Birmingham vs South Derbyshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £33,000 (18%) more in Birmingham than in South Derbyshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.5× in South Derbyshire.
At a glance
| Birmingham | South Derbyshire | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 South Derbyshire (£41,520) is 15% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 15% less (£187,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, South Derbyshire 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 4.5× in South Derbyshire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 25% in South Derbyshire. 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 South Derbyshire is the 67th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and South Derbyshire is the 41st least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £34,000 in South Derbyshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £31,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Derbyshire 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 52.7 in South Derbyshire, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in South Derbyshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.4 in South Derbyshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | South Derbyshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £41,520 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 4.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 111% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 25% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | South Derbyshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £337,725 | -25% in South Derbyshire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £220,250 | -17% in South Derbyshire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £187,000 | -15% in South Derbyshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | South Derbyshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,163 | -19% in South Derbyshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £927 | -19% in South Derbyshire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £869 | -21% in South Derbyshire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 52.7 in South Derbyshire, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in South Derbyshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | South Derbyshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 52.7 | -54% in South Derbyshire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 23.8 | -48% in South Derbyshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.7 | -45% in South Derbyshire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.2 | -94% in South Derbyshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 4.3 | -64% in South Derbyshire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.4 | -67% in South Derbyshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.3 | -73% in South Derbyshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.4 | -51% in South Derbyshire |
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 Derbyshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 112 |
| 2008 | 105 | 106 |
| 2009 | 95 | 95 |
| 2010 | 100 | 100 |
| 2011 | 97 | 98 |
| 2012 | 98 | 100 |
| 2013 | 100 | 100 |
| 2014 | 106 | 107 |
| 2015 | 111 | 114 |
| 2016 | 120 | 120 |
| 2017 | 129 | 126 |
| 2018 | 136 | 129 |
| 2019 | 140 | 131 |
| 2020 | 142 | 133 |
| 2021 | 157 | 143 |
| 2022 | 172 | 157 |
| 2023 | 174 | 162 |
| 2024 | 174 | 163 |
| 2025 | 178 | 167 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 171 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £150,639 in South Derbyshire. Now it is £232,548 and £256,921: Birmingham is up 79% and South Derbyshire is up 71%. 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 | South Derbyshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.5 years in South Derbyshire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.1 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 | South Derbyshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 108 | 107 |
| 2018 | 111 | 109 |
| 2019 | 113 | 111 |
| 2020 | 116 | 113 |
| 2021 | 118 | 118 |
| 2022 | 122 | 124 |
| 2023 | 132 | 130 |
| 2024 | 147 | 139 |
| 2025 | 156 | 150 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 157 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £563 in South Derbyshire. Now it is £1,099 and £882: up 61% in Birmingham and up 57% in South Derbyshire.
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 Derbyshire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in South Derbyshire | Equivalent to rent in South Derbyshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £24,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £31,500 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £39,500 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £47,500 |
Moving from South Derbyshire to Birmingham
| Earning in South Derbyshire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £38,000 |
| £40,000 | £47,000 | £50,500 |
| £50,000 | £59,000 | £63,000 |
| £60,000 | £70,500 | £75,500 |