Birmingham vs South Tyneside: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £71,000 (48%) more in Birmingham than in South Tyneside. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.4× in South Tyneside.
At a glance
| Birmingham | South Tyneside | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | Above 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 Tyneside (£33,739) is 6% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 32% less (£149,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, South Tyneside 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 4.4× in South Tyneside. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 26% in South Tyneside. 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 Tyneside is the 19th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and South Tyneside is the 59th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £27,000 in South Tyneside to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £27,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Tyneside 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 96.6 in South Tyneside, so recorded crime per resident is 15% lower in South Tyneside. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.2 in South Tyneside.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | South Tyneside |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £33,739 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 4.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 113% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | South Tyneside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £339,950 | -25% in South Tyneside |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £187,000 | -29% in South Tyneside |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £149,000 | -32% in South Tyneside |
| Flat | £145,000 | £89,500 | -38% in South Tyneside |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | South Tyneside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,086 | -24% in South Tyneside |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £784 | -32% in South Tyneside |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £742 | -32% in South Tyneside |
| Flat | £919 | £636 | -31% in South Tyneside |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 96.6 in South Tyneside, so recorded crime per resident is 15% lower in South Tyneside.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | South Tyneside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 96.6 | -15% in South Tyneside |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 37.7 | -18% in South Tyneside |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.9 | -20% in South Tyneside |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 1.3 | -60% in South Tyneside |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 5.9 | -49% in South Tyneside |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.2 | -69% in South Tyneside |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.3 | -74% in South Tyneside |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 11.4 | +26% in South Tyneside |
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 Tyneside |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 109 |
| 2007 | 109 | 115 |
| 2008 | 105 | 112 |
| 2009 | 95 | 98 |
| 2010 | 100 | 103 |
| 2011 | 97 | 96 |
| 2012 | 98 | 96 |
| 2013 | 100 | 97 |
| 2014 | 106 | 99 |
| 2015 | 111 | 102 |
| 2016 | 120 | 105 |
| 2017 | 129 | 107 |
| 2018 | 136 | 110 |
| 2019 | 140 | 114 |
| 2020 | 142 | 113 |
| 2021 | 157 | 123 |
| 2022 | 172 | 131 |
| 2023 | 174 | 136 |
| 2024 | 174 | 138 |
| 2025 | 178 | 143 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 147 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £108,335 in South Tyneside. Now it is £232,548 and £159,098: Birmingham is up 79% and South Tyneside is up 47%. Prices have risen faster in Birmingham, 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 Tyneside |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 4.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 4.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 4.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 5.6 years in South Tyneside. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 4.6 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 Tyneside |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 102 |
| 2018 | 111 | 103 |
| 2019 | 113 | 102 |
| 2020 | 116 | 102 |
| 2021 | 118 | 104 |
| 2022 | 122 | 108 |
| 2023 | 132 | 114 |
| 2024 | 147 | 123 |
| 2025 | 156 | 134 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 145 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £512 in South Tyneside. Now it is £1,099 and £743: up 61% in Birmingham and up 45% in South Tyneside. 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 Tyneside
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in South Tyneside | Equivalent to rent in South Tyneside |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,500 | £20,500 |
| £40,000 | £27,000 | £27,000 |
| £50,000 | £34,000 | £34,000 |
| £60,000 | £40,500 | £40,500 |
Moving from South Tyneside to Birmingham
| Earning in South Tyneside | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £44,500 | £44,500 |
| £40,000 | £59,000 | £59,000 |
| £50,000 | £74,000 | £74,000 |
| £60,000 | £88,500 | £88,500 |