Birmingham vs North Tyneside: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £15,000 (7%) more in Birmingham than in North Tyneside. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.5× in North Tyneside.
At a glance
| Birmingham | North Tyneside | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly 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 North Tyneside (£37,063) is 3% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 7% less (£205,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, North Tyneside 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 5.5× in North Tyneside. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 29% in North Tyneside. 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 North Tyneside is the 49th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and North Tyneside is the 83rd least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £37,500 in North Tyneside to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £32,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to North Tyneside 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 81.8 in North Tyneside, so recorded crime per resident is 28% lower in North Tyneside. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.8 in North Tyneside.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | North Tyneside |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £37,063 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 90% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | North Tyneside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £340,000 | -25% in North Tyneside |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £229,995 | -13% in North Tyneside |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £205,000 | -7% in North Tyneside |
| Flat | £145,000 | £131,500 | -9% in North Tyneside |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | North Tyneside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,165 | -19% in North Tyneside |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £907 | -21% in North Tyneside |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £881 | -20% in North Tyneside |
| Flat | £919 | £716 | -22% in North Tyneside |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 81.8 in North Tyneside, so recorded crime per resident is 28% lower in North Tyneside.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | North Tyneside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 81.8 | -28% in North Tyneside |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 28.8 | -38% in North Tyneside |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.7 | -24% in North Tyneside |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 1.4 | -55% in North Tyneside |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 6.6 | -44% in North Tyneside |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.8 | -63% in North Tyneside |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.4 | -69% in North Tyneside |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 8.9 | -2% in North Tyneside |
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 Tyneside |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 109 | 113 |
| 2008 | 105 | 109 |
| 2009 | 95 | 99 |
| 2010 | 100 | 103 |
| 2011 | 97 | 99 |
| 2012 | 98 | 100 |
| 2013 | 100 | 102 |
| 2014 | 106 | 108 |
| 2015 | 111 | 112 |
| 2016 | 120 | 116 |
| 2017 | 129 | 118 |
| 2018 | 136 | 121 |
| 2019 | 140 | 123 |
| 2020 | 142 | 126 |
| 2021 | 157 | 136 |
| 2022 | 172 | 149 |
| 2023 | 174 | 154 |
| 2024 | 174 | 154 |
| 2025 | 178 | 161 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 163 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £122,649 in North Tyneside. Now it is £232,548 and £200,393: Birmingham is up 79% and North Tyneside 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 Tyneside |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 5.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.1 years in North Tyneside. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 5.3 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 Tyneside |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 102 |
| 2017 | 108 | 103 |
| 2018 | 111 | 104 |
| 2019 | 113 | 104 |
| 2020 | 116 | 105 |
| 2021 | 118 | 108 |
| 2022 | 122 | 112 |
| 2023 | 132 | 117 |
| 2024 | 147 | 126 |
| 2025 | 156 | 137 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 147 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £583 in North Tyneside. Now it is £1,099 and £857: up 61% in Birmingham and up 47% in North Tyneside. 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 Tyneside
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in North Tyneside | Equivalent to rent in North Tyneside |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £24,000 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £32,000 |
| £50,000 | £46,500 | £40,000 |
| £60,000 | £56,000 | £48,500 |
Moving from North Tyneside to Birmingham
| Earning in North Tyneside | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £37,500 |
| £40,000 | £43,000 | £49,500 |
| £50,000 | £53,500 | £62,000 |
| £60,000 | £64,500 | £74,500 |