Darlington vs Northumberland: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £35,000 (29%) more in Northumberland than in Darlington. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Northumberland: it takes 4.1× median annual pay, against 3.3× in Darlington.
At a glance
| Darlington | Northumberland | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | Affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | About 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 Northumberland (£37,721) is 4% higher than in Darlington (£36,166), while a typical terraced house costs 29% more (£155,000 against £120,000). Set against local pay, Darlington is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 3.3× annual pay in Darlington and 4.1× in Northumberland. Renting one takes 23% of pay in Darlington and 22% in Northumberland. Buying is harder in Northumberland; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Darlington is the 13th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Northumberland is the 38th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Darlington is the 16th least expensive of 316 areas and Northumberland is the 7th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Darlington would need about £51,500 in Northumberland to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Northumberland 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 91.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Darlington and 69.3 in Northumberland, so recorded crime per resident is 24% lower in Northumberland. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 4.3 per 1,000 in Darlington against 2.7 in Northumberland.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Darlington | Northumberland |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,166 | £37,721 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.3× | 4.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 151% | 122% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 23% | 22% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Darlington | Northumberland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £295,000 | £357,225 | +21% in Northumberland |
| Semi-detached | £170,000 | £185,000 | +9% in Northumberland |
| Terraced | £120,000 | £155,000 | +29% in Northumberland |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Darlington | Northumberland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,010 | £1,002 | -1% in Northumberland |
| Semi-detached | £750 | £747 | -0% in Northumberland |
| Terraced | £689 | £697 | +1% in Northumberland |
Crime
Police recorded 91.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Darlington and 69.3 in Northumberland, so recorded crime per resident is 24% lower in Northumberland.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Darlington | Northumberland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 91.0 | 69.3 | -24% in Northumberland |
| Violence against the person | 35.0 | 26.8 | -23% in Northumberland |
| Sexual offences | 4.0 | 3.3 | -19% in Northumberland |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 0.4 | -41% in Northumberland |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.2 | 5.0 | -31% in Northumberland |
| Vehicle offences | 4.3 | 2.7 | -38% in Northumberland |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.2 | -36% in Northumberland |
| Criminal damage and arson | 12.3 | 8.4 | -32% in Northumberland |
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 | Darlington | Northumberland |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 107 |
| 2007 | 113 | 114 |
| 2008 | 111 | 113 |
| 2009 | 101 | 103 |
| 2010 | 104 | 107 |
| 2011 | 100 | 102 |
| 2012 | 97 | 99 |
| 2013 | 98 | 98 |
| 2014 | 101 | 102 |
| 2015 | 100 | 104 |
| 2016 | 104 | 107 |
| 2017 | 109 | 109 |
| 2018 | 107 | 111 |
| 2019 | 107 | 109 |
| 2020 | 107 | 114 |
| 2021 | 118 | 125 |
| 2022 | 128 | 135 |
| 2023 | 130 | 138 |
| 2024 | 130 | 141 |
| 2025 | 136 | 147 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 138 | 152 |
In 2005 the average home cost £113,773 in Darlington and £135,398 in Northumberland. Now it is £157,401 and £206,308: Darlington is up 38% and Northumberland is up 52%. Prices have risen faster in Northumberland, 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Darlington | Northumberland |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.1 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.5 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.5 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.3 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Darlington and 6.4 years in Northumberland. In 2025 it was 4.3 years and 5.3 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Northumberland 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 | Darlington | Northumberland |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 101 |
| 2017 | 102 | 103 |
| 2018 | 103 | 104 |
| 2019 | 104 | 104 |
| 2020 | 104 | 105 |
| 2021 | 107 | 106 |
| 2022 | 111 | 110 |
| 2023 | 116 | 116 |
| 2024 | 124 | 123 |
| 2025 | 136 | 133 |
| August 2026 | 146 | 143 |
In 2015 the average rent was £472 a month in Darlington and £486 in Northumberland. Now it is £689 and £695: up 46% in Darlington and up 43% in Northumberland.
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 Darlington to Northumberland
| Earning in Darlington | Equivalent to buy in Northumberland | Equivalent to rent in Northumberland |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £39,000 | £30,500 |
| £40,000 | £51,500 | £40,500 |
| £50,000 | £64,500 | £50,500 |
| £60,000 | £77,500 | £60,500 |
Moving from Northumberland to Darlington
| Earning in Northumberland | Equivalent to buy in Darlington | Equivalent to rent in Darlington |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,000 | £29,500 |
| £40,000 | £31,000 | £39,500 |
| £50,000 | £38,500 | £49,500 |
| £60,000 | £46,500 | £59,500 |