Birmingham vs West Lancashire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £55,000 (33%) more in Birmingham than in West Lancashire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.3× in West Lancashire.
At a glance
| Birmingham | West Lancashire | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 West Lancashire (£38,102) is 6% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 25% less (£165,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, West Lancashire 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 4.3× in West Lancashire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 26% in West Lancashire. Both are harder in Birmingham, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and West Lancashire is the 98th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and West Lancashire is the 38th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £30,000 in West Lancashire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £30,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Lancashire 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 48.6 in West Lancashire, so recorded crime per resident is 57% lower in West Lancashire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 2.1 in West Lancashire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £38,102 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 4.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 115% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £375,000 | -17% in West Lancashire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £235,000 | -11% in West Lancashire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £165,000 | -25% in West Lancashire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,148 | -20% in West Lancashire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £833 | -28% in West Lancashire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £816 | -25% in West Lancashire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 48.6 in West Lancashire, so recorded crime per resident is 57% lower in West Lancashire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 48.6 | -57% in West Lancashire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 21.8 | -53% in West Lancashire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.5 | -48% in West Lancashire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.6 | -81% in West Lancashire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 4.6 | -61% in West Lancashire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 2.1 | -79% in West Lancashire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -87% in West Lancashire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.4 | -41% in West Lancashire |
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 Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 109 | 118 |
| 2008 | 105 | 113 |
| 2009 | 95 | 108 |
| 2010 | 100 | 111 |
| 2011 | 97 | 112 |
| 2012 | 98 | 108 |
| 2013 | 100 | 108 |
| 2014 | 106 | 110 |
| 2015 | 111 | 112 |
| 2016 | 120 | 120 |
| 2017 | 129 | 123 |
| 2018 | 136 | 127 |
| 2019 | 140 | 128 |
| 2020 | 142 | 129 |
| 2021 | 157 | 137 |
| 2022 | 172 | 148 |
| 2023 | 174 | 156 |
| 2024 | 174 | 163 |
| 2025 | 178 | 166 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 171 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £137,815 in West Lancashire. Now it is £232,548 and £235,697: Birmingham is up 79% and West Lancashire is up 71%. 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 | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 6.1 years in West Lancashire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.0 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 | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 103 |
| 2018 | 111 | 103 |
| 2019 | 113 | 103 |
| 2020 | 116 | 102 |
| 2021 | 118 | 101 |
| 2022 | 122 | 102 |
| 2023 | 132 | 108 |
| 2024 | 147 | 117 |
| 2025 | 156 | 131 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 140 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £573 in West Lancashire. Now it is £1,099 and £805: up 61% in Birmingham and up 40% in West Lancashire. 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 Lancashire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in West Lancashire | Equivalent to rent in West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £22,500 | £22,500 |
| £40,000 | £30,000 | £30,000 |
| £50,000 | £37,500 | £37,500 |
| £60,000 | £45,000 | £44,500 |
Moving from West Lancashire to Birmingham
| Earning in West Lancashire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £40,000 | £40,500 |
| £40,000 | £53,500 | £53,500 |
| £50,000 | £66,500 | £67,000 |
| £60,000 | £80,000 | £80,500 |