Birmingham vs Neath Port Talbot: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £85,000 (63%) more in Birmingham than in Neath Port Talbot. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 3.7× in Neath Port Talbot.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Neath Port Talbot | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | 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 Neath Port Talbot (£36,359) is 1% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 39% less (£135,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Neath Port Talbot 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 3.7× in Neath Port Talbot. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 23% in Neath Port Talbot. 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 Neath Port Talbot is the 9th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Neath Port Talbot is the 10th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £24,500 in Neath Port Talbot 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 Neath Port Talbot 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 67.3 in Neath Port Talbot, so recorded crime per resident is 41% lower in Neath Port Talbot. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.0 in Neath Port Talbot.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £36,359 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 3.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 135% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 23% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Neath Port Talbot | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £272,500 | -40% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £170,000 | -36% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £135,000 | -39% in Neath Port Talbot |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Neath Port Talbot | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £880 | -39% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £730 | -37% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £691 | -37% in Neath Port Talbot |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 67.3 in Neath Port Talbot, so recorded crime per resident is 41% lower in Neath Port Talbot.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Neath Port Talbot | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 67.3 | -41% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 31.2 | -32% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.5 | -28% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.3 | -91% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.3 | -80% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 2.0 | -81% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -86% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 6.2 | -32% in Neath Port Talbot |
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 | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 108 |
| 2007 | 109 | 118 |
| 2008 | 105 | 114 |
| 2009 | 95 | 101 |
| 2010 | 100 | 101 |
| 2011 | 97 | 99 |
| 2012 | 98 | 98 |
| 2013 | 100 | 99 |
| 2014 | 106 | 104 |
| 2015 | 111 | 105 |
| 2016 | 120 | 110 |
| 2017 | 129 | 113 |
| 2018 | 136 | 118 |
| 2019 | 140 | 123 |
| 2020 | 142 | 131 |
| 2021 | 157 | 147 |
| 2022 | 172 | 167 |
| 2023 | 174 | 175 |
| 2024 | 174 | 174 |
| 2025 | 178 | 183 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 185 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £87,352 in Neath Port Talbot. Now it is £232,548 and £161,632: Birmingham is up 79% and Neath Port Talbot is up 85%. Prices have risen faster in Neath Port Talbot, 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 | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 4.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 3.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 3.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 4.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 4.2 years in Neath Port Talbot. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 4.4 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 | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 100 |
| 2017 | 108 | 100 |
| 2018 | 111 | 101 |
| 2019 | 113 | 103 |
| 2020 | 116 | 105 |
| 2021 | 118 | 106 |
| 2022 | 122 | 109 |
| 2023 | 132 | 116 |
| 2024 | 147 | 128 |
| 2025 | 156 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 152 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £454 in Neath Port Talbot. Now it is £1,099 and £690: up 61% in Birmingham and up 52% in Neath Port Talbot. 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 Neath Port Talbot
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Neath Port Talbot | Equivalent to rent in Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £18,500 | £19,000 |
| £40,000 | £24,500 | £25,000 |
| £50,000 | £30,500 | £31,500 |
| £60,000 | £37,000 | £38,000 |
Moving from Neath Port Talbot to Birmingham
| Earning in Neath Port Talbot | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £49,000 | £47,500 |
| £40,000 | £65,000 | £63,500 |
| £50,000 | £81,500 | £79,000 |
| £60,000 | £98,000 | £95,000 |