City in United Kingdom
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city in the West Midlands, the largest local authority in England, with 1,176,960 people at mid-2025. 26.7% of its residents at the 2021 census were born outside the United Kingdom. Winterbourne, the University of Birmingham's Met Office station (1991-2020), has 4 comfortable months a year by the program's test. Every other factor is the country figure. [N1] [N2] [W1]
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- West Midlands, England (Birmingham City Council area)
- Population
- 1,176,960 in 2025. Birmingham City Council area (a local authority district, the largest in England), ONS mid-2025 estimate (population on 30 June 2025); not the West Midlands built-up area, which is larger and was not read. The Census 2021 count for the council area is 1,144,919. [N1] [N2]
- Weather
- Four seasons [W1]
Why it is here
Why Birmingham is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- Birmingham City Council area had 1,176,960 people at mid-2025 (ONS estimate), the largest local authority in England and the second-largest city in the United Kingdom after London. [N1]
- At the 2021 census 305,960 of the 1,144,919 usual residents of Birmingham (26.7%) were born outside the United Kingdom, against 17.4% for England. It counts country of birth, not how long anyone has lived there or why they came. [N2]
- InterNations, a private expat network, runs a Birmingham community that lists 15,595 members and 7 interest groups (page read 16 October 2026); members may not all live in the city. Among the English communities I read it is the third-largest after London and Manchester. [E1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
14 of 100WeakCountry figure
Price level 0.892 of United States prices (2025), over the 0.75 line.
Source: Price level index (GDP), United Kingdom. Checked 16 October 2026.
Climate
25 of 100WeakOwn figure
Winterbourne, University Of Birmingham (Met Office, 1991-2020): 4 comfortable months a year (Jun 19.33 C, Jul 21.50 C, Aug 20.97 C, Sep 18.10 C). Rain is under 150 mm in every month (the wettest is 83.9 mm). Winterbourne is the University of Birmingham's own station, about 3 km south-west of the centre. May (16.51 C) misses the 18 C line by 1.5 C.
Source: Winterbourne, University Of Birmingham 1991-2020 averages. Checked 16 October 2026.
Safety
61 of 100MixedCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 39th of 163 (score 1.730).
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 16 October 2026.
Healthcare
92 of 100StrongCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 88 (2023). Expat Insider 2026 ranks the United Kingdom last of 31 for the quality of medical care, which this index does not measure.
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 16 October 2026.
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
51 of 100MixedCountry figure
Expat Insider 2026: 21st of 31 for Ease of Settling In (22nd for Local Friendliness).
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 16 October 2026.
Lifestyle
38 of 100MixedCountry figure
Expat Insider 2026: 28th of 31 for Quality of Life.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life. Checked 16 October 2026.
Work and career
50 of 100MixedCountry figure
Mixed: one of the two tests holds. Fixed broadband is 42.2 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line. But GOV.UK's work visa page names no digital nomad, remote worker or self-employed route, and the visitor rules allow remote work for an overseas employer only if it is not the primary purpose of the visit (a stay of up to 6 months, with no living in the UK through frequent or successive visits).
Source: Work visas; Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities; Standard Visitor visa: what you can do; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, United Kingdom. Checked 16 October 2026.
Retirement
15 of 100WeakCountry figure
Weak. The retired person of independent means route is closed to new applicants (GOV.UK, update of 13 June 2019) and its guidance was withdrawn on 9 November 2022 without replacement. GOV.UK's visa topics name no retirement or passive-income route.
Source: Extend your stay as a retired person of independent means; Browse: visas and immigration. Checked 16 October 2026.
Internet
95 of 100StrongCountry figure
42.16 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line.
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, United Kingdom. Checked 16 October 2026.
English
100 of 100StrongCountry figure
The UK has no official language in law. In England and Wales 91.1% of residents aged three and over had English (or Welsh in Wales) as a main language in Census 2021. EF EPI doesn't cover the UK, so the official-language rule applies.
