Bedford vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £110,000 (59%) more in Bedford than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bedford: it takes 7.2× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.
At a glance
| Bedford | Newcastle upon Tyne | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | Above average |
Buying rates the typical price of all homes against median pay; renting rates a year of average rent against median pay; crime rates recorded crime per resident against the England and Wales average.
What the numbers say
Median full-time pay in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446) is 14% lower than in Bedford (£41,214), while a typical terraced house costs 37% less (£185,000 against £295,000). Set against local pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.2× annual pay in Bedford and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Bedford and 44% in Newcastle upon Tyne. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Bedford, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bedford is the 120th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bedford is around the middle of 316 areas (146th most expensive) and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bedford would need about £25,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £45,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Newcastle upon Tyne would leave you better placed to buy. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.
Police recorded 76.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bedford and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 40% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.1 per 1,000 in Bedford against 9.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bedford | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,214 | £35,446 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.2× | 5.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 70% | 96% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 44% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bedford | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £489,000 | £357,000 | -27% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Semi-detached | £343,688 | £215,000 | -37% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £295,000 | £185,000 | -37% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Flat | £185,000 | £155,000 | -16% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bedford | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,599 | £1,697 | +6% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Semi-detached | £1,313 | £1,263 | -4% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £1,147 | £1,293 | +13% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Flat | £915 | £993 | +9% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Crime
Police recorded 76.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bedford and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 40% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bedford | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 76.7 | 107.4 | +40% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Violence against the person | 29.1 | 36.6 | +26% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Sexual offences | 3.3 | 4.5 | +39% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 2.3 | +114% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.1 | 9.0 | +121% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Vehicle offences | 5.7 | 5.9 | +4% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 1.4 | +158% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.2 | 10.3 | +66% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Rates use resident population, so city centres and student areas show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on reporting and police recording practice.
How prices have changed in each area
Average house price for all property types, indexed so that 2005 is 100. A line at 200 means prices have doubled.
Show the figures
| Year | Bedford | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 108 |
| 2007 | 112 | 115 |
| 2008 | 110 | 110 |
| 2009 | 97 | 99 |
| 2010 | 103 | 103 |
| 2011 | 103 | 98 |
| 2012 | 105 | 98 |
| 2013 | 107 | 98 |
| 2014 | 117 | 101 |
| 2015 | 128 | 108 |
| 2016 | 145 | 111 |
| 2017 | 157 | 112 |
| 2018 | 163 | 114 |
| 2019 | 161 | 114 |
| 2020 | 160 | 115 |
| 2021 | 170 | 123 |
| 2022 | 187 | 132 |
| 2023 | 190 | 134 |
| 2024 | 189 | 137 |
| 2025 | 195 | 145 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 200 | 148 |
In 2005 the average home cost £164,542 in Bedford and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £328,694 and £204,282: Bedford is up 100% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in Bedford, so the gap between the two has widened.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | Bedford | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.1 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.5 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.6 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.8 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Bedford and 6.6 years in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2025 it was 7.8 years and 5.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Bedford over that time.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Bedford | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 106 |
| 2017 | 114 | 113 |
| 2018 | 118 | 112 |
| 2019 | 118 | 113 |
| 2020 | 119 | 117 |
| 2021 | 122 | 123 |
| 2022 | 130 | 127 |
| 2023 | 136 | 137 |
| 2024 | 144 | 143 |
| 2025 | 157 | 160 |
| August 2026 | 163 | 176 |
In 2015 the average rent was £718 a month in Bedford and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £1,173 and £1,215: up 63% in Bedford and up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne. Rents have risen faster in Newcastle upon Tyne.
What your salary is worth in each area
Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.
Moving from Bedford to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Bedford | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £19,000 | £34,000 |
| £40,000 | £25,000 | £45,000 |
| £50,000 | £31,500 | £56,500 |
| £60,000 | £37,500 | £67,500 |
Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to Bedford
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Bedford | Equivalent to rent in Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £48,000 | £26,500 |
| £40,000 | £64,000 | £35,500 |
| £50,000 | £79,500 | £44,500 |
| £60,000 | £95,500 | £53,000 |