Pay vs Place

Eastbourne vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £90,000 (49%) more in Eastbourne than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Eastbourne: it takes 7.4× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Eastbourne, terraced
£275,000
Income typically needed: £55,000
Median full-time pay: £37,236
Newcastle upon Tyne, terraced
£185,000
Income typically needed: £37,000
Median full-time pay: £35,446

At a glance

Eastbourne Newcastle upon Tyne
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime Above 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 Eastbourne (£37,236), while a typical terraced house costs 33% less (£185,000 against £275,000). 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 7.4× annual pay in Eastbourne and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Eastbourne and 44% in Newcastle upon Tyne. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Eastbourne, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Eastbourne is around the middle of 316 areas (172nd most expensive) to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Eastbourne is the 104th most expensive of 316 areas and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Eastbourne would need about £27,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £44,000 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 110.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Eastbourne and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 3% lower in Newcastle upon Tyne. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.5 per 1,000 in Eastbourne against 9.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Eastbourne Newcastle upon Tyne
Median full-time pay £37,236 £35,446
House price ÷ pay 7.4× 5.2×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 68% 96%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 38% 44%

Buying, by property type

Type Eastbourne Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
Detached £418,000 £357,000 -15% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Semi-detached £313,750 £215,000 -31% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Terraced £275,000 £185,000 -33% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Flat £190,000 £155,000 -18% in Newcastle upon Tyne

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Eastbourne Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
Detached £1,478 £1,697 +15% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Semi-detached £1,295 £1,263 -2% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Terraced £1,175 £1,293 +10% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Flat £1,016 £993 -2% in Newcastle upon Tyne

Crime

Police recorded 110.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Eastbourne and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 3% lower in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Eastbourne Newcastle upon Tyne Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 110.3 107.4 -3% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Violence against the person 38.2 36.6 -4% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Sexual offences 4.3 4.5 +6% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Robbery 1.9 2.3 +19% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.5 9.0 +103% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Vehicle offences 3.3 5.9 +77% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Theft from the person 0.7 1.4 +99% in Newcastle upon Tyne
Criminal damage and arson 9.1 10.3 +13% 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.

Eastbourne: 174Newcastle upon Tyne: 148
House prices in Eastbourne and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Eastbourne now 174, Newcastle upon Tyne now 148.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Eastbourne and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Eastbourne now 174, Newcastle upon Tyne now 148.7510012515017520020102020
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YearEastbourneNewcastle upon Tyne
2005100100
2006103108
2007113115
2008112110
20099999
2010108103
201110498
201210598
201310798
2014118101
2015126108
2016137111
2017145112
2018149114
2019151114
2020151115
2021169123
2022190132
2023188134
2024181137
2025176145
12 months to July 2026174148

In 2005 the average home cost £146,809 in Eastbourne and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £254,743 and £204,282: Eastbourne is up 74% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in Eastbourne, 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.

Eastbourne: 6.9 years of payNewcastle upon Tyne: 5.6 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Eastbourne and Newcastle upon TyneEastbourne now 6.9, Newcastle upon Tyne now 5.6 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Eastbourne and Newcastle upon TyneEastbourne now 6.9, Newcastle upon Tyne now 5.6 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
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YearEastbourneNewcastle upon Tyne
20056.5 years of pay6.6 years of pay
20106.2 years of pay6.4 years of pay
20156.8 years of pay5.6 years of pay
20207.0 years of pay5.5 years of pay
20256.9 years of pay5.6 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.5 years of pay in Eastbourne and 6.6 years in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2025 it was 6.9 years and 5.6 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Eastbourne over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Eastbourne: 151Newcastle upon Tyne: 176
Rents in Eastbourne and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Eastbourne now 151, Newcastle upon Tyne now 176.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Eastbourne and Newcastle upon Tyne since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Eastbourne now 151, Newcastle upon Tyne now 176.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearEastbourneNewcastle upon Tyne
2015100100
2016104106
2017108113
2018109112
2019113113
2020117117
2021121123
2022127127
2023135137
2024143143
2025149160
August 2026151176

In 2015 the average rent was £774 a month in Eastbourne and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £1,169 and £1,215: up 51% in Eastbourne 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 Eastbourne to Newcastle upon Tyne

Earning in Eastbourne Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne
£30,000 £20,000 £33,000
£40,000 £27,000 £44,000
£50,000 £33,500 £55,000
£60,000 £40,500 £66,000

Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to Eastbourne

Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne Equivalent to buy in Eastbourne Equivalent to rent in Eastbourne
£30,000 £44,500 £27,500
£40,000 £59,500 £36,500
£50,000 £74,500 £45,500
£60,000 £89,000 £54,500
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 Eastbourne figures · All Newcastle upon Tyne figures