Pay vs Place

Birmingham vs Oxford: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £240,000 (109%) more in Oxford than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Oxford: it takes 10.6× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.

Birmingham, terraced
£220,000
Income typically needed: £44,000
Median full-time pay: £35,989
Oxford, terraced
£460,000
Income typically needed: £92,000
Median full-time pay: £43,289

At a glance

Birmingham Oxford
Buying a home Fairly affordable Expensive
Renting a home Expensive Very expensive
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 Oxford (£43,289) is 20% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 109% more (£460,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Birmingham 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 10.6× in Oxford. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 56% in Oxford. Both are harder in Oxford, 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 Oxford is the 43rd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Oxford is the 18th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £83,500 in Oxford to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £74,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Oxford would leave you worse 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 96.3 in Oxford, so recorded crime per resident is 16% lower in Oxford. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 4.3 in Oxford.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Birmingham Oxford
Median full-time pay £35,989 £43,289
House price ÷ pay 6.1× 10.6×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 82% 47%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 37% 56%

Buying, by property type

Type Birmingham Oxford Difference
Detached £452,500 £922,500 +104% in Oxford
Semi-detached £265,000 £479,500 +81% in Oxford
Terraced £220,000 £460,000 +109% in Oxford
Flat £145,000 £335,000 +131% in Oxford

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Birmingham Oxford Difference
Detached £1,434 £2,593 +81% in Oxford
Semi-detached £1,151 £2,188 +90% in Oxford
Terraced £1,095 £2,022 +85% in Oxford
Flat £919 £1,557 +69% in Oxford

Crime

Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 96.3 in Oxford, so recorded crime per resident is 16% lower in Oxford.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Birmingham Oxford Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 114.2 96.3 -16% in Oxford
Violence against the person 46.1 30.7 -33% in Oxford
Sexual offences 4.8 3.9 -19% in Oxford
Robbery 3.1 1.3 -57% in Oxford
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 11.7 5.7 -51% in Oxford
Vehicle offences 10.2 4.3 -58% in Oxford
Theft from the person 1.3 2.1 +68% in Oxford
Criminal damage and arson 9.1 6.6 -27% in Oxford

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.

Birmingham: 179Oxford: 200
House prices in Birmingham and Oxford since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Birmingham now 179, Oxford now 200.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Birmingham and Oxford since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Birmingham now 179, Oxford now 200.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBirminghamOxford
2005100100
2006104107
2007109118
2008105117
200995105
2010100121
201197119
201298127
2013100131
2014106146
2015111164
2016120176
2017129180
2018136178
2019140178
2020142180
2021157187
2022172197
2023174197
2024174201
2025178199
12 months to July 2026179200

In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £241,793 in Oxford. Now it is £232,548 and £483,054: Birmingham is up 79% and Oxford is up 100%. Prices have risen faster in Oxford, 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.

Birmingham: 6.5 years of payOxford: 11.1 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Birmingham and OxfordBirmingham now 6.5, Oxford now 11.1 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Birmingham and OxfordBirmingham now 6.5, Oxford now 11.1 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBirminghamOxford
20056.1 years of pay10.4 years of pay
20105.5 years of pay11.0 years of pay
20155.8 years of pay13.0 years of pay
20206.3 years of pay12.8 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay11.1 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 10.4 years in Oxford. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 11.1 years.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Birmingham: 161Oxford: 156
Rents in Birmingham and Oxford since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Birmingham now 161, Oxford now 156.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Birmingham and Oxford since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Birmingham now 161, Oxford now 156.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBirminghamOxford
2015100100
2016105103
2017108108
2018111111
2019113113
2020116116
2021118116
2022122121
2023132127
2024147135
2025156148
August 2026161156

In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £1,260 in Oxford. Now it is £1,099 and £1,963: up 61% in Birmingham and up 56% in Oxford. 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 Oxford

Earning in Birmingham Equivalent to buy in Oxford Equivalent to rent in Oxford
£30,000 £62,500 £55,500
£40,000 £83,500 £74,000
£50,000 £104,500 £92,500
£60,000 £125,500 £111,000

Moving from Oxford to Birmingham

Earning in Oxford Equivalent to buy in Birmingham Equivalent to rent in Birmingham
£30,000 £14,500 £16,000
£40,000 £19,000 £21,500
£50,000 £24,000 £27,000
£60,000 £28,500 £32,500
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Birmingham figures · All Oxford figures