BIRMINGHAM RENT & SALARY

What could you afford to rent in Birmingham?

Put Birmingham’s rent figures beside your take-home pay, bills and travel costs. Then compare nearby council areas with the same budget to see which places are worth exploring further.

Try the Birmingham rent affordability map ↗
West Midlands metropolitan county: 7 council areasBirmingham council is highlighted. Map shows council boundaries, not individual neighbourhoods.
One-bedroom home£825Birmingham council · per month
Two-bedroom home£997Birmingham council · per month
All property sizes£1,093Birmingham council · per month

ONS July 2026 average private rents, released 19 August 2026. Includes new and existing tenancies; these are not live asking rents. Check the ONS Birmingham rental figures ↗

Average rent in Birmingham and nearby council areas

Choose the same bedroom category to compare areas. The all-property figure reflects the local mix of homes; it is not the average of the bedroom columns. A whole-home rent is different from the cost of a single room.

Swipe across to see all figures →

Average monthly private rent · ONS July 2026 · West Midlands metropolitan county
Council area1 bed2 beds3 beds4+ bedsAll sizes
Birmingham£825£997£1,127£1,569£1,093
Coventry£759£912£1,065£1,452£1,019
Dudley£608£778£937£1,243£853
Sandwell£677£846£1,008£1,397£947
Solihull£851£1,057£1,252£1,863£1,269
Walsall£648£790£945£1,316£916
Wolverhampton£671£839£1,006£1,437£942

What could your salary leave after Birmingham rent?

The examples below use a one-bedroom home at the Birmingham council benchmark of £825 a month, plus £900 in monthly bills and living costs and £200 for commuting. They illustrate money left before savings and spending you have not included.

Swipe across to see all figures →

One earner · 2026/27 England PAYE · no pension or student loan · whole-home rent
Annual salaryTake-home / monthRent / monthMoney left / month
£30,000£2,093£825£168
£40,000£2,693£825£768
£50,000£3,293£825£1,368
£60,000£3,780£825£1,855

These are examples, not salary recommendations or landlord approval thresholds. Enter your own income, pension, student loan and living costs in the Birmingham map. You can enter known take-home instead of an annual salary.

Birmingham and the wider West Midlands

The map includes Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton: the seven council areas of the West Midlands metropolitan county. It does not cover the entire West Midlands region. Sandwell and Solihull are useful separate comparisons alongside Birmingham; every result keeps its own council name.

Edgbaston, Harborne and Moseley searches point to the Birmingham council average. A city-centre apartment can differ from that benchmark. Neither the map colour nor a lower rent is a rating of neighbourhood quality.

Compare Birmingham with Manchester on the same take-home pay. A rent difference is only one part of a move: enter your actual commute and bills before comparing the amount left each month. Explore the Manchester rent guide.

Renting in Birmingham: useful questions

How much rent can I afford in Birmingham?

Start with your monthly take-home and subtract your bills, commuting and the amount you want to keep. What remains is your rent budget. For example, £4,200 take-home minus £900 living costs, £200 commuting and a £1,000 minimum leaves a £2,100 rent budget. Change these example inputs for your own situation; a positive result does not guarantee a suitable home or a successful tenancy application.

Are these rents for the city centre or the whole council area?

They cover the named local authority. Edgbaston, Harborne and Moseley searches point to the Birmingham council average. A city-centre apartment can differ from that benchmark. Neither the map colour nor a lower rent is a rating of neighbourhood quality.

Can I use an actual rent or share a home?

Yes. The hub lets you replace a council benchmark with your actual monthly rental cost. You can also enter your agreed percentage of a whole-home benchmark. A rent override is already your cost and is not divided again. Bedroom changes clear overrides so an old rent is not carried into a different property size.

Why might a listing cost more than the ONS average?

The ONS series includes rents paid under existing tenancies as well as new tenancies, across the whole council area. A current listing describes a particular home, location and set of terms. Compare actual listings before choosing a home; recent ONS observations can also be revised.

Reviewed 12 September 2026 by PayPrecise. Rent evidence: ONS PIPR monthly dataset. Salary assumptions: HMRC 2026/27 rates. Geometry: ONS May 2024 council boundaries, simplified for display. Contains OS and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2024. Open Government Licence v3.0.