28th November 2023

The Birmingham Monopoly Board with Real House Prices 2023

Having long since earned its place as a favourite family board game, even with the arguments, fights and table-flips it has been known to cause, Monopoly is a game of skill. Not entirely unlike making moves in the real-world property market, winning Monopoly requires an understanding of the board and the properties available, a fair amount of good timing, and some good luck. But, how many lessons can we learn from property-purchasing games like Monopoly? How close is it really to our own property market? 

Well, in this blog we’ll be asking exactly those questions as we take a closer look at the Birmingham edition of this classic board game. Join our local property experts as we compare real-life average prices with places on the Birmingham Monopoly board. Whether you picture yourself living on Hurst Street in the city centre, or are looking for investment opportunities near the city’s most-loved landmarks, discover how much a property is likely to set you back in Birmingham in 2023. To bring a little extra research to this board game to real life exercise, we’ve also taken into account how much you’d need to pay for landing on the dreaded tax squares, what you can expect to pay for landing on the Water Works and Electric Company places, and how much on average you’d get for ‘passing go’.

Dominion Court

Board Price → £60

2023 Average Sold Price  → £241,000

Bannerley Road

Board Price → £60

2023 Average Sold Price → £230,000

Despite being the cheapest properties to snag on the Birmingham Monopoly board, the brown lots of Dominion Court and Bannerley Road are by no means the cheapest places to buy a house, flat or commercial space in the real world, with both having average prices of above £200,000. While this may be surprising to those unfamiliar with the area, the reasoning behind the high prices is due to the types of properties available. 

Located close to the centre of Solihull, a market town within easy commuting distance of Birmingham city centre, Dominion Court is a series of desirable office spaces on Station Road. Similarly commercial in nature, the properties sold on Bannerley Road are typically industrial factories and warehouses. Typically large and built-to-purpose, these types of buildings usually demand a higher cost than smaller properties. 

The NEC

Board Price → £100

2023 Average Sold Price → £236,446

Victoria Square

Board Price → £100

2023 Average Sold Price → £199,231

Centenary Square

Board Price → £120

2023 Average Sold Price → £199,231

With a collective average price lower than that of the brown properties, the light blue places of The NEC, Victoria Square and Centenary Square are closer to tourist destinations than they are to residential streets. The NEC (National Exhibition Centre), for example, is Birmingham’s premier events venue, playing host to shows, exhibitions and meetings since it was opened in 1976. As the NEC is a property in itself, we’ve taken the area it’s located in, Marston Green, to get the average sold price for this Monopoly place. 

Similar to The NEC, we’ve had to think outside of the box to get average prices for Victoria Square and Centenary Square. Both pedestrianised areas known for their proximity to The Bull Ring and hosting Birmingham’s Christmas market, these places don’t have active property markets but share the postcode of B1, which has an average sale price over the last 12 months of just under £200,000.

Edgbaston

Board Price → £140

2023 Average Sold Price → £317,934

NEC Arena (Resorts World Arena)

Board Price → £140

2023 Average Sold Price → £236,446

Villa Park

Board Price → £160

2023 Average Sold Price → £150,000

The proud home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, Edgbaston is located just outside of central Birmingham and is the third-most expensive area on the Birmingham Monopoly board with an average sale price of £317,934. Considered to be an exciting suburb, the properties available in Edgbaston range from flats (which are the most-sold property type with an average of £212,063), to large semi-detached homes (which sold for an average price of £438,742 in the last year). With nearby attractions including the Priory Club, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Edgbaston Archery and Lawn Tennis Society and a Michelin star restaurant, it’s easy to see why so many people are drawn here.

Making up the other pink Monopoly properties are the NEC Arena (renamed to the Resorts World Arena) and Villa Park. Both iconic stadiums, the NEC Arena is known for hosting events and concerts, and shares the same Marston Green area as The NEC, while Aston Villa FC calls Villa Park its home.

New Bull Ring

Board Price → £180

2023 Average Sold Price → £257,627

Halesowen

Board Price → £180

2023 Average Sold Price → £242,307

Cannon Street

Board Price → £200

2023 Average Sold Price → £218,750

The orange properties on the Birmingham Monopoly board are the Bull Ring (a major shopping area), Cannon Street (a popular retail street in the city centre) and Halesowen (a suburban market town with great road links into Birmingham). The most expensive of the three is the Bull Ring which, with its B5 postcode, has an average sale price of over £250,000. Halesowen falls not far behind this at £242,307, its greenbelt area and proximity to the M5 making it ideal for commuters looking for a rural feel. Cannon Street fills the cheapest spot of the three, despite still sitting above £200,000 by almost 20K. 

