Birmingham vs Mid Suffolk: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £5,000 (2%) more in Mid Suffolk than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.4× in Mid Suffolk.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Mid Suffolk | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Suffolk (£41,350) is 15% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 2% more (£225,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Mid Suffolk 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 5.4× in Mid Suffolk. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 29% in Mid Suffolk. Both are harder in Birmingham, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Mid Suffolk is around the middle of 316 areas (166th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Mid Suffolk is the 110th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £41,000 in Mid Suffolk to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Mid Suffolk 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 46.6 in Mid Suffolk, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in Mid Suffolk. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.9 in Mid Suffolk.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Mid Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £41,350 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 5.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 92% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Mid Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £415,000 | -8% in Mid Suffolk |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £265,000 | 0% in Mid Suffolk |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £225,000 | +2% in Mid Suffolk |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Mid Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,373 | -4% in Mid Suffolk |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,069 | -7% in Mid Suffolk |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £990 | -10% in Mid Suffolk |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 46.6 in Mid Suffolk, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in Mid Suffolk.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Mid Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 46.6 | -59% in Mid Suffolk |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 20.2 | -56% in Mid Suffolk |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.9 | -41% in Mid Suffolk |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.3 | -92% in Mid Suffolk |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.2 | -73% in Mid Suffolk |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.9 | -81% in Mid Suffolk |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -84% in Mid Suffolk |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.7 | -48% in Mid Suffolk |
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 Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 109 | 115 |
| 2008 | 105 | 113 |
| 2009 | 95 | 99 |
| 2010 | 100 | 109 |
| 2011 | 97 | 107 |
| 2012 | 98 | 108 |
| 2013 | 100 | 110 |
| 2014 | 106 | 119 |
| 2015 | 111 | 129 |
| 2016 | 120 | 141 |
| 2017 | 129 | 150 |
| 2018 | 136 | 155 |
| 2019 | 140 | 155 |
| 2020 | 142 | 156 |
| 2021 | 157 | 165 |
| 2022 | 172 | 179 |
| 2023 | 174 | 178 |
| 2024 | 174 | 172 |
| 2025 | 178 | 174 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 178 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £176,013 in Mid Suffolk. Now it is £232,548 and £312,428: Birmingham is up 79% and Mid Suffolk is up 78%.
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 Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 8.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 8.0 years in Mid Suffolk. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.4 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 Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 107 |
| 2017 | 108 | 112 |
| 2018 | 111 | 115 |
| 2019 | 113 | 115 |
| 2020 | 116 | 117 |
| 2021 | 118 | 117 |
| 2022 | 122 | 126 |
| 2023 | 132 | 136 |
| 2024 | 147 | 144 |
| 2025 | 156 | 152 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 163 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £618 in Mid Suffolk. Now it is £1,099 and £1,005: up 61% in Birmingham and up 63% in Mid Suffolk.
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 Suffolk
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Mid Suffolk | Equivalent to rent in Mid Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £36,000 |
| £50,000 | £51,000 | £45,000 |
| £60,000 | £61,500 | £54,000 |
Moving from Mid Suffolk to Birmingham
| Earning in Mid Suffolk | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £44,000 |
| £50,000 | £49,000 | £55,500 |
| £60,000 | £58,500 | £66,500 |