Birmingham vs Wyre Forest: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £29,500 (15%) more in Birmingham than in Wyre Forest. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Wyre Forest.
At a glance
| Birmingham | Wyre Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Wyre Forest (£34,661) is 4% lower than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 13% less (£190,500 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Wyre Forest 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 5.5× in Wyre Forest. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 28% in Wyre Forest. 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 Wyre Forest is around the middle of 316 areas (179th most expensive). For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Wyre Forest is the 96th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £34,500 in Wyre Forest to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £29,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Wyre Forest 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 63.8 in Wyre Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 44% lower in Wyre Forest. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 3.8 in Wyre Forest.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | Wyre Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £34,661 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 28% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | Wyre Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £355,000 | -22% in Wyre Forest |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £249,000 | -6% in Wyre Forest |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £190,500 | -13% in Wyre Forest |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | Wyre Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,072 | -25% in Wyre Forest |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £917 | -20% in Wyre Forest |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £810 | -26% in Wyre Forest |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 63.8 in Wyre Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 44% lower in Wyre Forest.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | Wyre Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 63.8 | -44% in Wyre Forest |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 25.6 | -45% in Wyre Forest |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 3.1 | -37% in Wyre Forest |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.9 | -72% in Wyre Forest |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 5.4 | -54% in Wyre Forest |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 3.8 | -63% in Wyre Forest |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -82% in Wyre Forest |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 5.8 | -36% in Wyre 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 | Wyre Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 109 | 110 |
| 2008 | 105 | 107 |
| 2009 | 95 | 95 |
| 2010 | 100 | 98 |
| 2011 | 97 | 97 |
| 2012 | 98 | 96 |
| 2013 | 100 | 97 |
| 2014 | 106 | 100 |
| 2015 | 111 | 105 |
| 2016 | 120 | 111 |
| 2017 | 129 | 117 |
| 2018 | 136 | 123 |
| 2019 | 140 | 126 |
| 2020 | 142 | 131 |
| 2021 | 157 | 142 |
| 2022 | 172 | 156 |
| 2023 | 174 | 160 |
| 2024 | 174 | 158 |
| 2025 | 178 | 161 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 162 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £143,580 in Wyre Forest. Now it is £232,548 and £232,015: Birmingham is up 79% and Wyre Forest is up 62%. 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 | Wyre Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 7.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | – |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 7.3 years in Wyre Forest. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.7 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Birmingham 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 | Wyre Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 104 |
| 2018 | 111 | 105 |
| 2019 | 113 | 107 |
| 2020 | 116 | 110 |
| 2021 | 118 | 113 |
| 2022 | 122 | 119 |
| 2023 | 132 | 126 |
| 2024 | 147 | 135 |
| 2025 | 156 | 147 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 145 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £568 in Wyre Forest. Now it is £1,099 and £825: up 61% in Birmingham and up 45% in Wyre 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 Wyre Forest
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in Wyre Forest | Equivalent to rent in Wyre Forest |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,000 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,500 | £29,500 |
| £50,000 | £43,500 | £37,000 |
| £60,000 | £52,000 | £44,500 |
Moving from Wyre Forest to Birmingham
| Earning in Wyre Forest | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,500 | £40,500 |
| £40,000 | £46,000 | £54,000 |
| £50,000 | £57,500 | £67,500 |
| £60,000 | £69,500 | £81,000 |