Birmingham vs Isle of Anglesey: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £68,000 (45%) more in Birmingham than in Isle of Anglesey. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.3× in Isle of Anglesey.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Isle of Anglesey | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | 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 Isle of Anglesey (£35,709) is 1% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 31% less (£152,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Isle of Anglesey 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 4.3× in Isle of Anglesey. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 24% in Isle of Anglesey. 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 Isle of Anglesey is the 88th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Isle of Anglesey is the 30th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £27,500 in Isle of Anglesey to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £26,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Isle of Anglesey 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 56.5 in Isle of Anglesey, so recorded crime per resident is 50% lower in Isle of Anglesey. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.2 in Isle of Anglesey.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Isle of Anglesey |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £35,709 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 4.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 117% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 24% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Isle of Anglesey | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £305,000 | -33% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £200,000 | -25% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £152,000 | -31% in Isle of Anglesey |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Isle of Anglesey | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £878 | -39% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £741 | -36% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £707 | -35% in Isle of Anglesey |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 56.5 in Isle of Anglesey, so recorded crime per resident is 50% lower in Isle of Anglesey.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Isle of Anglesey | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 56.5 | -50% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 27.9 | -39% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.2 | -34% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.1 | -98% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.5 | -78% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.2 | -88% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -95% in Isle of Anglesey |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.6 | -38% in Isle of Anglesey |
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 | Isle of Anglesey |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 109 | 112 |
| 2008 | 105 | 110 |
| 2009 | 95 | 102 |
| 2010 | 100 | 105 |
| 2011 | 97 | 100 |
| 2012 | 98 | 100 |
| 2013 | 100 | 98 |
| 2014 | 106 | 104 |
| 2015 | 111 | 109 |
| 2016 | 120 | 111 |
| 2017 | 129 | 116 |
| 2018 | 136 | 119 |
| 2019 | 140 | 124 |
| 2020 | 142 | 130 |
| 2021 | 157 | 147 |
| 2022 | 172 | 163 |
| 2023 | 174 | 164 |
| 2024 | 174 | 163 |
| 2025 | 178 | 166 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 170 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £138,659 in Isle of Anglesey. Now it is £232,548 and £235,475: Birmingham is up 79% and Isle of Anglesey is up 70%. Prices have risen faster in Birmingham, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
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 | Isle of Anglesey |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.9 years in Isle of Anglesey. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Birmingham 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 | Isle of Anglesey |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 100 |
| 2017 | 108 | 101 |
| 2018 | 111 | 102 |
| 2019 | 113 | 104 |
| 2020 | 116 | 105 |
| 2021 | 118 | 107 |
| 2022 | 122 | 112 |
| 2023 | 132 | 118 |
| 2024 | 147 | 127 |
| 2025 | 156 | 135 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 141 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £506 in Isle of Anglesey. Now it is £1,099 and £714: up 61% in Birmingham and up 41% in Isle of Anglesey. 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 Isle of Anglesey
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Isle of Anglesey | Equivalent to rent in Isle of Anglesey |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,500 | £19,500 |
| £40,000 | £27,500 | £26,000 |
| £50,000 | £34,500 | £32,500 |
| £60,000 | £41,500 | £38,500 |
Moving from Isle of Anglesey to Birmingham
| Earning in Isle of Anglesey | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £43,500 | £46,500 |
| £40,000 | £58,000 | £62,000 |
| £50,000 | £72,500 | £77,500 |
| £60,000 | £87,000 | £93,000 |