Tamworth vs Worcester: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £27,500 (14%) more in Worcester than in Tamworth. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Worcester: it takes 5.9× median annual pay, against 5.3× in Tamworth.
At a glance
| Tamworth | Worcester | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Worcester (£38,880) is 1% higher than in Tamworth (£38,496), while a typical terraced house costs 14% more (£230,000 against £202,500). Set against local pay, Tamworth is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 5.3× annual pay in Tamworth and 5.9× in Worcester. Renting one takes 28% of pay in Tamworth and 29% in Worcester. Buying is harder in Worcester; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Tamworth is the 93rd least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Worcester is the 97th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Tamworth is the 103rd least expensive of 316 areas and Worcester is the 122nd least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Tamworth would need about £45,500 in Worcester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £42,000 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 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Tamworth and 63.6 in Worcester, so recorded crime per resident is 6% lower in Worcester. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 5.6 per 1,000 in Tamworth against 2.8 in Worcester.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Tamworth | Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,496 | £38,880 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.3× | 5.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 95% | 85% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 28% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Tamworth | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £370,000 | £375,000 | +1% in Worcester |
| Semi-detached | £244,475 | £260,000 | +6% in Worcester |
| Terraced | £202,500 | £230,000 | +14% in Worcester |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Tamworth | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,241 | £1,343 | +8% in Worcester |
| Semi-detached | £975 | £1,043 | +7% in Worcester |
| Terraced | £914 | £955 | +4% in Worcester |
Crime
Police recorded 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Tamworth and 63.6 in Worcester, so recorded crime per resident is 6% lower in Worcester.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Tamworth | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 67.8 | 63.6 | -6% in Worcester |
| Violence against the person | 28.9 | 25.1 | -13% in Worcester |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 2.8 | -12% in Worcester |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 0.8 | -1% in Worcester |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.3 | 6.0 | +39% in Worcester |
| Vehicle offences | 5.6 | 2.8 | -51% in Worcester |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.2 | -15% in Worcester |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.3 | 6.0 | +40% 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 | Tamworth | Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 102 | 105 |
| 2007 | 106 | 114 |
| 2008 | 104 | 109 |
| 2009 | 94 | 95 |
| 2010 | 95 | 100 |
| 2011 | 94 | 100 |
| 2012 | 97 | 103 |
| 2013 | 97 | 102 |
| 2014 | 102 | 109 |
| 2015 | 108 | 114 |
| 2016 | 117 | 120 |
| 2017 | 125 | 127 |
| 2018 | 131 | 132 |
| 2019 | 134 | 132 |
| 2020 | 140 | 135 |
| 2021 | 147 | 142 |
| 2022 | 163 | 159 |
| 2023 | 166 | 161 |
| 2024 | 166 | 165 |
| 2025 | 169 | 167 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 172 | 168 |
In 2005 the average home cost £135,023 in Tamworth and £149,911 in Worcester. Now it is £232,480 and £252,084: Tamworth is up 72% and Worcester is up 68%.
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 | Tamworth | Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.7 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.0 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.4 years of pay | 7.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.9 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.7 years of pay in Tamworth and 6.5 years in Worcester. In 2025 it was 5.9 years and 6.5 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 | Tamworth | Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 102 |
| 2017 | 107 | 106 |
| 2018 | 110 | 107 |
| 2019 | 112 | 108 |
| 2020 | 116 | 112 |
| 2021 | 120 | 115 |
| 2022 | 127 | 114 |
| 2023 | 133 | 120 |
| 2024 | 143 | 133 |
| 2025 | 152 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 154 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £602 a month in Tamworth and £649 in Worcester. Now it is £925 and £977: up 54% in Tamworth 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 Tamworth to Worcester
| Earning in Tamworth | Equivalent to buy in Worcester | Equivalent to rent in Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,000 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £45,500 | £42,000 |
| £50,000 | £57,000 | £52,000 |
| £60,000 | £68,000 | £62,500 |
Moving from Worcester to Tamworth
| Earning in Worcester | Equivalent to buy in Tamworth | Equivalent to rent in Tamworth |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,500 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £35,000 | £38,500 |
| £50,000 | £44,000 | £48,000 |
| £60,000 | £53,000 | £57,500 |