Birmingham vs Kingston upon Hull: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £95,000 (76%) more in Birmingham than in Kingston upon Hull. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.0× in Kingston upon Hull.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Kingston upon Hull | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | Above 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 Kingston upon Hull (£31,419) is 13% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 43% less (£125,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Kingston upon Hull 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 4.0× in Kingston upon Hull. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 26% in Kingston upon Hull. Both are harder in Birmingham, 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 Kingston upon Hull is the 8th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Kingston upon Hull is the 63rd least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £22,500 in Kingston upon Hull to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £25,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Kingston upon Hull 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 121.5 in Kingston upon Hull, so recorded crime per resident is 6% higher in Kingston upon Hull. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 4.9 in Kingston upon Hull.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Kingston upon Hull |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £31,419 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 4.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 126% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Kingston upon Hull | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £250,000 | -45% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £165,000 | -38% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £125,000 | -43% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Flat | £145,000 | £91,000 | -37% in Kingston upon Hull |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Kingston upon Hull | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £955 | -33% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £738 | -36% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £686 | -37% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Flat | £919 | £563 | -39% in Kingston upon Hull |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 121.5 in Kingston upon Hull, so recorded crime per resident is 6% higher in Kingston upon Hull.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Kingston upon Hull | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 121.5 | +6% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 49.9 | +8% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 4.3 | -11% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 1.8 | -44% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 11.7 | -0% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 4.9 | -52% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.6 | -49% in Kingston upon Hull |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 11.3 | +25% in Kingston upon Hull |
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 | Kingston upon Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 116 |
| 2007 | 109 | 130 |
| 2008 | 105 | 128 |
| 2009 | 95 | 116 |
| 2010 | 100 | 122 |
| 2011 | 97 | 118 |
| 2012 | 98 | 116 |
| 2013 | 100 | 119 |
| 2014 | 106 | 122 |
| 2015 | 111 | 126 |
| 2016 | 120 | 134 |
| 2017 | 129 | 142 |
| 2018 | 136 | 147 |
| 2019 | 140 | 149 |
| 2020 | 142 | 153 |
| 2021 | 157 | 166 |
| 2022 | 172 | 180 |
| 2023 | 174 | 180 |
| 2024 | 174 | 182 |
| 2025 | 178 | 187 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 191 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £69,191 in Kingston upon Hull. Now it is £232,548 and £131,982: Birmingham is up 79% and Kingston upon Hull is up 91%. Prices have risen faster in Kingston upon Hull, 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 | Kingston upon Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 3.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 4.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 3.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 3.6 years in Kingston upon Hull. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 4.1 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 | Kingston upon Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 102 |
| 2017 | 108 | 105 |
| 2018 | 111 | 105 |
| 2019 | 113 | 106 |
| 2020 | 116 | 108 |
| 2021 | 118 | 111 |
| 2022 | 122 | 114 |
| 2023 | 132 | 120 |
| 2024 | 147 | 130 |
| 2025 | 156 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £461 in Kingston upon Hull. Now it is £1,099 and £694: up 61% in Birmingham and up 51% in Kingston upon Hull. 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 Kingston upon Hull
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Kingston upon Hull | Equivalent to rent in Kingston upon Hull |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £17,000 | £19,000 |
| £40,000 | £22,500 | £25,000 |
| £50,000 | £28,500 | £31,500 |
| £60,000 | £34,000 | £37,500 |
Moving from Kingston upon Hull to Birmingham
| Earning in Kingston upon Hull | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £53,000 | £48,000 |
| £40,000 | £70,500 | £64,000 |
| £50,000 | £88,000 | £80,000 |
| £60,000 | £105,500 | £96,000 |