Birmingham vs Kingston upon Thames: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £370,000 (168%) more in Kingston upon Thames than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Kingston upon Thames: it takes 12.6× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Kingston upon Thames | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very 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 Kingston upon Thames (£46,871) is 30% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 168% more (£590,000 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 12.6× in Kingston upon Thames. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 55% in Kingston upon Thames. Both are harder in Kingston upon Thames, 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 Thames is the 20th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Kingston upon Thames is the 39th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £107,500 in Kingston upon Thames to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £78,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Kingston upon Thames 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 66.8 in Kingston upon Thames, so recorded crime per resident is 42% lower in Kingston upon Thames. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 46.1 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 20.8 in Kingston upon Thames.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Kingston upon Thames |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £46,871 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 12.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 40% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 55% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Kingston upon Thames | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £1,062,500 | +135% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £760,000 | +187% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £590,000 | +168% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Flat | £145,000 | £372,000 | +157% in Kingston upon Thames |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Kingston upon Thames | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £2,682 | +87% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £2,359 | +105% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £2,144 | +96% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Flat | £919 | £1,604 | +75% in Kingston upon Thames |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 66.8 in Kingston upon Thames, so recorded crime per resident is 42% lower in Kingston upon Thames.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Kingston upon Thames | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 66.8 | -42% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 20.8 | -55% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.4 | -50% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 1.4 | -55% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 6.7 | -43% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 5.9 | -42% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 2.2 | +77% in Kingston upon Thames |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.7 | -48% in Kingston upon Thames |
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 Thames |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 109 | 122 |
| 2008 | 105 | 124 |
| 2009 | 95 | 106 |
| 2010 | 100 | 121 |
| 2011 | 97 | 124 |
| 2012 | 98 | 129 |
| 2013 | 100 | 138 |
| 2014 | 106 | 162 |
| 2015 | 111 | 174 |
| 2016 | 120 | 192 |
| 2017 | 129 | 196 |
| 2018 | 136 | 198 |
| 2019 | 140 | 194 |
| 2020 | 142 | 195 |
| 2021 | 157 | 203 |
| 2022 | 172 | 220 |
| 2023 | 174 | 221 |
| 2024 | 174 | 216 |
| 2025 | 178 | 217 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 218 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £264,536 in Kingston upon Thames. Now it is £232,548 and £576,146: Birmingham is up 79% and Kingston upon Thames is up 118%. Prices have risen faster in Kingston upon Thames, 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 | Kingston upon Thames |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 9.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 12.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 12.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 12.3 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 9.2 years in Kingston upon Thames. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 12.3 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Kingston upon Thames 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 | Kingston upon Thames |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 104 |
| 2017 | 108 | 105 |
| 2018 | 111 | 104 |
| 2019 | 113 | 104 |
| 2020 | 116 | 104 |
| 2021 | 118 | 107 |
| 2022 | 122 | 110 |
| 2023 | 132 | 116 |
| 2024 | 147 | 125 |
| 2025 | 156 | 134 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 135 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £1,337 in Kingston upon Thames. Now it is £1,099 and £1,811: up 61% in Birmingham and up 35% in Kingston upon Thames. 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 Thames
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Kingston upon Thames | Equivalent to rent in Kingston upon Thames |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £80,500 | £58,500 |
| £40,000 | £107,500 | £78,500 |
| £50,000 | £134,000 | £98,000 |
| £60,000 | £161,000 | £117,500 |
Moving from Kingston upon Thames to Birmingham
| Earning in Kingston upon Thames | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £11,000 | £15,500 |
| £40,000 | £15,000 | £20,500 |
| £50,000 | £18,500 | £25,500 |
| £60,000 | £22,500 | £30,500 |