Sutton Coldfield, Harborne and Kings Heath all represent popular areas to live within the Birmingham area. All three are just outside the main city of Birmingham, but which one offers the best value for money when renting? We handle a lot of residential lettings in Sutton Coldfield, so allow us to compare all three areas to see what you’ll get with each of them.
Average Rental Prices
Let’s start with the average monthly rent across all three of these places – and keep in mind this is the average for all property types:
- Sutton Coldfield: £1,663 pcm
- Harborne: £1,270 pcm
- King’s Heath: £1,200 pcm
Sutton Coldfield is a lot higher, but that’s down to all kinds of factors, mainly relating to the types of properties available in the area. You’ll get many more multi-bedroom houses in this area when compared with the other two. Sutton Coldfield definitely feels more suburban, with more potential for big homes, large gardens, and dedicated driveways for parking. Harborne offers more flats and slightly smaller properties, while King’s Heath has plenty of terraced homes and flats, which is why it ends up having the lowest average monthly rent of the three.
Transport Links
Again, Sutton Coldfield tends to have the best transport links when you’re looking to go all over the UK as well as Birmingham. It has good train links through CrossCountry rail, plus plenty of local buses and close proximity to the M6, making it ideal for commuters.
Harborne doesn’t have its own dedicated train station, though it is quite close to the University station and offers plenty of bus routes. Of all three places, this is probably the least connected in terms of transport links.
King’s Heath is also excellent for commuters, bringing a great bus network and a direct train to Birmingham New Street, which can then take you all over the country with ease.
Key Amenities
When we talk about amenities, we’re basically talking about any property features or nearby things that make your life easier/better. Looking at Sutton Coldfield, you’ve got a very traditional town feel, which means some independent shops and cafes, plus a few restaurants and local shopping areas. It’s a very quiet and peaceful area to live in – and there are loads of nearby green spaces, such as Sutton Park nature reserve.
Harborne may be a small village, but it packs plenty of entertainment within a small radius. This is the more lively of the three areas, and you can expect to enjoy a vast range of pubs, shops, restaurants, and more.
King’s Heath has a really good High Street and feels fairly residential, but there’s good access to the main part of Birmingham City where you’ll enjoy plenty of nightlife activities and an almost endless stream of things to do or see.
Key Takeaways
Fundamentally, there isn’t a “winner” out of these three areas as they all offer something different. Sutton Coldfield may command high rental prices, but you benefit from a quieter life, bigger houses, a broader range of properties, and the most green spaces. It all depends on what you’re looking for; if you want a lively area that’s close to the University, Harborne will feel ideal. If you’re looking for a more city-centric place to live with plenty of flats or apartments, King’s Heath makes sense. Or, if you’re hoping to find more space or different property types, Sutton Coldfield will feel like it wins out.
