Comparison

Birmingham vs Nottingham

Renting in Birmingham costs £78/month more than Nottingham.

West Midlands, England  vs  East Midlands, England

Average rent
Birmingham
£1,086/mo
Nottingham
£1,008/mo
Lower
£78 difference
Average earnings
Birmingham
£30,180/yr
Higher
Nottingham
£26,512/yr
£3,668 difference
Average house price
Birmingham
£235,000
Nottingham
£200,000
£35,000 (18%)

Rent comparison

Bedrooms
Birmingham
Overall
£1,086/mo
£1,008/mo
1 Bed
£821/mo
£732/mo
2 Bed
£992/mo
£910/mo
3 Bed
£1,119/mo
£1,044/mo
4+ Bed
£1,563/mo
£1,459/mo

Overall, renting in Nottingham is £78/month cheaper than Birmingham - that's £936/year.

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)

Earnings comparison

Birmingham - average
£30,180/yr
Nottingham - average
£26,512/yr

Residents of Birmingham earn £3,668/year more than those in Nottingham.

Affordability insight
Birmingham
43%
of gross earnings on rent
Nottingham
46%
of gross earnings on rent

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

House prices comparison

Property type
Birmingham
Average
£235,000
£200,000
Detached
£446,453
£300,000
Semi-detached
£262,000
£215,000
Terraced
£215,000
£175,000
Flat
£158,750
£140,000

House prices in Birmingham are £35,000 (18%) higher than in Nottingham.

Over the last 10 years, house prices in Birmingham have risen by 65.5%, compared to 77.8% in Nottingham.

Source: ONS / HM Land Registry

Council tax comparison

Birmingham - Band D
£2,363/yr
Nottingham - Band D
£2,755/yr

You would pay £392/year more in council tax (Band D) living in Nottingham than in Birmingham.

Band
Birmingham
Band A
£1,575
£1,837
Band B
£1,838
£2,143
Band C
£2,100
£2,449
Band D
Benchmark
£2,363
£2,755
Band E
£2,888
£3,368
Band F
£3,413
£3,980
Band G
£3,938
£4,592
Band H
£4,726
£5,511

Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government

Band D is used as the standard benchmark for comparing council tax across areas. Other bands are set as fixed proportions of the Band D amount.

Energy comparison

Birmingham
Annual
£1,641
£1,641
Monthly
£137
£137
Energy region
West Midlands
East Midlands

Energy estimates are based on the Ofgem price cap, which is set nationally. Regional variation is small; we show the same headline figure across regions for transparency.

Source: Ofgem Energy Price Cap, Q2 2026

Water comparison

Birmingham
Annual
£594
£594
Monthly
£50
£50
Water company
Severn Trent Water
Severn Trent Water

Source: Water UK / Discover Water, 2026-27

Water company boundaries don't always align cleanly with local authority boundaries; the company shown here is the most common provider in each area.

Crime comparison

Birmingham
1,141/10k
#281 of 303
Nottingham
1,222/10k
#292 of 303
Crime type
Birmingham
Overall crime rate
1,141 /10k
1,222 /10k
Violence & sexual
510 /10k
451 /10k
Burglary
57 /10k
48 /10k
Theft
326 /10k
390 /10k
Criminal damage
89 /10k
118 /10k
Drug offences
40 /10k
61 /10k
Public order
69 /10k
101 /10k

Birmingham has a lower crime rate than Nottingham, with 1,141 vs 1,222 recorded crimes per 10,000 people.

Source: Home Office / Scottish Government recorded crime

Recording practices vary between police forces. Crime rates reflect reported and recorded crime only.

Compare different areas

Learn more about each area

Data on this page is sourced from: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS / HM Land Registry House Price Statistics, MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government council tax data, Ofgem Energy Price Cap, and Water UK / Discover Water. All official data is published under the Open Government Licence.