Birmingham vs North West Leicestershire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £38,500 (21%) more in Birmingham than in North West Leicestershire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.7× in North West Leicestershire.
At a glance
| Birmingham | North West Leicestershire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| 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 North West Leicestershire (£38,795) is 8% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 18% less (£181,500 against £220,000). Set against local pay, North West Leicestershire 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 4.7× in North West Leicestershire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 27% in North West Leicestershire. 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 West Leicestershire is the 118th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and North West Leicestershire is the 90th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £33,000 in North West Leicestershire 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 West Leicestershire 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 59.2 in North West Leicestershire, so recorded crime per resident is 48% lower in North West Leicestershire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 4.1 in North West Leicestershire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | North West Leicestershire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £38,795 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 4.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 107% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 27% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | North West Leicestershire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £360,000 | -20% in North West Leicestershire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £237,500 | -10% in North West Leicestershire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £181,500 | -18% in North West Leicestershire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | North West Leicestershire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,237 | -14% in North West Leicestershire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £962 | -16% in North West Leicestershire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £875 | -20% in North West Leicestershire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 59.2 in North West Leicestershire, so recorded crime per resident is 48% lower in North West Leicestershire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | North West Leicestershire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 59.2 | -48% in North West Leicestershire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 23.0 | -50% in North West Leicestershire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.8 | -42% in North West Leicestershire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.3 | -91% in North West Leicestershire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 5.2 | -56% in North West Leicestershire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 4.1 | -60% in North West Leicestershire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.4 | -66% in North West Leicestershire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 6.5 | -28% in North West Leicestershire |
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 West Leicestershire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 103 |
| 2007 | 109 | 109 |
| 2008 | 105 | 107 |
| 2009 | 95 | 95 |
| 2010 | 100 | 99 |
| 2011 | 97 | 99 |
| 2012 | 98 | 98 |
| 2013 | 100 | 100 |
| 2014 | 106 | 107 |
| 2015 | 111 | 111 |
| 2016 | 120 | 118 |
| 2017 | 129 | 123 |
| 2018 | 136 | 131 |
| 2019 | 140 | 134 |
| 2020 | 142 | 139 |
| 2021 | 157 | 149 |
| 2022 | 172 | 162 |
| 2023 | 174 | 164 |
| 2024 | 174 | 165 |
| 2025 | 178 | 169 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 173 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £162,435 in North West Leicestershire. Now it is £232,548 and £281,715: Birmingham is up 79% and North West Leicestershire is up 73%. Prices have risen faster in Birmingham, 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 | North West Leicestershire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 7.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 7.4 years in North West Leicestershire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.1 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 West Leicestershire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 105 |
| 2017 | 108 | 108 |
| 2018 | 111 | 111 |
| 2019 | 113 | 113 |
| 2020 | 116 | 115 |
| 2021 | 118 | 118 |
| 2022 | 122 | 121 |
| 2023 | 132 | 129 |
| 2024 | 147 | 139 |
| 2025 | 156 | 148 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £568 in North West Leicestershire. Now it is £1,099 and £914: up 61% in Birmingham and up 61% in North West Leicestershire.
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 West Leicestershire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in North West Leicestershire | Equivalent to rent in North West Leicestershire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £24,000 |
| £40,000 | £33,000 | £32,000 |
| £50,000 | £41,500 | £40,000 |
| £60,000 | £49,500 | £48,000 |
Moving from North West Leicestershire to Birmingham
| Earning in North West Leicestershire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,500 | £37,500 |
| £40,000 | £48,500 | £50,000 |
| £50,000 | £60,500 | £62,500 |
| £60,000 | £72,500 | £75,000 |
All Birmingham figures · All North West Leicestershire figures