Birmingham vs Isle of Wight: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £5,000 (2%) more in Birmingham than in Isle of Wight. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Isle of Wight: it takes 6.9× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Isle of Wight | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | 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 Isle of Wight (£31,184) is 13% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 2% less (£215,000 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 6.9× in Isle of Wight. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 38% in Isle of Wight. Buying is harder in Isle of Wight; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Isle of Wight is around the middle of 316 areas (127th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Isle of Wight is the 113th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £39,000 in Isle of Wight to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Isle of Wight 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 76.0 in Isle of Wight, so recorded crime per resident is 33% lower in Isle of Wight. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.2 in Isle of Wight.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Isle of Wight |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £31,184 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 6.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 73% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Isle of Wight | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £367,250 | -19% in Isle of Wight |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £255,000 | -4% in Isle of Wight |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £215,000 | -2% in Isle of Wight |
| Flat | £145,000 | £145,000 | 0% in Isle of Wight |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Isle of Wight | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,270 | -11% in Isle of Wight |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,049 | -9% in Isle of Wight |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £988 | -10% in Isle of Wight |
| Flat | £919 | £765 | -17% in Isle of Wight |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 76.0 in Isle of Wight, so recorded crime per resident is 33% lower in Isle of Wight.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Isle of Wight | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 76.0 | -33% in Isle of Wight |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 34.5 | -25% in Isle of Wight |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 4.2 | -14% in Isle of Wight |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.5 | -83% in Isle of Wight |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.4 | -79% in Isle of Wight |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.2 | -88% in Isle of Wight |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.4 | -70% in Isle of Wight |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 6.4 | -29% in Isle of Wight |
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 Wight |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 109 | 112 |
| 2008 | 105 | 110 |
| 2009 | 95 | 100 |
| 2010 | 100 | 105 |
| 2011 | 97 | 104 |
| 2012 | 98 | 103 |
| 2013 | 100 | 103 |
| 2014 | 106 | 109 |
| 2015 | 111 | 111 |
| 2016 | 120 | 117 |
| 2017 | 129 | 122 |
| 2018 | 136 | 126 |
| 2019 | 140 | 131 |
| 2020 | 142 | 136 |
| 2021 | 157 | 150 |
| 2022 | 172 | 168 |
| 2023 | 174 | 169 |
| 2024 | 174 | 161 |
| 2025 | 178 | 159 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 157 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £155,103 in Isle of Wight. Now it is £232,548 and £244,170: Birmingham is up 79% and Isle of Wight is up 57%. 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 Wight |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 7.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 7.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 7.4 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 7.3 years in Isle of Wight. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.9 years.
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 Wight |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 103 |
| 2018 | 111 | 105 |
| 2019 | 113 | 108 |
| 2020 | 116 | 110 |
| 2021 | 118 | 113 |
| 2022 | 122 | 117 |
| 2023 | 132 | 125 |
| 2024 | 147 | 132 |
| 2025 | 156 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 152 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £624 in Isle of Wight. Now it is £1,099 and £951: up 61% in Birmingham and up 52% in Isle of Wight. 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 Wight
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Isle of Wight | Equivalent to rent in Isle of Wight |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £36,000 |
| £50,000 | £49,000 | £45,000 |
| £60,000 | £58,500 | £54,000 |
Moving from Isle of Wight to Birmingham
| Earning in Isle of Wight | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £44,500 |
| £50,000 | £51,000 | £55,500 |
| £60,000 | £61,500 | £66,500 |