Birmingham vs Nuneaton and Bedworth: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £40,000 (22%) more in Birmingham than in Nuneaton and Bedworth. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.1× in Nuneaton and Bedworth.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Nuneaton and Bedworth | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Nuneaton and Bedworth (£35,277) is 2% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 18% less (£180,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Nuneaton and Bedworth 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 5.1× in Nuneaton and Bedworth. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 31% in Nuneaton and Bedworth. 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 Nuneaton and Bedworth is the 105th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Nuneaton and Bedworth is around the middle of 316 areas (178th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £32,500 in Nuneaton and Bedworth to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £33,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Nuneaton and Bedworth 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 81.3 in Nuneaton and Bedworth, so recorded crime per resident is 29% lower in Nuneaton and Bedworth. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 6.2 in Nuneaton and Bedworth.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Nuneaton and Bedworth |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £35,277 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 5.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 98% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 31% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Nuneaton and Bedworth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £336,748 | -26% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £234,000 | -12% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £180,000 | -18% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Nuneaton and Bedworth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,238 | -14% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £991 | -14% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £910 | -17% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 81.3 in Nuneaton and Bedworth, so recorded crime per resident is 29% lower in Nuneaton and Bedworth.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Nuneaton and Bedworth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 81.3 | -29% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 30.8 | -33% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 4.1 | -15% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 1.3 | -59% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 7.2 | -38% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 6.2 | -39% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.5 | -58% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 7.0 | -23% in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
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 | Nuneaton and Bedworth |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 109 | 111 |
| 2008 | 105 | 107 |
| 2009 | 95 | 95 |
| 2010 | 100 | 101 |
| 2011 | 97 | 99 |
| 2012 | 98 | 98 |
| 2013 | 100 | 99 |
| 2014 | 106 | 105 |
| 2015 | 111 | 109 |
| 2016 | 120 | 118 |
| 2017 | 129 | 127 |
| 2018 | 136 | 134 |
| 2019 | 140 | 137 |
| 2020 | 142 | 142 |
| 2021 | 157 | 149 |
| 2022 | 172 | 166 |
| 2023 | 174 | 169 |
| 2024 | 174 | 168 |
| 2025 | 178 | 173 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 175 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £130,858 in Nuneaton and Bedworth. Now it is £232,548 and £228,606: Birmingham is up 79% and Nuneaton and Bedworth is up 75%.
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 | Nuneaton and Bedworth |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.0 years in Nuneaton and Bedworth. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.4 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 | Nuneaton and Bedworth |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 108 | 106 |
| 2018 | 111 | 108 |
| 2019 | 113 | 112 |
| 2020 | 116 | 114 |
| 2021 | 118 | 118 |
| 2022 | 122 | 122 |
| 2023 | 132 | 127 |
| 2024 | 147 | 140 |
| 2025 | 156 | 158 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 168 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £550 in Nuneaton and Bedworth. Now it is £1,099 and £925: up 61% in Birmingham and up 68% in Nuneaton and Bedworth. Rents have risen faster in Nuneaton and Bedworth.
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 Nuneaton and Bedworth
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Nuneaton and Bedworth | Equivalent to rent in Nuneaton and Bedworth |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £24,500 | £25,000 |
| £40,000 | £32,500 | £33,000 |
| £50,000 | £41,000 | £41,500 |
| £60,000 | £49,000 | £50,000 |
Moving from Nuneaton and Bedworth to Birmingham
| Earning in Nuneaton and Bedworth | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,500 | £36,000 |
| £40,000 | £49,000 | £48,000 |
| £50,000 | £61,000 | £60,000 |
| £60,000 | £73,500 | £72,000 |