Birmingham vs South Cambridgeshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £105,000 (48%) more in South Cambridgeshire than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in South Cambridgeshire: it takes 6.6× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | South Cambridgeshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| 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 South Cambridgeshire (£48,916) is 36% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 48% more (£325,000 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 6.6× in South Cambridgeshire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 34% in South Cambridgeshire. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in South Cambridgeshire, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Birmingham.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and South Cambridgeshire is the 108th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and South Cambridgeshire is around the middle of 316 areas (137th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £59,000 in South Cambridgeshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £51,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Cambridgeshire 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 46.9 in South Cambridgeshire, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in South Cambridgeshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.6 in South Cambridgeshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £48,916 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 6.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 75% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | South Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £597,500 | +32% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £396,250 | +50% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £325,000 | +48% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Flat | £145,000 | £216,500 | +49% in South Cambridgeshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | South Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,928 | +34% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,469 | +28% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,400 | +28% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Flat | £919 | £1,171 | +27% in South Cambridgeshire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 46.9 in South Cambridgeshire, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in South Cambridgeshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | South Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 46.9 | -59% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 16.9 | -63% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 1.8 | -62% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.3 | -89% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 6.0 | -49% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.6 | -65% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -88% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.0 | -44% in South Cambridgeshire |
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 | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 110 |
| 2007 | 109 | 119 |
| 2008 | 105 | 117 |
| 2009 | 95 | 105 |
| 2010 | 100 | 116 |
| 2011 | 97 | 117 |
| 2012 | 98 | 121 |
| 2013 | 100 | 125 |
| 2014 | 106 | 135 |
| 2015 | 111 | 152 |
| 2016 | 120 | 165 |
| 2017 | 129 | 174 |
| 2018 | 136 | 177 |
| 2019 | 140 | 174 |
| 2020 | 142 | 176 |
| 2021 | 157 | 181 |
| 2022 | 172 | 194 |
| 2023 | 174 | 198 |
| 2024 | 174 | 197 |
| 2025 | 178 | 200 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 202 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £215,853 in South Cambridgeshire. Now it is £232,548 and £435,383: Birmingham is up 79% and South Cambridgeshire is up 102%. Prices have risen faster in South Cambridgeshire, 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 | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 8.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 10.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 9.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 8.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 8.1 years in South Cambridgeshire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.8 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 | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 108 | 110 |
| 2018 | 111 | 113 |
| 2019 | 113 | 115 |
| 2020 | 116 | 116 |
| 2021 | 118 | 121 |
| 2022 | 122 | 128 |
| 2023 | 132 | 137 |
| 2024 | 147 | 147 |
| 2025 | 156 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 162 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £870 in South Cambridgeshire. Now it is £1,099 and £1,408: up 61% in Birmingham and up 62% in South Cambridgeshire.
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 South Cambridgeshire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in South Cambridgeshire | Equivalent to rent in South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £44,500 | £38,500 |
| £40,000 | £59,000 | £51,000 |
| £50,000 | £74,000 | £64,000 |
| £60,000 | £88,500 | £76,500 |
Moving from South Cambridgeshire to Birmingham
| Earning in South Cambridgeshire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,500 | £23,500 |
| £40,000 | £27,000 | £31,500 |
| £50,000 | £34,000 | £39,000 |
| £60,000 | £40,500 | £47,000 |