Birmingham vs West Suffolk: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £20,000 (9%) more in West Suffolk than in Birmingham. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Birmingham | West Suffolk | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Suffolk (£39,628) is 10% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 9% more (£240,000 against £220,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 6.1× annual pay in Birmingham and 6.1× in West Suffolk. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 35% in West Suffolk. On both measures the two areas are close.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and West Suffolk is around the middle of 316 areas (186th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and West Suffolk is the 123rd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £43,500 in West Suffolk to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £42,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Suffolk 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 46.6 in West Suffolk, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in West Suffolk. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.9 in West Suffolk.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | West Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £39,628 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 83% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 35% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | West Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £395,000 | -13% in West Suffolk |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £280,000 | +6% in West Suffolk |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £240,000 | +9% in West Suffolk |
| Flat | £145,000 | £168,250 | +16% in West Suffolk |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | West Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,668 | +16% in West Suffolk |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,262 | +10% in West Suffolk |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £1,162 | +6% in West Suffolk |
| Flat | £919 | £952 | +4% in West Suffolk |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 46.6 in West Suffolk, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in West Suffolk.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | West Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 46.6 | -59% in West Suffolk |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 20.2 | -56% in West Suffolk |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.9 | -41% in West Suffolk |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.3 | -92% in West Suffolk |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 3.2 | -73% in West Suffolk |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.9 | -81% in West Suffolk |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -84% in West Suffolk |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.7 | -48% in West Suffolk |
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 Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 109 | 115 |
| 2008 | 105 | 111 |
| 2009 | 95 | 97 |
| 2010 | 100 | 107 |
| 2011 | 97 | 106 |
| 2012 | 98 | 109 |
| 2013 | 100 | 112 |
| 2014 | 106 | 121 |
| 2015 | 111 | 131 |
| 2016 | 120 | 141 |
| 2017 | 129 | 151 |
| 2018 | 136 | 154 |
| 2019 | 140 | 157 |
| 2020 | 142 | 159 |
| 2021 | 157 | 169 |
| 2022 | 172 | 185 |
| 2023 | 174 | 185 |
| 2024 | 174 | 184 |
| 2025 | 178 | 181 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 184 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £161,320 in West Suffolk. Now it is £232,548 and £296,744: Birmingham is up 79% and West Suffolk is up 84%. Prices have risen faster in West Suffolk, so the gap between the two has widened.
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 Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 106 |
| 2017 | 108 | 111 |
| 2018 | 111 | 115 |
| 2019 | 113 | 116 |
| 2020 | 116 | 117 |
| 2021 | 118 | 122 |
| 2022 | 122 | 129 |
| 2023 | 132 | 134 |
| 2024 | 147 | 141 |
| 2025 | 156 | 149 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 156 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £758 in West Suffolk. Now it is £1,099 and £1,183: up 61% in Birmingham and up 56% in West Suffolk. 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 Suffolk
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in West Suffolk | Equivalent to rent in West Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,500 | £32,000 |
| £40,000 | £43,500 | £42,500 |
| £50,000 | £54,500 | £53,000 |
| £60,000 | £65,500 | £63,500 |
Moving from West Suffolk to Birmingham
| Earning in West Suffolk | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,500 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £36,500 | £37,500 |
| £50,000 | £46,000 | £47,000 |
| £60,000 | £55,000 | £56,500 |