Pay vs Place

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £113,000 (61%) more in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: it takes 7.9× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, terraced
£298,000
Income typically needed: £59,500
Median full-time pay: £37,493
Newcastle upon Tyne, terraced
£185,000
Income typically needed: £37,000
Median full-time pay: £35,446

At a glance

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Newcastle upon Tyne
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very 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 5% lower than in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (£37,493), while a typical terraced house costs 38% less (£185,000 against £298,000). 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 7.9× annual pay in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 43% of pay in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and 44% in Newcastle upon Tyne. Both are harder in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is the 93rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is the 49th most expensive of 316 areas and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole would need about £25,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,500 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 75.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 42% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.7 per 1,000 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole against 9.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Newcastle upon Tyne
Median full-time pay £37,493 £35,446
House price ÷ pay 7.9× 5.2×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 63% 96%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 43% 44%

Buying, by property type

Type Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
Detached £470,000 £357,000 -24% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Semi-detached £340,000 £215,000 -37% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Terraced £298,000 £185,000 -38% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Flat £214,000 £155,000 -28% in Newcastle upon Tyne

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
Detached £1,873 £1,697 -9% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Semi-detached £1,517 £1,263 -17% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Terraced £1,345 £1,293 -4% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Flat £1,076 £993 -8% in Newcastle upon Tyne

Crime

Police recorded 75.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 42% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 75.4 107.4 +42% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Violence against the person 27.7 36.6 +32% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Sexual offences 3.3 4.5 +35% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Robbery 0.8 2.3 +168% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.7 9.0 +60% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Vehicle offences 6.4 5.9 -7% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Theft from the person 0.6 1.4 +128% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Criminal damage and arson 7.0 10.3 +48% 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.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 164Newcastle upon Tyne: 148
House prices in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole now 164, Newcastle upon Tyne now 148.8010012014016018020052010201520202025House prices in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole now 164, Newcastle upon Tyne now 148.8010012014016018020102020
Show the figures
YearBournemouth, Christchurch and PooleNewcastle upon Tyne
2005100100
2006104108
2007114115
2008110110
20099899
2010106103
201110698
201210698
201310898
2014117101
2015126108
2016133111
2017141112
2018146114
2019146114
2020148115
2021157123
2022174132
2023173134
2024169137
2025166145
12 months to July 2026164148

In 2005 the average home cost £189,761 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £311,557 and £204,282: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is up 64% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, so the gap between the two has widened.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 158Newcastle upon Tyne: 176
Rents in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole now 158, Newcastle upon Tyne now 176.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole now 158, Newcastle upon Tyne now 176.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBournemouth, Christchurch and PooleNewcastle upon Tyne
2015100100
2016102106
2017106113
2018108112
2019111113
2020112117
2021119123
2022123127
2023131137
2024144143
2025154160
August 2026158176

In 2015 the average rent was £887 a month in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £1,398 and £1,215: up 58% in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to Newcastle upon Tyne

Earning in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne
£30,000 £18,500 £29,000
£40,000 £25,000 £38,500
£50,000 £31,000 £48,000
£60,000 £37,000 £57,500

Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne Equivalent to buy in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Equivalent to rent in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
£30,000 £48,500 £31,000
£40,000 £64,500 £41,500
£50,000 £80,500 £52,000
£60,000 £96,500 £62,500
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole figures · All Newcastle upon Tyne figures