Blaenau Gwent vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £60,000 (48%) more in Newcastle upon Tyne than in Blaenau Gwent. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Newcastle upon Tyne: it takes 5.2× median annual pay, against 3.6× in Blaenau Gwent.
At a glance
| Blaenau Gwent | Newcastle upon Tyne | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above 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 2% higher than in Blaenau Gwent (£34,797), while a typical terraced house costs 48% more (£185,000 against £125,000). Set against local pay, Blaenau Gwent is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 3.6× annual pay in Blaenau Gwent and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 22% of pay in Blaenau Gwent 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, Blaenau Gwent is the least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Blaenau Gwent is the 25th least expensive of 316 areas and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Blaenau Gwent would need about £59,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £80,000 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 114.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Blaenau Gwent and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 6% lower in Newcastle upon Tyne. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 17.1 per 1,000 in Blaenau Gwent against 10.3 in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Blaenau Gwent | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £34,797 | £35,446 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.6× | 5.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 139% | 96% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 22% | 44% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Blaenau Gwent | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £185,000 | £215,000 | +16% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £125,000 | £185,000 | +48% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Blaenau Gwent | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £720 | £1,263 | +75% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £646 | £1,293 | +100% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Crime
Police recorded 114.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Blaenau Gwent and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 6% lower in Newcastle upon Tyne.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Blaenau Gwent | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.5 | 107.4 | -6% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Violence against the person | 45.0 | 36.6 | -19% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 4.5 | +2% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 2.3 | +246% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.8 | 9.0 | +16% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Vehicle offences | 7.3 | 5.9 | -19% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 1.4 | +1270% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Criminal damage and arson | 17.1 | 10.3 | -39% 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 | Blaenau Gwent | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 108 |
| 2007 | 115 | 115 |
| 2008 | 111 | 110 |
| 2009 | 98 | 99 |
| 2010 | 99 | 103 |
| 2011 | 94 | 98 |
| 2012 | 92 | 98 |
| 2013 | 92 | 98 |
| 2014 | 92 | 101 |
| 2015 | 97 | 108 |
| 2016 | 104 | 111 |
| 2017 | 108 | 112 |
| 2018 | 113 | 114 |
| 2019 | 121 | 114 |
| 2020 | 125 | 115 |
| 2021 | 144 | 123 |
| 2022 | 167 | 132 |
| 2023 | 168 | 134 |
| 2024 | 172 | 137 |
| 2025 | 179 | 145 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 184 | 148 |
In 2005 the average home cost £76,002 in Blaenau Gwent and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £139,791 and £204,282: Blaenau Gwent is up 84% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in Blaenau Gwent, 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 | Blaenau Gwent | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.5 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 3.9 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 3.2 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 3.6 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 3.9 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.5 years of pay in Blaenau Gwent and 6.6 years in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2025 it was 3.9 years and 5.6 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Blaenau Gwent | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 100 | 106 |
| 2017 | 100 | 113 |
| 2018 | 101 | 112 |
| 2019 | 101 | 113 |
| 2020 | 102 | 117 |
| 2021 | 108 | 123 |
| 2022 | 119 | 127 |
| 2023 | 131 | 137 |
| 2024 | 142 | 143 |
| 2025 | 155 | 160 |
| August 2026 | 166 | 176 |
In 2015 the average rent was £410 a month in Blaenau Gwent and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £681 and £1,215: up 66% in Blaenau Gwent 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 Blaenau Gwent to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Blaenau Gwent | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £44,500 | £60,000 |
| £40,000 | £59,000 | £80,000 |
| £50,000 | £74,000 | £100,000 |
| £60,000 | £89,000 | £120,000 |
Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to Blaenau Gwent
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Blaenau Gwent | Equivalent to rent in Blaenau Gwent |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,500 | £15,000 |
| £40,000 | £27,000 | £20,000 |
| £50,000 | £34,000 | £25,000 |
| £60,000 | £40,500 | £30,000 |