Pay vs Place

Central Bedfordshire vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £127,000 (69%) more in Central Bedfordshire than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Central Bedfordshire: it takes 7.1× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Central Bedfordshire, terraced
£312,000
Income typically needed: £62,500
Median full-time pay: £43,645
Newcastle upon Tyne, terraced
£185,000
Income typically needed: £37,000
Median full-time pay: £35,446

At a glance

Central Bedfordshire Newcastle upon Tyne
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime Low 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 19% lower than in Central Bedfordshire (£43,645), while a typical terraced house costs 41% less (£185,000 against £312,000). 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 7.1× annual pay in Central Bedfordshire and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Central Bedfordshire and 44% in Newcastle upon Tyne. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Central Bedfordshire, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Central Bedfordshire is the 125th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Central Bedfordshire is around the middle of 316 areas (139th most expensive) and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Central Bedfordshire would need about £23,500 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £43,000 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 47.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Central Bedfordshire and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident in Newcastle upon Tyne is 2.3 times the rate in Central Bedfordshire. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.2 per 1,000 in Central Bedfordshire against 9.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Central Bedfordshire Newcastle upon Tyne
Median full-time pay £43,645 £35,446
House price ÷ pay 7.1× 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 Central Bedfordshire Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
Detached £521,500 £357,000 -32% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Semi-detached £370,000 £215,000 -42% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Terraced £312,000 £185,000 -41% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Flat £190,000 £155,000 -18% in Newcastle upon Tyne

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Central Bedfordshire Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
Detached £1,761 £1,697 -4% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Semi-detached £1,352 £1,263 -7% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Terraced £1,205 £1,293 +7% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Flat £989 £993 +0% in Newcastle upon Tyne

Crime

Police recorded 47.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Central Bedfordshire and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident in Newcastle upon Tyne is 2.3 times the rate in Central Bedfordshire.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Central Bedfordshire Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 47.3 107.4 +127% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Violence against the person 17.7 36.6 +106% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Sexual offences 2.1 4.5 +112% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Robbery 0.7 2.3 +241% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.2 9.0 +185% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Vehicle offences 4.5 5.9 +31% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Theft from the person 0.2 1.4 +585% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Criminal damage and arson 4.4 10.3 +133% 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.

Central Bedfordshire: 196Newcastle upon Tyne: 148
House prices in Central Bedfordshire and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Central Bedfordshire now 196, Newcastle upon Tyne now 148.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Central Bedfordshire and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Central Bedfordshire now 196, Newcastle upon Tyne now 148.7510012515017520020102020
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YearCentral BedfordshireNewcastle upon Tyne
2005100100
2006104108
2007113115
2008112110
20099999
2010105103
201110498
201210598
201310898
2014118101
2015132108
2016151111
2017162112
2018167114
2019163114
2020164115
2021169123
2022184132
2023187134
2024185137
2025193145
12 months to July 2026196148

In 2005 the average home cost £181,536 in Central Bedfordshire and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £355,075 and £204,282: Central Bedfordshire is up 96% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in Central Bedfordshire, 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.

Central Bedfordshire: 8.0 years of payNewcastle upon Tyne: 5.6 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Central Bedfordshire and Newcastle upon TyneCentral Bedfordshire now 8.0, Newcastle upon Tyne now 5.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Central Bedfordshire and Newcastle upon TyneCentral Bedfordshire now 8.0, Newcastle upon Tyne now 5.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
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YearCentral BedfordshireNewcastle upon Tyne
2005–6.6 years of pay
20106.6 years of pay6.4 years of pay
20157.8 years of pay5.6 years of pay
20208.2 years of pay5.5 years of pay
20258.0 years of pay5.6 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Central Bedfordshire and 6.4 years in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2025 it was 8.0 years and 5.6 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Central Bedfordshire over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Central Bedfordshire: 159Newcastle upon Tyne: 176
Rents in Central Bedfordshire and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Central Bedfordshire now 159, Newcastle upon Tyne now 176.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Central Bedfordshire and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Central Bedfordshire now 159, Newcastle upon Tyne now 176.100120140160180201520202025
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YearCentral BedfordshireNewcastle upon Tyne
2015100100
2016108106
2017115113
2018116112
2019116113
2020117117
2021122123
2022127127
2023132137
2024142143
2025152160
August 2026159176

In 2015 the average rent was £786 a month in Central Bedfordshire and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £1,250 and £1,215: up 59% in Central Bedfordshire 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 Central Bedfordshire to Newcastle upon Tyne

Earning in Central Bedfordshire Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne
£30,000 £18,000 £32,000
£40,000 £23,500 £43,000
£50,000 £29,500 £53,500
£60,000 £35,500 £64,500

Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to Central Bedfordshire

Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne Equivalent to buy in Central Bedfordshire Equivalent to rent in Central Bedfordshire
£30,000 £50,500 £28,000
£40,000 £67,500 £37,500
£50,000 £84,500 £46,500
£60,000 £101,000 £56,000
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 Central Bedfordshire figures · All Newcastle upon Tyne figures