Sandwell vs Walsall: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £12,000 (6%) more in Sandwell than in Walsall. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Sandwell: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Walsall.
At a glance
| Sandwell | Walsall | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Walsall (£34,036) is 3% higher than in Sandwell (£33,029), while a typical terraced house costs 6% less (£188,000 against £200,000). Set against local pay, Walsall is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.1× annual pay in Sandwell and 5.5× in Walsall. Renting one takes 34% of pay in Sandwell and 32% in Walsall. Both are harder in Sandwell, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Sandwell is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Walsall is the 102nd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Sandwell is around the middle of 316 areas (136th most expensive) and Walsall is around the middle of 316 areas (161st most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Sandwell would need about £37,500 in Walsall 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 Walsall 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 95.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Sandwell and 92.9 in Walsall, so recorded crime per resident is 3% lower in Walsall. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 7.7 per 1,000 in Sandwell against 9.2 in Walsall.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Sandwell | Walsall |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £33,029 | £34,036 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 83% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 34% | 32% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Sandwell | Walsall | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £310,000 | £365,000 | +18% in Walsall |
| Semi-detached | £237,500 | £235,000 | -1% in Walsall |
| Terraced | £200,000 | £188,000 | -6% in Walsall |
| Flat | £113,000 | £119,500 | +6% in Walsall |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Sandwell | Walsall | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,249 | £1,229 | -2% in Walsall |
| Semi-detached | £1,026 | £963 | -6% in Walsall |
| Terraced | £946 | £913 | -3% in Walsall |
| Flat | £764 | £750 | -2% in Walsall |
Crime
Police recorded 95.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Sandwell and 92.9 in Walsall, so recorded crime per resident is 3% lower in Walsall.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Sandwell | Walsall | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 95.9 | 92.9 | -3% in Walsall |
| Violence against the person | 40.7 | 35.6 | -13% in Walsall |
| Sexual offences | 3.3 | 3.4 | +2% in Walsall |
| Robbery | 2.0 | 1.6 | -21% in Walsall |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.7 | 7.3 | +9% in Walsall |
| Vehicle offences | 9.0 | 9.0 | -0% in Walsall |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 0.5 | -8% in Walsall |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.7 | 9.2 | +19% in Walsall |
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 | Sandwell | Walsall |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 106 |
| 2007 | 114 | 111 |
| 2008 | 109 | 108 |
| 2009 | 97 | 97 |
| 2010 | 102 | 100 |
| 2011 | 99 | 97 |
| 2012 | 98 | 96 |
| 2013 | 98 | 99 |
| 2014 | 102 | 103 |
| 2015 | 107 | 105 |
| 2016 | 115 | 113 |
| 2017 | 123 | 120 |
| 2018 | 132 | 127 |
| 2019 | 136 | 131 |
| 2020 | 140 | 135 |
| 2021 | 158 | 147 |
| 2022 | 176 | 161 |
| 2023 | 184 | 167 |
| 2024 | 188 | 167 |
| 2025 | 196 | 174 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 199 | 178 |
In 2005 the average home cost £104,733 in Sandwell and £120,857 in Walsall. Now it is £208,175 and £214,672: Sandwell is up 99% and Walsall is up 78%. 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 | Sandwell | Walsall |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.4 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.8 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.9 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.7 years of pay | 5.9 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.2 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.4 years of pay in Sandwell and 6.2 years in Walsall. In 2025 it was 6.2 years and 6.2 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Sandwell 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 | Sandwell | Walsall |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 102 |
| 2017 | 106 | 104 |
| 2018 | 107 | 105 |
| 2019 | 109 | 108 |
| 2020 | 113 | 111 |
| 2021 | 117 | 116 |
| 2022 | 126 | 124 |
| 2023 | 138 | 133 |
| 2024 | 148 | 143 |
| 2025 | 155 | 150 |
| August 2026 | 169 | 163 |
In 2015 the average rent was £565 a month in Sandwell and £566 in Walsall. Now it is £953 and £924: up 69% in Sandwell and up 63% in Walsall. 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 Sandwell to Walsall
| Earning in Sandwell | Equivalent to buy in Walsall | Equivalent to rent in Walsall |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £29,000 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £38,500 |
| £50,000 | £47,000 | £48,500 |
| £60,000 | £56,500 | £58,000 |
Moving from Walsall to Sandwell
| Earning in Walsall | Equivalent to buy in Sandwell | Equivalent to rent in Sandwell |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £31,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £41,500 |
| £50,000 | £53,000 | £52,000 |
| £60,000 | £64,000 | £62,000 |