Birmingham vs West Berkshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £112,000 (51%) more in West Berkshire than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in West Berkshire: it takes 7.4× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Birmingham.
At a glance
| Birmingham | West Berkshire | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 West Berkshire (£44,887) is 25% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 51% more (£332,000 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 7.4× in West Berkshire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 34% in West Berkshire. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in West Berkshire, 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 West Berkshire is the 110th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and West Berkshire is the 124th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £60,500 in West Berkshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £46,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Berkshire 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 55.0 in West Berkshire, so recorded crime per resident is 52% lower in West Berkshire. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 11.7 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.3 in West Berkshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | West Berkshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £44,887 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 7.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 68% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | West Berkshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £625,000 | +38% in West Berkshire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £400,000 | +51% in West Berkshire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £332,000 | +51% in West Berkshire |
| Flat | £145,000 | £210,000 | +45% in West Berkshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | West Berkshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £2,011 | +40% in West Berkshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,447 | +26% in West Berkshire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,272 | +16% in West Berkshire |
| Flat | £919 | £1,104 | +20% in West Berkshire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 55.0 in West Berkshire, so recorded crime per resident is 52% lower in West Berkshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | West Berkshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 55.0 | -52% in West Berkshire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 20.7 | -55% in West Berkshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.4 | -50% in West Berkshire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.6 | -81% in West Berkshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.3 | -72% in West Berkshire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 2.9 | -71% in West Berkshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -83% in West Berkshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.6 | -38% in West Berkshire |
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 | West Berkshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 116 |
| 2008 | 105 | 114 |
| 2009 | 95 | 102 |
| 2010 | 100 | 113 |
| 2011 | 97 | 115 |
| 2012 | 98 | 116 |
| 2013 | 100 | 120 |
| 2014 | 106 | 130 |
| 2015 | 111 | 142 |
| 2016 | 120 | 155 |
| 2017 | 129 | 161 |
| 2018 | 136 | 163 |
| 2019 | 140 | 161 |
| 2020 | 142 | 161 |
| 2021 | 157 | 168 |
| 2022 | 172 | 184 |
| 2023 | 174 | 187 |
| 2024 | 174 | 183 |
| 2025 | 178 | 193 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 193 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £208,303 in West Berkshire. Now it is £232,548 and £401,327: Birmingham is up 79% and West Berkshire is up 93%. Prices have risen faster in West Berkshire, 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 | West Berkshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 9.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 7.5 years in West Berkshire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.9 years.
Affordability has worsened more in West Berkshire 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 | West Berkshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 106 |
| 2017 | 108 | 109 |
| 2018 | 111 | 111 |
| 2019 | 113 | 114 |
| 2020 | 116 | 114 |
| 2021 | 118 | 116 |
| 2022 | 122 | 119 |
| 2023 | 132 | 126 |
| 2024 | 147 | 135 |
| 2025 | 156 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 149 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £899 in West Berkshire. Now it is £1,099 and £1,338: up 61% in Birmingham and up 49% in West Berkshire. 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 West Berkshire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in West Berkshire | Equivalent to rent in West Berkshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £45,500 | £35,000 |
| £40,000 | £60,500 | £46,500 |
| £50,000 | £75,500 | £58,000 |
| £60,000 | £90,500 | £69,500 |
Moving from West Berkshire to Birmingham
| Earning in West Berkshire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,000 | £26,000 |
| £40,000 | £26,500 | £34,500 |
| £50,000 | £33,000 | £43,000 |
| £60,000 | £40,000 | £51,500 |