Birmingham vs North East Lincolnshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £115,000 (110%) more in Birmingham than in North East Lincolnshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 3.0× in North East Lincolnshire.
At a glance
| Birmingham | North East Lincolnshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | Above 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 North East Lincolnshire (£35,052) is 3% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 52% less (£105,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, North East Lincolnshire 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 3.0× in North East Lincolnshire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 22% in North East Lincolnshire. 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 North East Lincolnshire is the 11th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and North East Lincolnshire is the 5th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £19,000 in North East Lincolnshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £23,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to North East Lincolnshire 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 115.9 in North East Lincolnshire: about the same. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 5.0 in North East Lincolnshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | North East Lincolnshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £35,052 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 3.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 167% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 22% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | North East Lincolnshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £266,000 | -41% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £170,000 | -36% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £105,000 | -52% in North East Lincolnshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | North East Lincolnshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £861 | -40% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £703 | -39% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £641 | -41% in North East Lincolnshire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 115.9 in North East Lincolnshire: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | North East Lincolnshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 115.9 | +1% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 44.0 | -5% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.9 | -20% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 1.1 | -65% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 9.6 | -18% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 5.0 | -51% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.3 | -75% in North East Lincolnshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 13.9 | +53% in North East Lincolnshire |
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 | North East Lincolnshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 111 |
| 2007 | 109 | 122 |
| 2008 | 105 | 120 |
| 2009 | 95 | 110 |
| 2010 | 100 | 114 |
| 2011 | 97 | 107 |
| 2012 | 98 | 106 |
| 2013 | 100 | 106 |
| 2014 | 106 | 111 |
| 2015 | 111 | 113 |
| 2016 | 120 | 118 |
| 2017 | 129 | 124 |
| 2018 | 136 | 126 |
| 2019 | 140 | 128 |
| 2020 | 142 | 132 |
| 2021 | 157 | 145 |
| 2022 | 172 | 158 |
| 2023 | 174 | 157 |
| 2024 | 174 | 158 |
| 2025 | 178 | 160 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 163 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £89,980 in North East Lincolnshire. Now it is £232,548 and £146,762: Birmingham is up 79% and North East Lincolnshire is up 63%. Prices have risen faster in Birmingham, 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 | North East Lincolnshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 4.5 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 4.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 4.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 4.5 years in North East Lincolnshire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 4.1 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 | North East Lincolnshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 103 |
| 2018 | 111 | 103 |
| 2019 | 113 | 105 |
| 2020 | 116 | 106 |
| 2021 | 118 | 107 |
| 2022 | 122 | 110 |
| 2023 | 132 | 117 |
| 2024 | 147 | 121 |
| 2025 | 156 | 127 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 137 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £470 in North East Lincolnshire. Now it is £1,099 and £643: up 61% in Birmingham and up 37% in North East Lincolnshire. 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 North East Lincolnshire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in North East Lincolnshire | Equivalent to rent in North East Lincolnshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £14,500 | £17,500 |
| £40,000 | £19,000 | £23,500 |
| £50,000 | £24,000 | £29,500 |
| £60,000 | £28,500 | £35,000 |
Moving from North East Lincolnshire to Birmingham
| Earning in North East Lincolnshire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £63,000 | £51,000 |
| £40,000 | £84,000 | £68,500 |
| £50,000 | £105,000 | £85,500 |
| £60,000 | £125,500 | £102,500 |
All Birmingham figures · All North East Lincolnshire figures