Birmingham vs Mole Valley: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £223,750 (102%) more in Mole Valley than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Mole Valley: it takes 10.3× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Mole Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| 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 Mole Valley (£42,937) is 19% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 102% more (£443,750 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 10.3× in Mole Valley. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 41% in Mole Valley. Both are harder in Mole Valley, 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 Mole Valley is the 6th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Mole Valley is the 57th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £80,500 in Mole Valley to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £53,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Mole Valley 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 54.4 in Mole Valley, so recorded crime per resident is 52% lower in Mole Valley. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.7 in Mole Valley.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Mole Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £42,937 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 10.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 48% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 41% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Mole Valley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £875,000 | +93% in Mole Valley |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £580,000 | +119% in Mole Valley |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £443,750 | +102% in Mole Valley |
| Flat | £145,000 | £270,000 | +86% in Mole Valley |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Mole Valley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £2,201 | +53% in Mole Valley |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,750 | +52% in Mole Valley |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,463 | +34% in Mole Valley |
| Flat | £919 | £1,271 | +38% in Mole Valley |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 54.4 in Mole Valley, so recorded crime per resident is 52% lower in Mole Valley.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Mole Valley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 54.4 | -52% in Mole Valley |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 21.2 | -54% in Mole Valley |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 1.9 | -60% in Mole Valley |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.4 | -86% in Mole Valley |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 5.9 | -49% in Mole Valley |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 2.7 | -73% in Mole Valley |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -84% in Mole Valley |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.8 | -46% in Mole Valley |
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 | Mole Valley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 108 |
| 2007 | 109 | 118 |
| 2008 | 105 | 121 |
| 2009 | 95 | 105 |
| 2010 | 100 | 120 |
| 2011 | 97 | 120 |
| 2012 | 98 | 123 |
| 2013 | 100 | 127 |
| 2014 | 106 | 143 |
| 2015 | 111 | 156 |
| 2016 | 120 | 168 |
| 2017 | 129 | 173 |
| 2018 | 136 | 173 |
| 2019 | 140 | 168 |
| 2020 | 142 | 170 |
| 2021 | 157 | 180 |
| 2022 | 172 | 192 |
| 2023 | 174 | 194 |
| 2024 | 174 | 189 |
| 2025 | 178 | 194 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 196 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £281,829 in Mole Valley. Now it is £232,548 and £552,942: Birmingham is up 79% and Mole Valley is up 96%. Prices have risen faster in Mole Valley, 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 | Mole Valley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 8.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 14.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 15.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 12.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 8.8 years in Mole Valley. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 12.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Mole Valley 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 | Mole Valley |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 108 | 104 |
| 2018 | 111 | 103 |
| 2019 | 113 | 104 |
| 2020 | 116 | 105 |
| 2021 | 118 | 105 |
| 2022 | 122 | 109 |
| 2023 | 132 | 113 |
| 2024 | 147 | 122 |
| 2025 | 156 | 131 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 135 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £1,152 in Mole Valley. Now it is £1,099 and £1,551: up 61% in Birmingham and up 35% in Mole Valley. 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 Mole Valley
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Mole Valley | Equivalent to rent in Mole Valley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £60,500 | £40,000 |
| £40,000 | £80,500 | £53,500 |
| £50,000 | £101,000 | £67,000 |
| £60,000 | £121,000 | £80,000 |
Moving from Mole Valley to Birmingham
| Earning in Mole Valley | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £15,000 | £22,500 |
| £40,000 | £20,000 | £30,000 |
| £50,000 | £25,000 | £37,500 |
| £60,000 | £29,500 | £45,000 |