Birmingham vs South Hams: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £55,000 (25%) more in South Hams than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in South Hams: it takes 7.1× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | South Hams | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| 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 Hams (£38,638) is 7% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 25% more (£275,000 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 7.1× in South Hams. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 29% in South Hams. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in South Hams, 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 Hams is the 85th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and South Hams is around the middle of 316 areas (179th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £50,000 in South Hams to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £34,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Hams 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 46.3 in South Hams, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in South Hams. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.3 in South Hams.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | South Hams |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £38,638 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 70% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | South Hams | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £515,000 | +14% in South Hams |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £305,000 | +15% in South Hams |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £275,000 | +25% in South Hams |
| Flat | £145,000 | £210,000 | +45% in South Hams |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | South Hams | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,394 | -3% in South Hams |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,103 | -4% in South Hams |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £949 | -13% in South Hams |
| Flat | £919 | £853 | -7% in South Hams |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 46.3 in South Hams, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in South Hams.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | South Hams | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 46.3 | -59% in South Hams |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 21.8 | -53% in South Hams |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.6 | -46% in South Hams |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.2 | -94% in South Hams |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.4 | -80% in South Hams |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.3 | -88% in South Hams |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -84% in South Hams |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.9 | -46% in South Hams |
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 Hams |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 118 |
| 2008 | 105 | 112 |
| 2009 | 95 | 100 |
| 2010 | 100 | 112 |
| 2011 | 97 | 112 |
| 2012 | 98 | 111 |
| 2013 | 100 | 110 |
| 2014 | 106 | 117 |
| 2015 | 111 | 122 |
| 2016 | 120 | 126 |
| 2017 | 129 | 126 |
| 2018 | 136 | 132 |
| 2019 | 140 | 135 |
| 2020 | 142 | 140 |
| 2021 | 157 | 152 |
| 2022 | 172 | 170 |
| 2023 | 174 | 170 |
| 2024 | 174 | 168 |
| 2025 | 178 | 164 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 159 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £228,256 in South Hams. Now it is £232,548 and £362,244: Birmingham is up 79% and South Hams is up 59%. 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 Hams |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 9.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 10.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 10.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 9.9 years in South Hams. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 9.7 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 Hams |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 102 |
| 2017 | 108 | 104 |
| 2018 | 111 | 106 |
| 2019 | 113 | 108 |
| 2020 | 116 | 110 |
| 2021 | 118 | 114 |
| 2022 | 122 | 122 |
| 2023 | 132 | 130 |
| 2024 | 147 | 136 |
| 2025 | 156 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £686 in South Hams. Now it is £1,099 and £1,012: up 61% in Birmingham and up 48% in South Hams. 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 South Hams
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in South Hams | Equivalent to rent in South Hams |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £37,500 | £26,000 |
| £40,000 | £50,000 | £34,500 |
| £50,000 | £62,500 | £43,500 |
| £60,000 | £75,000 | £52,000 |
Moving from South Hams to Birmingham
| Earning in South Hams | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £24,000 | £34,500 |
| £40,000 | £32,000 | £46,000 |
| £50,000 | £40,000 | £57,500 |
| £60,000 | £48,000 | £69,000 |