Source: Language, England and Wales: Census 2021. Checked 16 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Canadian passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Australian passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
The country
More on United Kingdom.
Cities
Other cities in United Kingdom.
Questions about Birmingham.
How much does it cost to rent a flat in Birmingham?
The ONS put average private rent in Birmingham at £1,099 a month in August 2026 (all sizes), £830 for a one-bedroom, £1,003 for a two-bedroom and £919 for a flat; the West Midlands average was £982. We found no Birmingham adverts, so asking rents, deposits and council tax are unknown.
How big is Birmingham?
Birmingham City Council area, the largest local authority in England, had 1,176,960 people at mid-2025 (ONS). At the 2021 census 26.7% of its residents were born outside the United Kingdom, against 17.4% for England. The built-up area around it is larger and was not read.
Is there an expat community in Birmingham?
InterNations, a private expat network, lists 15,595 Birmingham members and 7 interest groups (read 16 October 2026); members may not all live in the city. Nationally, Expat Insider 2026 ranks the UK 21st of 31 for Ease of Settling In. We have no Birmingham survey.
What is the weather like in Birmingham?
The Met Office station at the University of Birmingham, about 3 km south-west of the centre, shows 1991-2020 average highs of 7.1 °C in January and 21.5 °C in July, with 50.9 to 83.9 mm of rain a month. Fernshore counts 4 comfortable months (June to September, highs of 18 to 30 °C).
What do I need to rent a home in Birmingham as a newcomer?
In England you prove your right to rent to the landlord with a share code or your immigration documents. A landlord must put your deposit in an approved scheme within 30 days. We found no Birmingham adverts, so typical deposits and whether a landlord accepts a new arrival with no UK credit history are unknown.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] Population estimates for England and Wales: mid-2025 (local authority and region), Office for National Statistics. Checked 16 October 2026. Mid-2025 estimates (population on 30 June 2025). Values read through the Nomis API (dataset NM_2002_1, all ages, both sexes) on 16 October 2026: London region (Greater London) 9,122,909 (9,149,646 at mid-2024); Birmingham 1,176,960; Manchester 588,256; Bristol, City of 495,260. Scotland's estimates are from National Records of Scotland and are not in this series.
- [N2] Census 2021: country of birth (TS004), regions and local authorities, Office for National Statistics (via Nomis). Checked 16 October 2026. Census of 21 March 2021, usual residents, read through the Nomis API (dataset NM_2024_1) on 16 October 2026. Counting those born outside the United Kingdom as the total less 'Europe: United Kingdom' (my subtraction; it includes people born in British Overseas territories). England: 9,802,543 of 56,490,049 (17.4%). London region: 3,575,740 of 8,799,726 (40.6%). Birmingham: 305,960 of 1,144,919 (26.7%). Manchester: 173,207 of 551,937 (31.4%). Bristol: 88,968 of 472,465 (18.8%). It counts country of birth, not how long anyone has lived there or why they came.
- [W1] Winterbourne, University Of Birmingham 1991-2020 averages, Met Office (UK national meteorological service). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026 (the Met Office's location-specific long-term averages page for the station, period 1991-2020). Mean daily maximum (C): Jan 7.06, Feb 7.74, Mar 10.26, Apr 13.38, May 16.51, Jun 19.33, Jul 21.50, Aug 20.97, Sep 18.10, Oct 13.88, Nov 9.87, Dec 7.34. Monthly rainfall 50.9 to 83.9 mm, under 150 mm in every month. The Met Office's Winterbourne station is at the University of Birmingham (52.454 N, 1.923 W), about 3 km south-west of the centre. The table gives maximum and minimum temperature but not mean temperature; the midpoint of the two puts the warmest month (Jul, 16.8 C) 12.5 C above the coolest (Jan, 4.3 C).
