Pay vs Place

East Cambridgeshire vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £95,000 (51%) more in East Cambridgeshire than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in East Cambridgeshire: it takes 6.8× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.

East Cambridgeshire, terraced
£280,000
Income typically needed: £56,000
Median full-time pay: £41,464
Newcastle upon Tyne, terraced
£185,000
Income typically needed: £37,000
Median full-time pay: £35,446

At a glance

East Cambridgeshire Newcastle upon Tyne
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly affordable 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 15% lower than in East Cambridgeshire (£41,464), while a typical terraced house costs 34% less (£185,000 against £280,000). 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 6.8× annual pay in East Cambridgeshire and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 30% of pay in East Cambridgeshire and 44% in Newcastle upon Tyne. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in East Cambridgeshire, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Across all property types and measured against pay, East Cambridgeshire is around the middle of 316 areas (137th most expensive) to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, East Cambridgeshire is the 121st least expensive of 316 areas and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in East Cambridgeshire would need about £26,500 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £50,500 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 46.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Cambridgeshire and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident in Newcastle upon Tyne is 2.3 times the rate in East Cambridgeshire. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 4.4 per 1,000 in East Cambridgeshire against 10.3 in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house East Cambridgeshire Newcastle upon Tyne
Median full-time pay £41,464 £35,446
House price ÷ pay 6.8× 5.2×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 74% 96%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 30% 44%

Buying, by property type

Type East Cambridgeshire Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
Detached £470,000 £357,000 -24% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Semi-detached £300,000 £215,000 -28% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Terraced £280,000 £185,000 -34% in Newcastle upon Tyne

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) East Cambridgeshire Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
Detached £1,449 £1,697 +17% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Semi-detached £1,086 £1,263 +16% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Terraced £1,025 £1,293 +26% in Newcastle upon Tyne

Crime

Police recorded 46.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Cambridgeshire and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident in Newcastle upon Tyne is 2.3 times the rate in East Cambridgeshire.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents East Cambridgeshire Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 46.1 107.4 +133% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Violence against the person 17.9 36.6 +104% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Sexual offences 2.3 4.5 +94% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Robbery 0.2 2.3 +1084% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.1 9.0 +77% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Vehicle offences 2.9 5.9 +102% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Theft from the person 0.3 1.4 +448% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Criminal damage and arson 4.4 10.3 +134% 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.

East Cambridgeshire: 205Newcastle upon Tyne: 148
House prices in East Cambridgeshire and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. East Cambridgeshire now 205, Newcastle upon Tyne now 148.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in East Cambridgeshire and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. East Cambridgeshire now 205, Newcastle upon Tyne now 148.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearEast CambridgeshireNewcastle upon Tyne
2005100100
2006103108
2007115115
2008110110
20099999
2010108103
201110798
201211098
201311498
2014126101
2015139108
2016155111
2017164112
2018167114
2019169114
2020170115
2021174123
2022189132
2023193134
2024193137
2025202145
12 months to July 2026205148

In 2005 the average home cost £167,015 in East Cambridgeshire and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £343,016 and £204,282: East Cambridgeshire is up 105% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in East Cambridgeshire, 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.

East Cambridgeshire: 8.1 years of payNewcastle upon Tyne: 5.6 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in East Cambridgeshire and Newcastle upon TyneEast Cambridgeshire now 8.1, 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 East Cambridgeshire and Newcastle upon TyneEast Cambridgeshire now 8.1, Newcastle upon Tyne now 5.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearEast CambridgeshireNewcastle upon Tyne
20057.4 years of pay6.6 years of pay
20106.4 years of pay6.4 years of pay
20157.9 years of pay5.6 years of pay
20208.7 years of pay5.5 years of pay
20258.1 years of pay5.6 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.4 years of pay in East Cambridgeshire and 6.6 years in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2025 it was 8.1 years and 5.6 years.

Affordability has worsened more in East Cambridgeshire over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

East Cambridgeshire: 146Newcastle upon Tyne: 176
Rents in East Cambridgeshire and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. East Cambridgeshire now 146, Newcastle upon Tyne now 176.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in East Cambridgeshire and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. East Cambridgeshire now 146, Newcastle upon Tyne now 176.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearEast CambridgeshireNewcastle upon Tyne
2015100100
2016107106
2017112113
2018113112
2019114113
2020114117
2021117123
2022121127
2023128137
2024136143
2025144160
August 2026146176

In 2015 the average rent was £713 a month in East Cambridgeshire and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £1,038 and £1,215: up 46% in East Cambridgeshire 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 East Cambridgeshire to Newcastle upon Tyne

Earning in East Cambridgeshire Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne
£30,000 £20,000 £38,000
£40,000 £26,500 £50,500
£50,000 £33,000 £63,000
£60,000 £39,500 £75,500

Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to East Cambridgeshire

Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne Equivalent to buy in East Cambridgeshire Equivalent to rent in East Cambridgeshire
£30,000 £45,500 £24,000
£40,000 £60,500 £31,500
£50,000 £75,500 £39,500
£60,000 £91,000 £47,500
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. The pay estimate for East Cambridgeshire is less reliable than most.

All East Cambridgeshire figures · All Newcastle upon Tyne figures