Birmingham vs Vale of Glamorgan: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £15,000 (7%) more in Vale of Glamorgan than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Vale of Glamorgan | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Vale of Glamorgan (£38,656) is 7% 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 6.1× in Vale of Glamorgan. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 29% in Vale of Glamorgan. 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 Vale of Glamorgan is around the middle of 316 areas (171st most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Vale of Glamorgan is around the middle of 316 areas (189th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £42,500 in Vale of Glamorgan 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 Vale of Glamorgan 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 60.9 in Vale of Glamorgan, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in Vale of Glamorgan. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 11.7 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.4 in Vale of Glamorgan.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £38,656 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £455,000 | +1% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £287,000 | +8% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £235,000 | +7% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Flat | £145,000 | £167,000 | +15% in Vale of Glamorgan |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,341 | -6% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £996 | -13% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £946 | -14% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Flat | £919 | £806 | -12% in Vale of Glamorgan |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 60.9 in Vale of Glamorgan, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in Vale of Glamorgan.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 60.9 | -47% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 23.9 | -48% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.4 | -51% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.5 | -83% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 2.4 | -80% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.0 | -71% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -81% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.6 | -38% in Vale of Glamorgan |
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 | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 113 |
| 2008 | 105 | 110 |
| 2009 | 95 | 103 |
| 2010 | 100 | 108 |
| 2011 | 97 | 107 |
| 2012 | 98 | 110 |
| 2013 | 100 | 110 |
| 2014 | 106 | 117 |
| 2015 | 111 | 122 |
| 2016 | 120 | 126 |
| 2017 | 129 | 131 |
| 2018 | 136 | 139 |
| 2019 | 140 | 143 |
| 2020 | 142 | 147 |
| 2021 | 157 | 158 |
| 2022 | 172 | 179 |
| 2023 | 174 | 182 |
| 2024 | 174 | 182 |
| 2025 | 178 | 187 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 190 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £155,856 in Vale of Glamorgan. Now it is £232,548 and £295,470: Birmingham is up 79% and Vale of Glamorgan is up 90%. Prices have risen faster in Vale of Glamorgan, 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 | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | – |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
In 2015 a home cost 5.8 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.8 years in Vale of Glamorgan. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 7.5 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 | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 104 |
| 2018 | 111 | 107 |
| 2019 | 113 | 108 |
| 2020 | 116 | 112 |
| 2021 | 118 | 112 |
| 2022 | 122 | 118 |
| 2023 | 132 | 129 |
| 2024 | 147 | 140 |
| 2025 | 156 | 152 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 158 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £620 in Vale of Glamorgan. Now it is £1,099 and £982: up 61% in Birmingham and up 58% in Vale of Glamorgan.
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 Vale of Glamorgan
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Vale of Glamorgan | Equivalent to rent in Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £26,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £34,500 |
| £50,000 | £53,500 | £43,000 |
| £60,000 | £64,000 | £52,000 |
Moving from Vale of Glamorgan to Birmingham
| Earning in Vale of Glamorgan | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £34,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £46,500 |
| £50,000 | £47,000 | £58,000 |
| £60,000 | £56,000 | £69,500 |