Birmingham vs Kensington and Chelsea: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £2,805,000 (1275%) more in Kensington and Chelsea than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Kensington and Chelsea: it takes 57.5× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Kensington and Chelsea | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above average | High |
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 Kensington and Chelsea (£52,576) is 46% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 1275% more (£3,025,000 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 57.5× in Kensington and Chelsea. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 103% in Kensington and Chelsea. Both are harder in Kensington and Chelsea, 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 Kensington and Chelsea is the most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Kensington and Chelsea is the most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £550,000 in Kensington and Chelsea to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £164,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Kensington and Chelsea 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 145.8 in Kensington and Chelsea, so recorded crime per resident is 28% higher in Kensington and Chelsea. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 46.1 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 31.8 in Kensington and Chelsea.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Kensington and Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £52,576 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 57.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 9% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 103% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Kensington and Chelsea | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £220,000 | £3,025,000 | +1275% in Kensington and Chelsea |
| Flat | £145,000 | £860,000 | +493% in Kensington and Chelsea |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Kensington and Chelsea | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £1,095 | £4,500 | +311% in Kensington and Chelsea |
| Flat | £919 | £3,069 | +234% in Kensington and Chelsea |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 145.8 in Kensington and Chelsea, so recorded crime per resident is 28% higher in Kensington and Chelsea.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Kensington and Chelsea | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 145.8 | +28% in Kensington and Chelsea |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 31.8 | -31% in Kensington and Chelsea |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 4.1 | -15% in Kensington and Chelsea |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 4.2 | +35% in Kensington and Chelsea |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 11.4 | -3% in Kensington and Chelsea |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 14.6 | +43% in Kensington and Chelsea |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 12.8 | +927% in Kensington and Chelsea |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 6.9 | -24% in Kensington and Chelsea |
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 | Kensington and Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 115 |
| 2007 | 109 | 144 |
| 2008 | 105 | 151 |
| 2009 | 95 | 136 |
| 2010 | 100 | 161 |
| 2011 | 97 | 175 |
| 2012 | 98 | 194 |
| 2013 | 100 | 217 |
| 2014 | 106 | 248 |
| 2015 | 111 | 250 |
| 2016 | 120 | 245 |
| 2017 | 129 | 258 |
| 2018 | 136 | 262 |
| 2019 | 140 | 238 |
| 2020 | 142 | 254 |
| 2021 | 157 | 258 |
| 2022 | 172 | 278 |
| 2023 | 174 | 262 |
| 2024 | 174 | 247 |
| 2025 | 178 | 246 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 236 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £562,861 in Kensington and Chelsea. Now it is £232,548 and £1,327,221: Birmingham is up 79% and Kensington and Chelsea is up 136%. Prices have risen faster in Kensington and Chelsea, so the gap between the two has widened.
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 | Kensington and Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 106 |
| 2017 | 108 | 110 |
| 2018 | 111 | 102 |
| 2019 | 113 | 102 |
| 2020 | 116 | 102 |
| 2021 | 118 | 98 |
| 2022 | 122 | 102 |
| 2023 | 132 | 115 |
| 2024 | 147 | 125 |
| 2025 | 156 | 134 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 136 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £2,713 in Kensington and Chelsea. Now it is £1,099 and £3,690: up 61% in Birmingham and up 36% in Kensington and Chelsea. 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 Kensington and Chelsea
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Kensington and Chelsea | Equivalent to rent in Kensington and Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £412,500 | £123,500 |
| £40,000 | £550,000 | £164,500 |
| £50,000 | £687,500 | £205,500 |
| £60,000 | £825,000 | £246,500 |
Moving from Kensington and Chelsea to Birmingham
| Earning in Kensington and Chelsea | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £2,000 | £7,500 |
| £40,000 | £3,000 | £9,500 |
| £50,000 | £3,500 | £12,000 |
| £60,000 | £4,500 | £14,500 |