Birmingham vs Mid Devon: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £3,000 (1%) more in Mid Devon than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Mid Devon | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | Low |
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 Mid Devon (£36,994) is 3% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 1% more (£223,000 against £220,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 6.1× annual pay in Birmingham and 6.0× in Mid Devon. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 28% in Mid Devon. Renting is harder in Birmingham; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Mid Devon is around the middle of 316 areas (157th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Mid Devon is the 94th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £40,500 in Mid Devon to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £31,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Mid Devon 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 45.6 in Mid Devon, so recorded crime per resident is 60% lower in Mid Devon. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.3 in Mid Devon.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Mid Devon |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £36,994 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 6.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 83% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 28% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Mid Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £410,000 | -9% in Mid Devon |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £269,000 | +2% in Mid Devon |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £223,000 | +1% in Mid Devon |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Mid Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,171 | -18% in Mid Devon |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £947 | -18% in Mid Devon |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £863 | -21% in Mid Devon |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 45.6 in Mid Devon, so recorded crime per resident is 60% lower in Mid Devon.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Mid Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 45.6 | -60% in Mid Devon |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 22.0 | -52% in Mid Devon |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.5 | -48% in Mid Devon |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.2 | -92% in Mid Devon |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.2 | -81% in Mid Devon |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.3 | -88% in Mid Devon |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -83% in Mid Devon |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.4 | -41% in Mid Devon |
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 | Mid Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 109 | 115 |
| 2008 | 105 | 110 |
| 2009 | 95 | 101 |
| 2010 | 100 | 107 |
| 2011 | 97 | 106 |
| 2012 | 98 | 105 |
| 2013 | 100 | 109 |
| 2014 | 106 | 110 |
| 2015 | 111 | 117 |
| 2016 | 120 | 120 |
| 2017 | 129 | 127 |
| 2018 | 136 | 132 |
| 2019 | 140 | 132 |
| 2020 | 142 | 136 |
| 2021 | 157 | 148 |
| 2022 | 172 | 166 |
| 2023 | 174 | 169 |
| 2024 | 174 | 164 |
| 2025 | 178 | 162 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 161 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £180,304 in Mid Devon. Now it is £232,548 and £291,093: Birmingham is up 79% and Mid Devon is up 61%. Prices have risen faster in Birmingham, 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 | Mid Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 8.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 9.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 8.6 years in Mid Devon. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.9 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Birmingham 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 | Mid Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 103 |
| 2018 | 111 | 106 |
| 2019 | 113 | 108 |
| 2020 | 116 | 111 |
| 2021 | 118 | 113 |
| 2022 | 122 | 119 |
| 2023 | 132 | 127 |
| 2024 | 147 | 135 |
| 2025 | 156 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 143 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £614 in Mid Devon. Now it is £1,099 and £878: up 61% in Birmingham and up 43% in Mid Devon. 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 Mid Devon
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Mid Devon | Equivalent to rent in Mid Devon |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £23,500 |
| £40,000 | £40,500 | £31,500 |
| £50,000 | £50,500 | £39,500 |
| £60,000 | £61,000 | £47,500 |
Moving from Mid Devon to Birmingham
| Earning in Mid Devon | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £38,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,500 | £51,000 |
| £50,000 | £49,500 | £63,500 |
| £60,000 | £59,000 | £76,000 |