Atherstone

Board Price → £220

2023 Average Sold Price → £213,625

Union Street

Board Price → £220

2023 Average Sold Price → £185,600

Coventry Road

Board Price → £240

2023 Average Sold Price → £285,200

Moving into more residential territory, the red property of Atherstone is a sought-after location with properties available in a range of sizes, styles and price points. The most common sale in the last year was of terraced houses, which had an average sale price of £185,306, sitting below the location’s overall average of £213,625. 

The remaining two red properties are close to Birmingham city centre, with both Union Street and Coventry Road being well-trafficked, though in different ways. While Union Street is a popular shopping street playing host to high street chains such as Argos and Superdrug, Coventry Road runs between the city centre and Birmingham Airport. The latter location demands a higher purchase price, with properties going for an average of £285,200.

Broad Street

Board Price → £260

2023 Average Sold Price → £286,833

Hagley Road

Board Price → £260

2023 Average Sold Price → £177,500

New Street

Board Price → £280

2023 Average Sold Price → £201,250

All locations known for their commercial usage, the properties on Broad Street, Hagley Road and New Street all sit at different price points, with the most expensive of the three being popular nightlife street; Broad Street. Centrally located, this street features commercial spaces and apartments which are popular for investors looking to rent out to students and young professionals.

On the other side of the scale, Haley Road is the least expensive of the three yellow Monopoly properties, though this wasn’t always the case. Sold prices over the last year came to an average of £177,500, which is 20% lower than the previous year, and 33% down from its last pricing peak, which was in 2020. New Street sits in the middle of these two properties average price-wise, which, as a shopping hot spot, commands a strong average sale price of £201,250.

Printing House Street

Board Price → £300

2023 Average Sold Price → £182,100

Newhall Street

Board Price → £300

2023 Average Sold Price → £230,000

Waterloo Street

Board Price → £320

2023 Average Sold Price → £223,250

Remaining in the city centre for all three of the red Birmingham Monopoly properties, Printing House Street, Newhall Street and Waterloo Street are all popular for investors looking for commercial spaces in central locations. Printing House Street is known for its stylishly refurbished working and living spaces which occupy what used to be the Post & Mail Building, while Newhall Street offers office space and flats that can’t be beaten on location. 

In contrast to these newer, renovated streets, Waterloo Street is more traditional and is one of the oldest streets in the city. Featuring beautiful architecture, while still offering modern office spaces, this street is best known for its banks, hotels and popular restaurants.

Bickenhill

Board Price → £350

2023 Average Sold Price → £550,000

Hurst Street

Board Price → £400

2023 Average Sold Price → £354,450

The most expensive spaces to purchase on the Birmingham Monopoly board, and in real life, are Bickenhill and Hurst Street. With an average price of £550,000, Bickenhill lives up to its reputation as a popular village within easy reach of Birmingham Airport, Marston Green, and the city itself. While its dark blue companion charges more in the game, however, Bickenhill properties are more expensive than those found on Hurst Street. Even so, this street takes the second spot in our research with its own average sale price of £354,450. This is likely because, while Hurst Street is centrally located, and is the main street of Birmingham’s iconic Gay Village, the properties sold are usually smaller first-floor commercial outlets and flats, which limit the asking price.

Passing Go

Board Price → £200

Average West Midlands Salary → £31,601

When ‘passing go’ in most versions of Monopoly (the Birmingham edition included) you can expect to pick up £200 with which to purchase your properties as you make your way around the board. In the real world, however, we’ve substituted this standard income with the average salary of the area, which in the case of Birmingham, and the wider West Midlands, is £31,601. 

Of course, with unlucky rolls of the dice removed, in life you’re required to step on those dreaded tax squares. Based on the average salary for the area, you can expect to pay around £3,804.40 in income tax, with national insurance coming to £3,804.40. This would give you a take-home pay of £25,512.88 for the year.

Electric Company

Board Price → £150

2023 Average → £2,073.69

Water Works

Board Price → £150

2023 Average → £448

While tax is one thing that can be taken into account when working out how much money you’d have in Monopoly terms to purchase properties, another real-world consideration to make is how much running and heating those properties would cost. As the majority of homes purchased in Birmingham over the last year were semi-detached, we’ve calculated that the average gas and electricity bill would come to £2,073.69 (which takes into account the UK average power consumption levels for a house of this size being occupied by 2-3 people). There’s also the water bill to pay, which has an average of £448 per year. 

Find auction properties in Birmingham

While purchasing property in Birmingham may be more difficult in real life than on a Monopoly board, unless you’re the unlucky player who keeps rolling triple-doubles and landing in jail, it’s by no means an impossible venture. In fact, our auctioneers and property experts at SDL Property Auctions are here to make the process of purchasing by auction simple, fast and hassle-free.

If you’re considering taking your first step onto the property ladder, or are experienced in managing a property portfolio already, find your next home, commercial property or investment by browsing the range of lots we have available in Birmingham in our property auctions.