Redditch vs Worcester: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £26,000 (13%) more in Worcester than in Redditch. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Redditch | Worcester | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | 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 Worcester (£38,880) is 10% higher than in Redditch (£35,251), while a typical terraced house costs 13% more (£230,000 against £204,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 5.8× annual pay in Redditch and 5.9× in Worcester. Renting one takes 34% of pay in Redditch and 29% in Worcester. Renting is harder in Redditch; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Redditch is around the middle of 316 areas (165th most expensive) to buy in, and Worcester is the 97th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Redditch is around the middle of 316 areas (155th most expensive) and Worcester is the 122nd least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Redditch would need about £45,000 in Worcester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Worcester 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 63.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Redditch and 63.6 in Worcester: about the same. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.8 per 1,000 in Redditch against 2.8 in Worcester.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Redditch | Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,251 | £38,880 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.8× | 5.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 86% | 85% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 34% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Redditch | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £380,000 | £375,000 | -1% in Worcester |
| Semi-detached | £260,000 | £260,000 | 0% in Worcester |
| Terraced | £204,000 | £230,000 | +13% in Worcester |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Redditch | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,330 | £1,343 | +1% in Worcester |
| Semi-detached | £1,023 | £1,043 | +2% in Worcester |
| Terraced | £989 | £955 | -3% in Worcester |
Crime
Police recorded 63.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Redditch and 63.6 in Worcester: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Redditch | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 63.8 | 63.6 | -0% in Worcester |
| Violence against the person | 25.6 | 25.1 | -2% in Worcester |
| Sexual offences | 3.1 | 2.8 | -9% in Worcester |
| Robbery | 0.9 | 0.8 | -9% in Worcester |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.4 | 6.0 | +12% in Worcester |
| Vehicle offences | 3.8 | 2.8 | -27% in Worcester |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.2 | +5% in Worcester |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 6.0 | +3% in Worcester |
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 | Redditch | Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 103 | 105 |
| 2007 | 109 | 114 |
| 2008 | 105 | 109 |
| 2009 | 93 | 95 |
| 2010 | 99 | 100 |
| 2011 | 98 | 100 |
| 2012 | 98 | 103 |
| 2013 | 102 | 102 |
| 2014 | 107 | 109 |
| 2015 | 115 | 114 |
| 2016 | 124 | 120 |
| 2017 | 131 | 127 |
| 2018 | 137 | 132 |
| 2019 | 140 | 132 |
| 2020 | 144 | 135 |
| 2021 | 155 | 142 |
| 2022 | 170 | 159 |
| 2023 | 174 | 161 |
| 2024 | 175 | 165 |
| 2025 | 177 | 167 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 177 | 168 |
In 2005 the average home cost £138,461 in Redditch and £149,911 in Worcester. Now it is £245,688 and £252,084: Redditch is up 77% and Worcester is up 68%. Prices have risen faster in Redditch, 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 | Redditch | Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.4 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.9 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.5 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.6 years of pay | 7.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.9 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.4 years of pay in Redditch and 6.5 years in Worcester. In 2025 it was 6.9 years and 6.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Redditch 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 | Redditch | Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 102 |
| 2017 | 107 | 106 |
| 2018 | 110 | 107 |
| 2019 | 111 | 108 |
| 2020 | 113 | 112 |
| 2021 | 115 | 115 |
| 2022 | 119 | 114 |
| 2023 | 123 | 120 |
| 2024 | 133 | 133 |
| 2025 | 139 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 153 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £639 a month in Redditch and £649 in Worcester. Now it is £976 and £977: up 53% in Redditch and up 51% in Worcester.
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 Redditch to Worcester
| Earning in Redditch | Equivalent to buy in Worcester | Equivalent to rent in Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,000 | £29,000 |
| £40,000 | £45,000 | £38,500 |
| £50,000 | £56,500 | £48,500 |
| £60,000 | £67,500 | £58,000 |
Moving from Worcester to Redditch
| Earning in Worcester | Equivalent to buy in Redditch | Equivalent to rent in Redditch |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,500 | £31,000 |
| £40,000 | £35,500 | £41,500 |
| £50,000 | £44,500 | £52,000 |
| £60,000 | £53,000 | £62,000 |