Birmingham vs Waltham Forest: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £470,000 (214%) more in Waltham Forest than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Waltham Forest: it takes 15.2× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Waltham Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above average | About 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 Waltham Forest (£45,350) is 26% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 214% more (£690,000 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 15.2× in Waltham Forest. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 54% in Waltham Forest. Both are harder in Waltham Forest, 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 Waltham Forest is the 18th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Waltham Forest is the 37th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £125,500 in Waltham Forest to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £75,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Waltham Forest 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 80.2 in Waltham Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 30% lower in Waltham Forest. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 46.1 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 22.8 in Waltham Forest.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £45,350 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 15.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 33% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 54% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Waltham Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £698,700 | +164% in Waltham Forest |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £690,000 | +214% in Waltham Forest |
| Flat | £145,000 | £400,000 | +176% in Waltham Forest |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Waltham Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £2,306 | +100% in Waltham Forest |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £2,050 | +87% in Waltham Forest |
| Flat | £919 | £1,593 | +73% in Waltham Forest |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 80.2 in Waltham Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 30% lower in Waltham Forest.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Waltham Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 80.2 | -30% in Waltham Forest |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 22.8 | -51% in Waltham Forest |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.5 | -49% in Waltham Forest |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 2.8 | -10% in Waltham Forest |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 7.6 | -35% in Waltham Forest |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 8.5 | -17% in Waltham Forest |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 5.0 | +302% in Waltham Forest |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.3 | -42% in Waltham Forest |
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 | Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 120 |
| 2008 | 105 | 118 |
| 2009 | 95 | 104 |
| 2010 | 100 | 113 |
| 2011 | 97 | 112 |
| 2012 | 98 | 117 |
| 2013 | 100 | 129 |
| 2014 | 106 | 160 |
| 2015 | 111 | 181 |
| 2016 | 120 | 209 |
| 2017 | 129 | 221 |
| 2018 | 136 | 224 |
| 2019 | 140 | 218 |
| 2020 | 142 | 229 |
| 2021 | 157 | 236 |
| 2022 | 172 | 245 |
| 2023 | 174 | 247 |
| 2024 | 174 | 245 |
| 2025 | 178 | 254 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 259 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £203,660 in Waltham Forest. Now it is £232,548 and £526,735: Birmingham is up 79% and Waltham Forest is up 159%. Prices have risen faster in Waltham Forest, 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 | Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 12.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 12.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 11.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 7.8 years in Waltham Forest. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 11.4 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Waltham Forest 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 | Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 107 |
| 2017 | 108 | 111 |
| 2018 | 111 | 112 |
| 2019 | 113 | 114 |
| 2020 | 116 | 115 |
| 2021 | 118 | 118 |
| 2022 | 122 | 120 |
| 2023 | 132 | 126 |
| 2024 | 147 | 136 |
| 2025 | 156 | 147 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 149 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £1,182 in Waltham Forest. Now it is £1,099 and £1,763: up 61% in Birmingham and up 49% in Waltham Forest. 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 Waltham Forest
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Waltham Forest | Equivalent to rent in Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £94,000 | £56,000 |
| £40,000 | £125,500 | £75,000 |
| £50,000 | £157,000 | £93,500 |
| £60,000 | £188,000 | £112,500 |
Moving from Waltham Forest to Birmingham
| Earning in Waltham Forest | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £9,500 | £16,000 |
| £40,000 | £13,000 | £21,500 |
| £50,000 | £16,000 | £26,500 |
| £60,000 | £19,000 | £32,000 |