Birmingham vs South Gloucestershire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £80,000 (36%) more in South Gloucestershire than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in South Gloucestershire: it takes 7.4× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | South Gloucestershire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| 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 South Gloucestershire (£40,731) is 13% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 36% more (£300,000 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 7.4× in South Gloucestershire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 43% in South Gloucestershire. Both are harder in South Gloucestershire, 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 South Gloucestershire is the 124th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and South Gloucestershire is the 58th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £54,500 in South Gloucestershire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £53,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Gloucestershire 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 73.8 in South Gloucestershire, so recorded crime per resident is 35% lower in South Gloucestershire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.5 in South Gloucestershire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | South Gloucestershire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £40,731 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 7.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 68% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 43% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | South Gloucestershire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £500,000 | +10% in South Gloucestershire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £355,000 | +34% in South Gloucestershire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £300,000 | +36% in South Gloucestershire |
| Flat | £145,000 | £199,950 | +38% in South Gloucestershire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | South Gloucestershire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,978 | +38% in South Gloucestershire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,572 | +37% in South Gloucestershire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,467 | +34% in South Gloucestershire |
| Flat | £919 | £1,156 | +26% in South Gloucestershire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 73.8 in South Gloucestershire, so recorded crime per resident is 35% lower in South Gloucestershire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | South Gloucestershire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 73.8 | -35% in South Gloucestershire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 30.0 | -35% in South Gloucestershire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.4 | -30% in South Gloucestershire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 1.0 | -69% in South Gloucestershire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 6.6 | -43% in South Gloucestershire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.5 | -65% in South Gloucestershire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -88% in South Gloucestershire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.9 | -35% in South Gloucestershire |
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 Gloucestershire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 119 |
| 2008 | 105 | 113 |
| 2009 | 95 | 100 |
| 2010 | 100 | 108 |
| 2011 | 97 | 107 |
| 2012 | 98 | 109 |
| 2013 | 100 | 112 |
| 2014 | 106 | 122 |
| 2015 | 111 | 132 |
| 2016 | 120 | 146 |
| 2017 | 129 | 155 |
| 2018 | 136 | 160 |
| 2019 | 140 | 163 |
| 2020 | 142 | 166 |
| 2021 | 157 | 176 |
| 2022 | 172 | 195 |
| 2023 | 174 | 198 |
| 2024 | 174 | 196 |
| 2025 | 178 | 202 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 204 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £164,427 in South Gloucestershire. Now it is £232,548 and £334,712: Birmingham is up 79% and South Gloucestershire is up 104%. Prices have risen faster in South Gloucestershire, 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 Gloucestershire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 8.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.8 years in South Gloucestershire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.2 years.
Affordability has worsened more in South Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 106 |
| 2017 | 108 | 113 |
| 2018 | 111 | 116 |
| 2019 | 113 | 118 |
| 2020 | 116 | 120 |
| 2021 | 118 | 128 |
| 2022 | 122 | 137 |
| 2023 | 132 | 151 |
| 2024 | 147 | 162 |
| 2025 | 156 | 171 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 178 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £822 in South Gloucestershire. Now it is £1,099 and £1,464: up 61% in Birmingham and up 78% in South Gloucestershire. Rents have risen faster in South Gloucestershire.
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 Gloucestershire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in South Gloucestershire | Equivalent to rent in South Gloucestershire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £41,000 | £40,000 |
| £40,000 | £54,500 | £53,500 |
| £50,000 | £68,000 | £67,000 |
| £60,000 | £82,000 | £80,500 |
Moving from South Gloucestershire to Birmingham
| Earning in South Gloucestershire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £22,000 | £22,500 |
| £40,000 | £29,500 | £30,000 |
| £50,000 | £36,500 | £37,500 |
| £60,000 | £44,000 | £45,000 |