Birmingham vs Rhondda Cynon Taf: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £85,000 (63%) more in Birmingham than in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 3.9× in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Rhondda Cynon Taf | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | 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 Rhondda Cynon Taf (£34,837) is 3% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 39% less (£135,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Rhondda Cynon Taf 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 3.9× in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 25% in Rhondda Cynon Taf. 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 Rhondda Cynon Taf is the 15th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Rhondda Cynon Taf is the 50th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £24,500 in Rhondda Cynon Taf to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £27,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Rhondda Cynon Taf 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 76.5 in Rhondda Cynon Taf, so recorded crime per resident is 33% lower in Rhondda Cynon Taf. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 11.7 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.4 in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £34,837 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 3.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 129% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 25% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Rhondda Cynon Taf | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £335,000 | -26% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £205,850 | -22% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £135,000 | -39% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Rhondda Cynon Taf | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £967 | -33% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £802 | -30% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £733 | -33% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 76.5 in Rhondda Cynon Taf, so recorded crime per resident is 33% lower in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Rhondda Cynon Taf | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 76.5 | -33% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 34.0 | -26% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.5 | -27% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.4 | -87% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.4 | -71% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.6 | -65% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.3 | -74% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 7.1 | -22% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
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 | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 111 |
| 2007 | 109 | 121 |
| 2008 | 105 | 113 |
| 2009 | 95 | 103 |
| 2010 | 100 | 104 |
| 2011 | 97 | 102 |
| 2012 | 98 | 102 |
| 2013 | 100 | 101 |
| 2014 | 106 | 108 |
| 2015 | 111 | 112 |
| 2016 | 120 | 119 |
| 2017 | 129 | 122 |
| 2018 | 136 | 126 |
| 2019 | 140 | 133 |
| 2020 | 142 | 139 |
| 2021 | 157 | 160 |
| 2022 | 172 | 181 |
| 2023 | 174 | 183 |
| 2024 | 174 | 187 |
| 2025 | 178 | 195 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 202 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £80,055 in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Now it is £232,548 and £162,007: Birmingham is up 79% and Rhondda Cynon Taf is up 102%. Prices have risen faster in Rhondda Cynon Taf, 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 | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | – |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 3.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 4.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 4.5 years of pay |
In 2015 a home cost 5.8 years of pay in Birmingham and 3.6 years in Rhondda Cynon Taf. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 4.5 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 | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 99 |
| 2017 | 108 | 99 |
| 2018 | 111 | 101 |
| 2019 | 113 | 103 |
| 2020 | 116 | 108 |
| 2021 | 118 | 110 |
| 2022 | 122 | 116 |
| 2023 | 132 | 129 |
| 2024 | 147 | 140 |
| 2025 | 156 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 163 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £464 in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Now it is £1,099 and £754: up 61% in Birmingham and up 63% in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
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 Rhondda Cynon Taf
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Rhondda Cynon Taf | Equivalent to rent in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £18,500 | £20,000 |
| £40,000 | £24,500 | £27,000 |
| £50,000 | £30,500 | £33,500 |
| £60,000 | £37,000 | £40,000 |
Moving from Rhondda Cynon Taf to Birmingham
| Earning in Rhondda Cynon Taf | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £49,000 | £45,000 |
| £40,000 | £65,000 | £60,000 |
| £50,000 | £81,500 | £74,500 |
| £60,000 | £98,000 | £89,500 |