Blackburn with Darwen vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £60,000 (48%) more in Newcastle upon Tyne than in Blackburn with Darwen. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Newcastle upon Tyne: it takes 5.2× median annual pay, against 3.8× in Blackburn with Darwen.
At a glance
| Blackburn with Darwen | Newcastle upon Tyne | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | 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 7% higher than in Blackburn with Darwen (£33,076), while a typical terraced house costs 48% more (£185,000 against £125,000). Set against local pay, Blackburn with Darwen is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 3.8× annual pay in Blackburn with Darwen and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 26% of pay in Blackburn with Darwen and 44% in Newcastle upon Tyne. Both are harder in Newcastle upon Tyne, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Blackburn with Darwen is the 24th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Blackburn with Darwen is the 46th least expensive of 316 areas and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Blackburn with Darwen would need about £59,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £71,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Newcastle upon Tyne would leave you worse 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 84.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Blackburn with Darwen and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 28% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.6 per 1,000 in Blackburn with Darwen against 9.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Blackburn with Darwen | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £33,076 | £35,446 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.8× | 5.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 132% | 96% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 26% | 44% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Blackburn with Darwen | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £305,500 | £357,000 | +17% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Semi-detached | £195,000 | £215,000 | +10% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £125,000 | £185,000 | +48% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Blackburn with Darwen | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,020 | £1,697 | +66% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Semi-detached | £766 | £1,263 | +65% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £721 | £1,293 | +79% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Crime
Police recorded 84.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Blackburn with Darwen and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 28% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Blackburn with Darwen | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 84.2 | 107.4 | +28% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 36.6 | +0% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Sexual offences | 3.4 | 4.5 | +33% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Robbery | 0.9 | 2.3 | +137% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.6 | 9.0 | +62% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Vehicle offences | 6.1 | 5.9 | -3% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 1.4 | +226% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.3 | 10.3 | +25% 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 | Blackburn with Darwen | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 114 | 108 |
| 2007 | 127 | 115 |
| 2008 | 128 | 110 |
| 2009 | 115 | 99 |
| 2010 | 115 | 103 |
| 2011 | 110 | 98 |
| 2012 | 110 | 98 |
| 2013 | 107 | 98 |
| 2014 | 106 | 101 |
| 2015 | 110 | 108 |
| 2016 | 114 | 111 |
| 2017 | 120 | 112 |
| 2018 | 124 | 114 |
| 2019 | 128 | 114 |
| 2020 | 130 | 115 |
| 2021 | 144 | 123 |
| 2022 | 156 | 132 |
| 2023 | 160 | 134 |
| 2024 | 165 | 137 |
| 2025 | 182 | 145 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 184 | 148 |
In 2005 the average home cost £87,708 in Blackburn with Darwen and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £161,032 and £204,282: Blackburn with Darwen is up 84% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in Blackburn with Darwen, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
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 | Blackburn with Darwen | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.2 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.4 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.5 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.7 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.8 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.2 years of pay in Blackburn with Darwen and 6.6 years in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2025 it was 4.8 years and 5.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Blackburn with Darwen 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 | Blackburn with Darwen | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 106 |
| 2017 | 102 | 113 |
| 2018 | 104 | 112 |
| 2019 | 105 | 113 |
| 2020 | 106 | 117 |
| 2021 | 110 | 123 |
| 2022 | 114 | 127 |
| 2023 | 119 | 137 |
| 2024 | 131 | 143 |
| 2025 | 144 | 160 |
| August 2026 | 152 | 176 |
In 2015 the average rent was £470 a month in Blackburn with Darwen and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £714 and £1,215: up 52% in Blackburn with Darwen 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 Blackburn with Darwen to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Blackburn with Darwen | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £44,500 | £54,000 |
| £40,000 | £59,000 | £71,500 |
| £50,000 | £74,000 | £89,500 |
| £60,000 | £89,000 | £107,500 |
Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to Blackburn with Darwen
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Blackburn with Darwen | Equivalent to rent in Blackburn with Darwen |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,500 | £16,500 |
| £40,000 | £27,000 | £22,500 |
| £50,000 | £34,000 | £28,000 |
| £60,000 | £40,500 | £33,500 |
All Blackburn with Darwen figures · All Newcastle upon Tyne figures