- [B1] Birmingham, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 16 October 2026. Wikipedia: Birmingham 'is a city and metropolitan borough in the centre of the West Midlands region of England', 'the largest local authority district in England by population'; coordinates 52.48 N, 1.9025 W (read on 16 October 2026).
- [E1] Expats in Birmingham, InterNations (private network). Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. 15,595 members in Birmingham, 7 interest-based groups, 9 event hosts (the network's own count).
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), United Kingdom, World Bank. Checked 16 October 2026. 2025: 89.16 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 16 October 2026; 84.89 in 2024.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 16 October 2026. The United Kingdom ranks 39th of 163 countries, score 1.730 (the ranking table in the report PDF, read on 16 October 2026). The report says the UK fell 7 places on the 2026 index, driven by the Ongoing Conflict domain.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 16 October 2026. United Kingdom: 88 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory data service (indicator UHC_INDEX_REPORTED, spatial code GBR) on 16 October 2026; 88 also in 2020 and 2022, 87 in 2019. The index measures service coverage, not waiting times or whether care is available when needed.
- [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 16 October 2026. The UK is 21st of 31 destinations in the Ease of Settling In index (22nd for Local Friendliness, 21st for Culture & Welcome, 21st for Finding Friends). The rank is read from the full-ranking image on the page (Expat-Insider-2026_Ease-of-Settling.png) on 16 October 2026; the page text names only the top 10 and bottom 10. A private survey of expats; 31 destinations met the 50-respondent minimum.
- [Q2] Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 16 October 2026. The UK is 28th of 31 destinations in the Quality of Life index, read on 16 October 2026 (the page text says 'the United Kingdom (28th)' among the bottom 10; the full-ranking image agrees). The page also says the UK ranks last (31st) for the quality of medical care. A private survey of expats.
- [K1] Work visas, UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. Routes named without a job offer: British National (Overseas), Graduate, Youth Mobility Scheme, India Young Professionals Scheme, Global Talent, UK Ancestry and High Potential Individual. With an employer or by invitation: Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Global Business Mobility routes (Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, Secondment Worker, Service Supplier, UK Expansion Worker), Representative of an Overseas Business, Scale-up Worker, temporary work routes, and Innovator Founder (start a business). Closed to new applicants: Entrepreneur and Investor (Tier 1), Start-up and the Turkish routes. No digital nomad, remote worker or self-employed route is named. The page is the evidence of absence; GOV.UK does not state in words that no such route exists.
- [K3] Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, Home Office, GOV.UK. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026 (page updated 8 October 2026). PA 4, General Business Activities: a Visitor may '(h) undertake activities relating to their employment overseas remotely from within the UK, providing this is not the primary purpose of their visit'. That is a limited allowance for a visitor, not a residence route.
- [K4] Standard Visitor visa: what you can do, UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. 'You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months.' A visitor cannot 'do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person' (apart from permitted business activities and paid engagements) or 'live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent or successive visits'.
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, United Kingdom, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 16 October 2026. 2024: 42.16 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 16 October 2026 (the 2025 value is empty).
- [R1] Extend your stay as a retired person of independent means, UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. 'This category is closed for new applicants' (update of 13 June 2019). The publication was withdrawn on 9 November 2022: 'This guidance is no longer in use and has not been replaced.' It applied only to people who already held permission as a retired person of independent means.
- [R2] Browse: visas and immigration, UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. The topics are: Visit the UK, Work in the UK, Study in the UK, Family in the UK, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ukrainians and their families, Commonwealth citizens and British nationals (overseas), Live permanently in the UK, seek protection or asylum, appeals and travelling to the UK. None names a retirement or independent means route.
- [L1] Language, England and Wales: Census 2021, Office for National Statistics. Checked 16 October 2026. England and Wales only (the United Kingdom has no official language in law): 91.1% (52.6 million) of usual residents aged three and over had English (English or Welsh in Wales) as a main language in 2021, and a further 7.1% were proficient in English but did not speak it as their main language. Read on 16 October 2026. Scotland and Northern Ireland were not read.