Cannock Chase vs Sandwell: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £18,000 (10%) more in Sandwell than in Cannock Chase. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Sandwell: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.0× in Cannock Chase.
At a glance
| Cannock Chase | Sandwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | Above 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 Sandwell (£33,029) is 9% lower than in Cannock Chase (£36,140), while a typical terraced house costs 10% more (£200,000 against £182,000). Set against local pay, Cannock Chase is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 5.0× annual pay in Cannock Chase and 6.1× in Sandwell. Renting one takes 29% of pay in Cannock Chase and 34% in Sandwell. Both are harder in Sandwell, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Cannock Chase is the 77th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Sandwell is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cannock Chase is the 102nd least expensive of 316 areas and Sandwell is around the middle of 316 areas (136th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Cannock Chase would need about £44,000 in Sandwell to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £43,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Sandwell 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 72.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cannock Chase and 95.9 in Sandwell, so recorded crime per resident is 33% higher in Sandwell. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 2.6 per 1,000 in Cannock Chase against 6.7 in Sandwell.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Cannock Chase | Sandwell |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,140 | £33,029 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.0× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 99% | 83% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 29% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Cannock Chase | Sandwell | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £331,000 | £310,000 | -6% in Sandwell |
| Semi-detached | £215,000 | £237,500 | +10% in Sandwell |
| Terraced | £182,000 | £200,000 | +10% in Sandwell |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Cannock Chase | Sandwell | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,169 | £1,249 | +7% in Sandwell |
| Semi-detached | £910 | £1,026 | +13% in Sandwell |
| Terraced | £876 | £946 | +8% in Sandwell |
Crime
Police recorded 72.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cannock Chase and 95.9 in Sandwell, so recorded crime per resident is 33% higher in Sandwell.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Cannock Chase | Sandwell | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 72.2 | 95.9 | +33% in Sandwell |
| Violence against the person | 32.7 | 40.7 | +25% in Sandwell |
| Sexual offences | 3.4 | 3.3 | -1% in Sandwell |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 2.0 | +145% in Sandwell |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 2.6 | 6.7 | +159% in Sandwell |
| Vehicle offences | 4.0 | 9.0 | +124% in Sandwell |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 0.5 | +240% in Sandwell |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.0 | 7.7 | +52% in Sandwell |
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 | Cannock Chase | Sandwell |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 106 |
| 2007 | 111 | 114 |
| 2008 | 108 | 109 |
| 2009 | 97 | 97 |
| 2010 | 99 | 102 |
| 2011 | 98 | 99 |
| 2012 | 99 | 98 |
| 2013 | 100 | 98 |
| 2014 | 108 | 102 |
| 2015 | 111 | 107 |
| 2016 | 117 | 115 |
| 2017 | 123 | 123 |
| 2018 | 128 | 132 |
| 2019 | 133 | 136 |
| 2020 | 139 | 140 |
| 2021 | 153 | 158 |
| 2022 | 170 | 176 |
| 2023 | 177 | 184 |
| 2024 | 174 | 188 |
| 2025 | 185 | 196 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 188 | 199 |
In 2005 the average home cost £123,512 in Cannock Chase and £104,733 in Sandwell. Now it is £232,542 and £208,175: Cannock Chase is up 88% and Sandwell is up 99%. Prices have risen faster in Sandwell, 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 | Cannock Chase | Sandwell |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.2 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.2 years of pay | 4.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.3 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.8 years of pay in Cannock Chase and 5.4 years in Sandwell. In 2025 it was 6.3 years and 6.2 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 | Cannock Chase | Sandwell |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 102 |
| 2017 | 105 | 106 |
| 2018 | 108 | 107 |
| 2019 | 110 | 109 |
| 2020 | 113 | 113 |
| 2021 | 120 | 117 |
| 2022 | 127 | 126 |
| 2023 | 135 | 138 |
| 2024 | 144 | 148 |
| 2025 | 152 | 155 |
| August 2026 | 163 | 169 |
In 2015 the average rent was £533 a month in Cannock Chase and £565 in Sandwell. Now it is £867 and £953: up 63% in Cannock Chase and up 69% in Sandwell. Rents have risen faster in Sandwell.
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 Cannock Chase to Sandwell
| Earning in Cannock Chase | Equivalent to buy in Sandwell | Equivalent to rent in Sandwell |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £33,000 | £32,500 |
| £40,000 | £44,000 | £43,000 |
| £50,000 | £55,000 | £54,000 |
| £60,000 | £66,000 | £65,000 |
Moving from Sandwell to Cannock Chase
| Earning in Sandwell | Equivalent to buy in Cannock Chase | Equivalent to rent in Cannock Chase |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,500 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £36,500 | £37,000 |
| £50,000 | £45,500 | £46,500 |
| £60,000 | £54,500 | £55,500 |