now it is £1,099 and £934: up 61% in Birmingham and up 66% in Hinckley and Bosworth. Rents have risen faster in Hinckley and Bosworth.
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 Hinckley and Bosworth
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Hinckley and Bosworth | Equivalent to rent in Hinckley and Bosworth |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,500 | £25,000 |
| £40,000 | £35,500 | £33,500 |
| £50,000 | £44,500 | £41,500 |
| £60,000 | £53,000 | £50,000 |
Moving from Hinckley and Bosworth to Birmingham
| Earning in Hinckley and Bosworth | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,000 | £36,000 |
| £40,000 | £45,000 | £48,000 |
| £50,000 | £56,500 | £60,000 |
| £60,000 | £67,500 | £72,000 |