GB flag
Birmingham

United Kingdom

vs
GB flag
Sunderland

United Kingdom

Climate

Birmingham logs 3 outdoor-dinner months a year to Sunderland's 1 — Birmingham wins by 2. Sunderland also leads on frost days by 14.

BirminghamSunderland
Sunny days
92107
Hot days
00
Frost days
2511
Rainy days
150147
Outdoor dinner months
3/121/12
Avg wind
4.1 m/s4.6 m/s
Sunshine hours
1,4131,538
Darkest month sun
28 hrs/mo34 hrs/mo
UV peak month
4.14.7

Birmingham

Feels-like °C

-5
-3
1
7
13
16
18
16
13
7
2
-4

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Sunderland

Feels-like °C

-7
-7
-1
5
10
14
16
15
11
5
-1
-6

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Birmingham averages $2,247/mo for balanced living; Sunderland has no cost baseline yet.

Birmingham

$2,247

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $1,776Comfort $3,531
Top 68%in Among 217 Europe cities

Sunderland

monthly · balanced

Mobility

Birmingham and Sunderland score neck-and-neck on mobility (3.1 vs 3.1, 0–5 scale).

3.1/5
vs
3.1/5
BirminghamSunderland
WalkabilityTransitAirport
Transit

Culture

Birmingham's culture score of 3.7 sits well above Sunderland's 0.0.

3.7/5
vs
0.0/5
BirminghamSunderland
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Birmingham leads

Nature & Outdoors

Birmingham scores 3.7 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Sunderland has no nature & outdoors baseline.

3.7/5
vs
/5
BirminghamSunderland
ForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingClimbing

Safety

Birmingham scores 2.5 on safety (0–5 scale); Sunderland has no safety baseline.

2.5/5
vs
/5
BirminghamSunderland
Property CrimeFlooding

Career

Birmingham scores 3.4 on career (0–5 scale); Sunderland has no career baseline.

3.4/5
vs
/5
BirminghamSunderland
JobsEconomyCoworking

Social & Community

Birmingham scores 3.6 on social & community (0–5 scale); Sunderland has no social & community baseline.

3.6/5
vs
/5
BirminghamSunderland
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityGovernment Immigration FriendlinessAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

Birmingham scores 3.2 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Sunderland has no food & dining baseline.

3.2/5
vs
/5
BirminghamSunderland
RestaurantsVeganDelivery

Family

Birmingham scores 3.0 on family (0–5 scale); Sunderland has no family baseline.

3.0/5
vs
/5
BirminghamSunderland
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesPlaygroundsGroceriesGymSpa

Healthcare

Birmingham scores 3.4 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Sunderland has no healthcare baseline.

3.4/5
vs
/5
BirminghamSunderland
Public Healthcare

Air Quality

Birmingham averages 8.1 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Sunderland's 6.8 µg/m³ (good) — Sunderland breathes ~15% cleaner air (1.2 µg/m³ lower).

Birmingham

Sunderland

8.1µg/m³
6.8µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good
Good

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Birmingham (2.6M) and Sunderland (181K) are 14x in population — Birmingham is the larger metro, Sunderland the smaller; on land area Birmingham spans roughly 11x more ground.

12x

Birmingham is roughly 12x the scale of Sunderland

Combined population & area comparison

GB flagBirmingham
12x
GB flagSunderland
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.GB flagBirmingham2.6M14x
2.GB flagSunderland181K1x
Area
1.GB flagBirmingham685 km²11x
2.GB flagSunderland64 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
34 km31 km

GB flagBirmingham

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
9.1 km12 km

GB flagSunderland

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Birmingham vs Sunderland

Which is cheaper, Birmingham or Sunderland?
Birmingham has an estimated monthly cost of $2,247.
How does the climate compare between Birmingham and Sunderland?
Sunny days: 92 vs 107 d — Sunderland higher Annual sunshine: 1,413 vs 1,538 hrs — Sunderland higher Winter sunshine: 28 vs 34 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 0 vs 0 d — Similar Frost days: 25 vs 11 d — Sunderland lower Rainy days: 150 vs 147 d — Similar
Is Birmingham or Sunderland safer?
Birmingham has a safety score of 2.5/5.
Should I move to Birmingham or Sunderland?
Birmingham and Sunderland are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Birmingham and Sunderland stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

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