Birmingham vs Merthyr Tydfil: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £95,500 (77%) more in Birmingham than in Merthyr Tydfil. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 3.5× in Merthyr Tydfil.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Merthyr Tydfil | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Merthyr Tydfil (£35,152) is 2% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 43% less (£124,500 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Merthyr Tydfil 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 3.5× in Merthyr Tydfil. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 23% in Merthyr Tydfil. 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 Merthyr Tydfil is the 3rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Merthyr Tydfil is the 44th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £22,500 in Merthyr Tydfil 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 Merthyr Tydfil 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 76.5 in Merthyr Tydfil, so recorded crime per resident is 33% lower in Merthyr Tydfil. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 11.7 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.4 in Merthyr Tydfil.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £35,152 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 3.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 141% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 23% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Merthyr Tydfil | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £183,000 | -31% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £124,500 | -43% in Merthyr Tydfil |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Merthyr Tydfil | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £765 | -34% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £684 | -38% in Merthyr Tydfil |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 76.5 in Merthyr Tydfil, so recorded crime per resident is 33% lower in Merthyr Tydfil.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Merthyr Tydfil | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 76.5 | -33% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 34.0 | -26% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.5 | -27% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.4 | -87% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.4 | -71% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.6 | -65% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.3 | -74% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 7.1 | -22% in Merthyr Tydfil |
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 | Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 113 |
| 2007 | 109 | 124 |
| 2008 | 105 | 116 |
| 2009 | 95 | 106 |
| 2010 | 100 | 107 |
| 2011 | 97 | 105 |
| 2012 | 98 | 105 |
| 2013 | 100 | 103 |
| 2014 | 106 | 107 |
| 2015 | 111 | 112 |
| 2016 | 120 | 115 |
| 2017 | 129 | 120 |
| 2018 | 136 | 125 |
| 2019 | 140 | 133 |
| 2020 | 142 | 136 |
| 2021 | 157 | 158 |
| 2022 | 172 | 181 |
| 2023 | 174 | 187 |
| 2024 | 174 | 187 |
| 2025 | 178 | 190 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 192 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £77,602 in Merthyr Tydfil. Now it is £232,548 and £149,087: Birmingham is up 79% and Merthyr Tydfil is up 92%. Prices have risen faster in Merthyr Tydfil, 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 | Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 4.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 3.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 4.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 4.1 years in Merthyr Tydfil. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 4.2 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 | Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 102 |
| 2018 | 111 | 105 |
| 2019 | 113 | 108 |
| 2020 | 116 | 112 |
| 2021 | 118 | 115 |
| 2022 | 122 | 127 |
| 2023 | 132 | 137 |
| 2024 | 147 | 149 |
| 2025 | 156 | 166 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 166 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £453 in Merthyr Tydfil. Now it is £1,099 and £754: up 61% in Birmingham and up 66% in Merthyr Tydfil. Rents have risen faster in Merthyr Tydfil.
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 Merthyr Tydfil
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Merthyr Tydfil | Equivalent to rent in Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £17,000 | £18,500 |
| £40,000 | £22,500 | £25,000 |
| £50,000 | £28,500 | £31,000 |
| £60,000 | £34,000 | £37,500 |
Moving from Merthyr Tydfil to Birmingham
| Earning in Merthyr Tydfil | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £53,000 | £48,000 |
| £40,000 | £70,500 | £64,000 |
| £50,000 | £88,500 | £80,000 |
| £60,000 | £106,000 | £96,000 |