Malvern Hills vs Solihull: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £17,500 (7%) more in Solihull than in Malvern Hills. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Malvern Hills: it takes 6.7× median annual pay, against 5.4× in Solihull.
At a glance
| Malvern Hills | Solihull | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | 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 Solihull (£46,896) is 32% higher than in Malvern Hills (£35,429), while a typical terraced house costs 7% more (£255,500 against £238,000). Set against local pay, Solihull is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.7× annual pay in Malvern Hills and 5.4× in Solihull. Renting one takes 31% of pay in Malvern Hills and 32% in Solihull. Buying is harder in Malvern Hills; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Malvern Hills is the 74th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Solihull is around the middle of 316 areas (189th most expensive). For renting against pay, Malvern Hills is around the middle of 316 areas (170th most expensive) and Solihull is around the middle of 316 areas (160th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Malvern Hills would need about £43,000 in Solihull to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £54,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Solihull 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 63.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Malvern Hills and 79.5 in Solihull, so recorded crime per resident is 25% higher in Solihull. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.8 per 1,000 in Malvern Hills against 9.6 in Solihull.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Malvern Hills | Solihull |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,429 | £46,896 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.7× | 5.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 74% | 92% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 31% | 32% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Malvern Hills | Solihull | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £460,000 | £590,000 | +28% in Solihull |
| Semi-detached | £295,000 | £340,000 | +15% in Solihull |
| Terraced | £238,000 | £255,500 | +7% in Solihull |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Malvern Hills | Solihull | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,231 | £1,811 | +47% in Solihull |
| Semi-detached | £1,014 | £1,321 | +30% in Solihull |
| Terraced | £915 | £1,234 | +35% in Solihull |
Crime
Police recorded 63.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Malvern Hills and 79.5 in Solihull, so recorded crime per resident is 25% higher in Solihull.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Malvern Hills | Solihull | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 63.6 | 79.5 | +25% in Solihull |
| Violence against the person | 25.1 | 26.1 | +4% in Solihull |
| Sexual offences | 2.8 | 2.6 | -6% in Solihull |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 1.6 | +96% in Solihull |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.0 | 8.2 | +36% in Solihull |
| Vehicle offences | 2.8 | 9.6 | +247% in Solihull |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.4 | +78% in Solihull |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.0 | 7.3 | +22% in Solihull |
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 | Malvern Hills | Solihull |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 103 |
| 2007 | 113 | 110 |
| 2008 | 106 | 105 |
| 2009 | 98 | 98 |
| 2010 | 103 | 104 |
| 2011 | 103 | 102 |
| 2012 | 101 | 102 |
| 2013 | 102 | 104 |
| 2014 | 108 | 113 |
| 2015 | 113 | 121 |
| 2016 | 119 | 129 |
| 2017 | 124 | 137 |
| 2018 | 129 | 143 |
| 2019 | 132 | 145 |
| 2020 | 133 | 146 |
| 2021 | 144 | 163 |
| 2022 | 156 | 176 |
| 2023 | 159 | 179 |
| 2024 | 158 | 175 |
| 2025 | 159 | 179 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 164 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £208,484 in Malvern Hills and £183,646 in Solihull. Now it is £342,672 and £333,060: Malvern Hills is up 64% and Solihull is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Solihull, 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 | Malvern Hills | Solihull |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.6 years of pay | 7.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | – | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 9.1 years of pay | 6.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.4 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.3 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.6 years of pay in Malvern Hills and 7.4 years in Solihull. In 2025 it was 9.3 years and 7.0 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Malvern Hills 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 | Malvern Hills | Solihull |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 102 |
| 2017 | 104 | 106 |
| 2018 | 105 | 108 |
| 2019 | 107 | 111 |
| 2020 | 109 | 112 |
| 2021 | 112 | 114 |
| 2022 | 115 | 119 |
| 2023 | 125 | 129 |
| 2024 | 134 | 144 |
| 2025 | 139 | 150 |
| August 2026 | 149 | 154 |
In 2015 the average rent was £636 a month in Malvern Hills and £828 in Solihull. Now it is £946 and £1,279: up 49% in Malvern Hills and up 54% in Solihull. Rents have risen faster in Solihull.
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 Malvern Hills to Solihull
| Earning in Malvern Hills | Equivalent to buy in Solihull | Equivalent to rent in Solihull |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £40,500 |
| £40,000 | £43,000 | £54,000 |
| £50,000 | £53,500 | £67,500 |
| £60,000 | £64,500 | £81,000 |
Moving from Solihull to Malvern Hills
| Earning in Solihull | Equivalent to buy in Malvern Hills | Equivalent to rent in Malvern Hills |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £29,500 |
| £50,000 | £46,500 | £37,000 |
| £60,000 | £56,000 | £44,500 |