Pay vs Place

Bristol vs South Tyneside: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £231,000 (155%) more in Bristol than in South Tyneside. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 4.4× in South Tyneside.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
South Tyneside, terraced
£149,000
Income typically needed: £30,000
Median full-time pay: £33,739

At a glance

Bristol South Tyneside
Buying a home Expensive Affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Fairly affordable
Recorded crime High 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 South Tyneside (£33,739) is 15% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 61% less (£149,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, South Tyneside is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 9.6× annual pay in Bristol and 4.4× in South Tyneside. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 26% in South Tyneside. Both are harder in Bristol, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and South Tyneside is the 19th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and South Tyneside is the 59th least expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £15,500 in South Tyneside to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £15,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Tyneside 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 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 96.6 in South Tyneside, so recorded crime per resident is 26% lower in South Tyneside. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 3.2 in South Tyneside.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol South Tyneside
Median full-time pay £39,509 £33,739
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 4.4×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 113%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 26%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol South Tyneside Difference
Detached £536,500 £339,950 -37% in South Tyneside
Semi-detached £370,000 £187,000 -49% in South Tyneside
Terraced £380,000 £149,000 -61% in South Tyneside
Flat £265,000 £89,500 -66% in South Tyneside

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol South Tyneside Difference
Detached £2,106 £1,086 -48% in South Tyneside
Semi-detached £2,091 £784 -63% in South Tyneside
Terraced £2,008 £742 -63% in South Tyneside
Flat £1,508 £636 -58% in South Tyneside

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 96.6 in South Tyneside, so recorded crime per resident is 26% lower in South Tyneside.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol South Tyneside Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 96.6 -26% in South Tyneside
Violence against the person 47.4 37.7 -21% in South Tyneside
Sexual offences 5.2 3.9 -25% in South Tyneside
Robbery 3.0 1.3 -58% in South Tyneside
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 5.9 -36% in South Tyneside
Vehicle offences 9.8 3.2 -67% in South Tyneside
Theft from the person 0.8 0.3 -60% in South Tyneside
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 11.4 +7% in South Tyneside

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.

Bristol: 227South Tyneside: 147
House prices in Bristol and South Tyneside since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, South Tyneside now 147.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and South Tyneside since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, South Tyneside now 147.5010015020025020102020
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YearBristolSouth Tyneside
2005100100
2006108109
2007121115
2008116112
200910398
2010112103
201111296
201211496
201311897
201413199
2015144102
2016164105
2017173107
2018180110
2019182114
2020189113
2021201123
2022222131
2023225136
2024224138
2025227143
12 months to July 2026227147

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £108,335 in South Tyneside. Now it is £350,147 and £159,098: Bristol is up 127% and South Tyneside is up 47%. Prices have risen faster in Bristol, 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.

Bristol: 8.9 years of paySouth Tyneside: 4.6 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and South TynesideBristol now 8.9, South Tyneside now 4.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and South TynesideBristol now 8.9, South Tyneside now 4.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
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YearBristolSouth Tyneside
20057.0 years of pay5.6 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay4.8 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay4.5 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay4.6 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay4.6 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 5.6 years in South Tyneside. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 4.6 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Bristol over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bristol: 177South Tyneside: 145
Rents in Bristol and South Tyneside since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, South Tyneside now 145.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and South Tyneside since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, South Tyneside now 145.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolSouth Tyneside
2015100100
2016108101
2017115102
2018118103
2019120102
2020125102
2021131104
2022143108
2023155114
2024165123
2025168134
August 2026177145

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £512 in South Tyneside. Now it is £1,883 and £743: up 77% in Bristol and up 45% in South Tyneside. Rents have risen faster in Bristol.

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 Bristol to South Tyneside

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in South Tyneside Equivalent to rent in South Tyneside
£30,000 £12,000 £11,000
£40,000 £15,500 £15,000
£50,000 £19,500 £18,500
£60,000 £23,500 £22,000

Moving from South Tyneside to Bristol

Earning in South Tyneside Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £76,500 £81,000
£40,000 £102,000 £108,000
£50,000 £127,500 £135,500
£60,000 £153,000 £162,500
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 Bristol figures · All South Tyneside figures