Coventry vs Dudley: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £5,000 (2%) more in Coventry than in Dudley. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Coventry | Dudley | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | About 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 Dudley (£35,486) is 6% lower than in Coventry (£37,759), while a typical terraced house costs 2% less (£210,000 against £215,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 5.7× annual pay in Coventry and 5.9× in Dudley. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Coventry and 29% in Dudley. Renting is harder in Coventry; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Coventry is the 74th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Dudley is the 111th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Coventry is around the middle of 316 areas (166th most expensive) and Dudley is the 107th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Coventry would need about £39,000 in Dudley to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £33,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Dudley 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 88.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Coventry and 74.5 in Dudley, so recorded crime per resident is 16% lower in Dudley. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 3.9 per 1,000 in Coventry against 2.8 in Dudley.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Coventry | Dudley |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,759 | £35,486 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.7× | 5.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 88% | 84% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Coventry | Dudley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £378,750 | £360,000 | -5% in Dudley |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £243,500 | -8% in Dudley |
| Terraced | £215,000 | £210,000 | -2% in Dudley |
| Flat | £130,000 | £132,500 | +2% in Dudley |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Coventry | Dudley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,234 | £1,084 | -12% in Dudley |
| Semi-detached | £1,075 | £913 | -15% in Dudley |
| Terraced | £1,041 | £870 | -16% in Dudley |
| Flat | £853 | £681 | -20% in Dudley |
Crime
Police recorded 88.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Coventry and 74.5 in Dudley, so recorded crime per resident is 16% lower in Dudley.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Coventry | Dudley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 88.4 | 74.5 | -16% in Dudley |
| Violence against the person | 34.4 | 30.6 | -11% in Dudley |
| Sexual offences | 3.9 | 2.8 | -28% in Dudley |
| Robbery | 1.9 | 1.0 | -45% in Dudley |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.4 | 7.7 | -19% in Dudley |
| Vehicle offences | 7.6 | 6.9 | -8% in Dudley |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.3 | -64% in Dudley |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.3 | 6.4 | -12% in Dudley |
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 | Coventry | Dudley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 105 |
| 2007 | 111 | 111 |
| 2008 | 106 | 108 |
| 2009 | 96 | 100 |
| 2010 | 101 | 104 |
| 2011 | 99 | 100 |
| 2012 | 99 | 100 |
| 2013 | 104 | 101 |
| 2014 | 110 | 106 |
| 2015 | 117 | 110 |
| 2016 | 127 | 117 |
| 2017 | 138 | 124 |
| 2018 | 147 | 131 |
| 2019 | 150 | 136 |
| 2020 | 152 | 140 |
| 2021 | 163 | 156 |
| 2022 | 177 | 171 |
| 2023 | 177 | 177 |
| 2024 | 179 | 178 |
| 2025 | 182 | 184 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 183 | 188 |
In 2005 the average home cost £120,711 in Coventry and £122,392 in Dudley. Now it is £220,880 and £229,956: Coventry is up 83% and Dudley is up 88%.
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 | Coventry | Dudley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.3 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.3 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.3 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.2 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.8 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.3 years of pay in Coventry and 6.1 years in Dudley. In 2025 it was 5.8 years and 6.3 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 | Coventry | Dudley |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 101 |
| 2017 | 110 | 103 |
| 2018 | 115 | 105 |
| 2019 | 118 | 108 |
| 2020 | 120 | 111 |
| 2021 | 124 | 117 |
| 2022 | 129 | 124 |
| 2023 | 138 | 132 |
| 2024 | 151 | 139 |
| 2025 | 159 | 147 |
| August 2026 | 162 | 155 |
In 2015 the average rent was £629 a month in Coventry and £553 in Dudley. Now it is £1,020 and £858: up 62% in Coventry and up 55% in Dudley. Rents have risen faster in Coventry.
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 Coventry to Dudley
| Earning in Coventry | Equivalent to buy in Dudley | Equivalent to rent in Dudley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £25,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £33,500 |
| £50,000 | £49,000 | £42,000 |
| £60,000 | £58,500 | £50,000 |
Moving from Dudley to Coventry
| Earning in Dudley | Equivalent to buy in Coventry | Equivalent to rent in Coventry |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £36,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £48,000 |
| £50,000 | £51,000 | £60,000 |
| £60,000 | £61,500 | £72,000 |