Birmingham vs Milton Keynes: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £72,000 (33%) more in Milton Keynes than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Milton Keynes: it takes 7.1× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Milton Keynes | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | 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 Milton Keynes (£41,389) is 15% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 33% more (£292,000 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 7.1× in Milton Keynes. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 39% in Milton Keynes. Both are harder in Milton Keynes, 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 Milton Keynes is around the middle of 316 areas (132nd most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Milton Keynes is the 91st most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £53,000 in Milton Keynes to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £49,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Milton Keynes 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 87.8 in Milton Keynes, so recorded crime per resident is 23% lower in Milton Keynes. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 11.7 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 5.3 in Milton Keynes.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Milton Keynes |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £41,389 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 71% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 39% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Milton Keynes | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £510,000 | +13% in Milton Keynes |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £340,000 | +28% in Milton Keynes |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £292,000 | +33% in Milton Keynes |
| Flat | £145,000 | £175,000 | +21% in Milton Keynes |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Milton Keynes | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,954 | +36% in Milton Keynes |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,423 | +24% in Milton Keynes |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,345 | +23% in Milton Keynes |
| Flat | £919 | £1,138 | +24% in Milton Keynes |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 87.8 in Milton Keynes, so recorded crime per resident is 23% lower in Milton Keynes.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Milton Keynes | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 87.8 | -23% in Milton Keynes |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 33.9 | -27% in Milton Keynes |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.9 | -19% in Milton Keynes |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 1.2 | -63% in Milton Keynes |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 5.3 | -55% in Milton Keynes |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 6.3 | -38% in Milton Keynes |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.7 | -48% in Milton Keynes |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 6.9 | -24% in Milton Keynes |
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 | Milton Keynes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 109 | 117 |
| 2008 | 105 | 113 |
| 2009 | 95 | 99 |
| 2010 | 100 | 106 |
| 2011 | 97 | 105 |
| 2012 | 98 | 109 |
| 2013 | 100 | 112 |
| 2014 | 106 | 125 |
| 2015 | 111 | 139 |
| 2016 | 120 | 156 |
| 2017 | 129 | 165 |
| 2018 | 136 | 168 |
| 2019 | 140 | 163 |
| 2020 | 142 | 166 |
| 2021 | 157 | 177 |
| 2022 | 172 | 194 |
| 2023 | 174 | 195 |
| 2024 | 174 | 195 |
| 2025 | 178 | 202 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 201 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £160,679 in Milton Keynes. Now it is £232,548 and £323,105: Birmingham is up 79% and Milton Keynes is up 101%. Prices have risen faster in Milton Keynes, 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 | Milton Keynes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 8.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.8 years in Milton Keynes. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Milton Keynes 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 | Milton Keynes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 108 |
| 2017 | 108 | 114 |
| 2018 | 111 | 115 |
| 2019 | 113 | 117 |
| 2020 | 116 | 119 |
| 2021 | 118 | 123 |
| 2022 | 122 | 131 |
| 2023 | 132 | 139 |
| 2024 | 147 | 148 |
| 2025 | 156 | 154 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 160 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £842 in Milton Keynes. Now it is £1,099 and £1,344: up 61% in Birmingham and up 60% in Milton Keynes.
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 Milton Keynes
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Milton Keynes | Equivalent to rent in Milton Keynes |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £40,000 | £37,000 |
| £40,000 | £53,000 | £49,000 |
| £50,000 | £66,500 | £61,500 |
| £60,000 | £79,500 | £73,500 |
Moving from Milton Keynes to Birmingham
| Earning in Milton Keynes | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £22,500 | £24,500 |
| £40,000 | £30,000 | £32,500 |
| £50,000 | £37,500 | £40,500 |
| £60,000 | £45,000 | £49,000 |