Birmingham vs South Oxfordshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £145,000 (66%) more in South Oxfordshire than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in South Oxfordshire: it takes 7.5× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | South Oxfordshire | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Oxfordshire (£48,525) is 35% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 66% more (£365,000 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 7.5× in South Oxfordshire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 33% in South Oxfordshire. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in South Oxfordshire, 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 Oxfordshire is the 77th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and South Oxfordshire is around the middle of 316 areas (135th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £66,500 in South Oxfordshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £48,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Oxfordshire 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 40.6 in South Oxfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 64% lower in South Oxfordshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.1 in South Oxfordshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | South Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £48,525 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 7.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 66% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 33% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | South Oxfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £685,000 | +51% in South Oxfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £420,250 | +59% in South Oxfordshire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £365,000 | +66% in South Oxfordshire |
| Flat | £145,000 | £255,000 | +76% in South Oxfordshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | South Oxfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £2,026 | +41% in South Oxfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,553 | +35% in South Oxfordshire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,330 | +21% in South Oxfordshire |
| Flat | £919 | £1,171 | +27% in South Oxfordshire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 40.6 in South Oxfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 64% lower in South Oxfordshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | South Oxfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 40.6 | -64% in South Oxfordshire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 16.4 | -65% in South Oxfordshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 1.9 | -60% in South Oxfordshire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.3 | -89% in South Oxfordshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.6 | -78% in South Oxfordshire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 2.1 | -79% in South Oxfordshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -84% in South Oxfordshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 3.9 | -57% in South Oxfordshire |
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 Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 109 | 120 |
| 2008 | 105 | 116 |
| 2009 | 95 | 107 |
| 2010 | 100 | 119 |
| 2011 | 97 | 119 |
| 2012 | 98 | 121 |
| 2013 | 100 | 127 |
| 2014 | 106 | 135 |
| 2015 | 111 | 147 |
| 2016 | 120 | 158 |
| 2017 | 129 | 164 |
| 2018 | 136 | 165 |
| 2019 | 140 | 166 |
| 2020 | 142 | 174 |
| 2021 | 157 | 182 |
| 2022 | 172 | 195 |
| 2023 | 174 | 195 |
| 2024 | 174 | 193 |
| 2025 | 178 | 197 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 199 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £235,703 in South Oxfordshire. Now it is £232,548 and £470,058: Birmingham is up 79% and South Oxfordshire is up 99%. Prices have risen faster in South Oxfordshire, 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 Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 10.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 10.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 9.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 8.4 years in South Oxfordshire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 9.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in South Oxfordshire 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 Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 105 |
| 2017 | 108 | 110 |
| 2018 | 111 | 110 |
| 2019 | 113 | 109 |
| 2020 | 116 | 113 |
| 2021 | 118 | 114 |
| 2022 | 122 | 119 |
| 2023 | 132 | 123 |
| 2024 | 147 | 133 |
| 2025 | 156 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 145 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £967 in South Oxfordshire. Now it is £1,099 and £1,402: up 61% in Birmingham and up 45% in South Oxfordshire. 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 Oxfordshire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in South Oxfordshire | Equivalent to rent in South Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £50,000 | £36,500 |
| £40,000 | £66,500 | £48,500 |
| £50,000 | £83,000 | £60,500 |
| £60,000 | £99,500 | £73,000 |
Moving from South Oxfordshire to Birmingham
| Earning in South Oxfordshire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £18,000 | £24,500 |
| £40,000 | £24,000 | £33,000 |
| £50,000 | £30,000 | £41,000 |
| £60,000 | £36,000 | £49,500 |