Birmingham vs South Norfolk: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £15,000 (7%) more in South Norfolk than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Birmingham | South Norfolk | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Norfolk (£39,438) is 10% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 7% more (£235,000 against £220,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 6.1× annual pay in Birmingham and 6.0× in South Norfolk. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 30% in South Norfolk. Renting is harder in Birmingham; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and South Norfolk is around the middle of 316 areas (158th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and South Norfolk is the 120th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £42,500 in South Norfolk to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Norfolk 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 41.7 in South Norfolk, so recorded crime per resident is 63% lower in South Norfolk. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.1 in South Norfolk.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | South Norfolk |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £39,438 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 6.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 84% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 30% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | South Norfolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £375,000 | -17% in South Norfolk |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £266,500 | +1% in South Norfolk |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £235,000 | +7% in South Norfolk |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | South Norfolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,307 | -9% in South Norfolk |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,019 | -11% in South Norfolk |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £985 | -10% in South Norfolk |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 41.7 in South Norfolk, so recorded crime per resident is 63% lower in South Norfolk.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | South Norfolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 41.7 | -63% in South Norfolk |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 18.6 | -60% in South Norfolk |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.0 | -39% in South Norfolk |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.2 | -95% in South Norfolk |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.7 | -77% in South Norfolk |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.1 | -89% in South Norfolk |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -89% in South Norfolk |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.3 | -52% in South Norfolk |
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 Norfolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 109 | 115 |
| 2008 | 105 | 108 |
| 2009 | 95 | 97 |
| 2010 | 100 | 104 |
| 2011 | 97 | 103 |
| 2012 | 98 | 104 |
| 2013 | 100 | 108 |
| 2014 | 106 | 117 |
| 2015 | 111 | 123 |
| 2016 | 120 | 134 |
| 2017 | 129 | 141 |
| 2018 | 136 | 147 |
| 2019 | 140 | 149 |
| 2020 | 142 | 155 |
| 2021 | 157 | 164 |
| 2022 | 172 | 180 |
| 2023 | 174 | 182 |
| 2024 | 174 | 175 |
| 2025 | 178 | 182 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 183 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £170,112 in South Norfolk. Now it is £232,548 and £311,813: Birmingham is up 79% and South Norfolk is up 83%.
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 Norfolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.9 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 5.5 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.6 years in South Norfolk. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.9 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 Norfolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 108 | 107 |
| 2018 | 111 | 112 |
| 2019 | 113 | 115 |
| 2020 | 116 | 116 |
| 2021 | 118 | 120 |
| 2022 | 122 | 127 |
| 2023 | 132 | 136 |
| 2024 | 147 | 144 |
| 2025 | 156 | 153 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 160 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £615 in South Norfolk. Now it is £1,099 and £981: up 61% in Birmingham and up 60% in South Norfolk.
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 Norfolk
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in South Norfolk | Equivalent to rent in South Norfolk |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £36,000 |
| £50,000 | £53,500 | £45,000 |
| £60,000 | £64,000 | £54,000 |
Moving from South Norfolk to Birmingham
| Earning in South Norfolk | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £33,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £44,500 |
| £50,000 | £47,000 | £55,500 |
| £60,000 | £56,000 | £66,500 |