Birmingham vs South Ribble: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £60,000 (38%) more in Birmingham than in South Ribble. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.2× in South Ribble.
At a glance
| Birmingham | South Ribble | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Ribble (£37,883) is 5% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 27% less (£160,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, South Ribble 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 4.2× in South Ribble. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 26% in South Ribble. Both are harder in Birmingham, 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 Ribble is the 54th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and South Ribble is the 42nd least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £29,000 in South Ribble to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £30,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Ribble 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 56.7 in South Ribble, so recorded crime per resident is 50% lower in South Ribble. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.4 in South Ribble.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | South Ribble |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £37,883 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 4.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 118% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | South Ribble | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £323,000 | -29% in South Ribble |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £208,000 | -22% in South Ribble |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £160,000 | -27% in South Ribble |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | South Ribble | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,075 | -25% in South Ribble |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £851 | -26% in South Ribble |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £833 | -24% in South Ribble |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 56.7 in South Ribble, so recorded crime per resident is 50% lower in South Ribble.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | South Ribble | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 56.7 | -50% in South Ribble |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 25.5 | -45% in South Ribble |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.8 | -42% in South Ribble |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.5 | -85% in South Ribble |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.7 | -68% in South Ribble |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 2.4 | -76% in South Ribble |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -86% in South Ribble |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.9 | -35% in South Ribble |
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 Ribble |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 109 | 112 |
| 2008 | 105 | 109 |
| 2009 | 95 | 97 |
| 2010 | 100 | 103 |
| 2011 | 97 | 99 |
| 2012 | 98 | 97 |
| 2013 | 100 | 98 |
| 2014 | 106 | 101 |
| 2015 | 111 | 103 |
| 2016 | 120 | 108 |
| 2017 | 129 | 111 |
| 2018 | 136 | 114 |
| 2019 | 140 | 115 |
| 2020 | 142 | 118 |
| 2021 | 157 | 127 |
| 2022 | 172 | 138 |
| 2023 | 174 | 143 |
| 2024 | 174 | 143 |
| 2025 | 178 | 150 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 153 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £137,240 in South Ribble. Now it is £232,548 and £210,395: Birmingham is up 79% and South Ribble is up 53%. 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 Ribble |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.2 years in South Ribble. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 5.4 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 Ribble |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 102 |
| 2017 | 108 | 103 |
| 2018 | 111 | 104 |
| 2019 | 113 | 105 |
| 2020 | 116 | 106 |
| 2021 | 118 | 108 |
| 2022 | 122 | 113 |
| 2023 | 132 | 120 |
| 2024 | 147 | 129 |
| 2025 | 156 | 137 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 145 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £555 in South Ribble. Now it is £1,099 and £805: up 61% in Birmingham and up 45% in South Ribble. 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 Ribble
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in South Ribble | Equivalent to rent in South Ribble |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £22,000 | £23,000 |
| £40,000 | £29,000 | £30,500 |
| £50,000 | £36,500 | £38,000 |
| £60,000 | £43,500 | £45,500 |
Moving from South Ribble to Birmingham
| Earning in South Ribble | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £41,500 | £39,500 |
| £40,000 | £55,000 | £52,500 |
| £50,000 | £69,000 | £65,500 |
| £60,000 | £82,500 | £79,000 |