United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Birmingham vs Cornwall
Birmingham (West Midlands, England · ~1141k people) · Cornwall (South West, England · ~573k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Birmingham leads on 3, Cornwall on 3, 1 effectively tied. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Birmingham
£36,811/yr
Worse than 77% of UK LAs
Cornwall
£35,298/yr
Worse than 90% of UK LAs
Birmingham: 4% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Birmingham
£235,000
Better than 66% of UK LAs
Cornwall
£290,000
Around UK average
Birmingham: 23% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Birmingham
£1,086/mo
Worse than 57% of UK LAs
Cornwall
£1,004/mo
Around UK average
Cornwall: 8% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Birmingham
£2,363/yr
Better than 66% of UK LAs
Cornwall
£2,591/yr
Worse than 86% of UK LAs
Birmingham: £228 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Birmingham
114.1/1k
Worse than 93% of UK LAs
Cornwall
62.2/1k
Better than 66% of UK LAs
Cornwall: 83% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Birmingham
38.1
Worse than 98% of UK LAs
Cornwall
23.1
Worse than 67% of UK LAs
Cornwall: lower average deprivation score (23.1 vs 38.1).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Birmingham
94.5%
Better than 66% of UK LAs
Cornwall
92.9%
Around UK average
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
Birmingham
Rent takes 35% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.4× median annual pay
Cornwall
Rent takes 34% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 8.2× median annual pay
Full Birmingham profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Cornwall profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.