Birmingham vs Lambeth: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £630,000 (286%) more in Lambeth than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Lambeth: it takes 17.3× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Lambeth | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| 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 Lambeth (£49,034) is 36% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 286% more (£850,000 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 17.3× in Lambeth. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 76% in Lambeth. Both are harder in Lambeth, 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 Lambeth is the 32nd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Lambeth is the 8th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £154,500 in Lambeth to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £113,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Lambeth 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 114.4 in Lambeth: about the same. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 46.1 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 30.3 in Lambeth.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Lambeth |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £49,034 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 17.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 29% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 76% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Lambeth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £1,027,500 | +288% in Lambeth |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £850,000 | +286% in Lambeth |
| Flat | £145,000 | £455,000 | +214% in Lambeth |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Lambeth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £3,377 | +193% in Lambeth |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £3,108 | +184% in Lambeth |
| Flat | £919 | £2,186 | +138% in Lambeth |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 114.4 in Lambeth: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Lambeth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 114.4 | +0% in Lambeth |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 30.3 | -34% in Lambeth |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.9 | -20% in Lambeth |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 5.5 | +76% in Lambeth |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 8.6 | -27% in Lambeth |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 7.4 | -27% in Lambeth |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 14.7 | +1074% in Lambeth |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 6.7 | -27% in Lambeth |
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 | Lambeth |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 109 |
| 2007 | 109 | 130 |
| 2008 | 105 | 129 |
| 2009 | 95 | 117 |
| 2010 | 100 | 130 |
| 2011 | 97 | 133 |
| 2012 | 98 | 143 |
| 2013 | 100 | 159 |
| 2014 | 106 | 189 |
| 2015 | 111 | 206 |
| 2016 | 120 | 225 |
| 2017 | 129 | 227 |
| 2018 | 136 | 224 |
| 2019 | 140 | 222 |
| 2020 | 142 | 230 |
| 2021 | 157 | 234 |
| 2022 | 172 | 238 |
| 2023 | 174 | 237 |
| 2024 | 174 | 231 |
| 2025 | 178 | 230 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 225 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £244,991 in Lambeth. Now it is £232,548 and £551,710: Birmingham is up 79% and Lambeth is up 125%. Prices have risen faster in Lambeth, 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 | Lambeth |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 9.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 15.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 13.4 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 11.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 8.9 years in Lambeth. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 11.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Lambeth 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 | Lambeth |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 104 |
| 2017 | 108 | 106 |
| 2018 | 111 | 105 |
| 2019 | 113 | 106 |
| 2020 | 116 | 113 |
| 2021 | 118 | 110 |
| 2022 | 122 | 111 |
| 2023 | 132 | 119 |
| 2024 | 147 | 129 |
| 2025 | 156 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 149 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £1,698 in Lambeth. Now it is £1,099 and £2,525: up 61% in Birmingham and up 49% in Lambeth. 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 Lambeth
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Lambeth | Equivalent to rent in Lambeth |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £116,000 | £85,000 |
| £40,000 | £154,500 | £113,500 |
| £50,000 | £193,000 | £142,000 |
| £60,000 | £232,000 | £170,500 |
Moving from Lambeth to Birmingham
| Earning in Lambeth | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £8,000 | £10,500 |
| £40,000 | £10,500 | £14,000 |
| £50,000 | £13,000 | £17,500 |
| £60,000 | £15,500 | £21,000 |