Gateshead vs Hartlepool: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £50,000 (53%) more in Gateshead than in Hartlepool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Gateshead: it takes 4.2× median annual pay, against 3.0× in Hartlepool.
At a glance
| Gateshead | Hartlepool | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | High |
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 Hartlepool (£31,871) is 7% lower than in Gateshead (£34,199), while a typical terraced house costs 34% less (£95,000 against £145,000). Set against local pay, Hartlepool is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.2× annual pay in Gateshead and 3.0× in Hartlepool. Renting one takes 28% of pay in Gateshead and 21% in Hartlepool. Both are harder in Gateshead, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Gateshead is the 16th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Hartlepool is the 18th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Gateshead is the 89th least expensive of 316 areas and Hartlepool is the 3rd least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Gateshead would need about £26,000 in Hartlepool to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £27,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Hartlepool 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 87.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Gateshead and 134.2 in Hartlepool, so recorded crime per resident is 53% higher in Hartlepool. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.6 per 1,000 in Gateshead against 10.7 in Hartlepool.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Gateshead | Hartlepool |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £34,199 | £31,871 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.2× | 3.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 118% | 168% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 28% | 21% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Gateshead | Hartlepool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £304,995 | £273,738 | -10% in Hartlepool |
| Semi-detached | £175,000 | £155,000 | -11% in Hartlepool |
| Terraced | £145,000 | £95,000 | -34% in Hartlepool |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Gateshead | Hartlepool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,101 | £801 | -27% in Hartlepool |
| Semi-detached | £842 | £620 | -26% in Hartlepool |
| Terraced | £812 | £553 | -32% in Hartlepool |
Crime
Police recorded 87.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Gateshead and 134.2 in Hartlepool, so recorded crime per resident is 53% higher in Hartlepool.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Gateshead | Hartlepool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 87.8 | 134.2 | +53% in Hartlepool |
| Violence against the person | 30.6 | 47.1 | +54% in Hartlepool |
| Sexual offences | 3.4 | 5.6 | +63% in Hartlepool |
| Robbery | 1.5 | 2.5 | +59% in Hartlepool |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.6 | 10.7 | +63% in Hartlepool |
| Vehicle offences | 5.0 | 4.5 | -9% in Hartlepool |
| Theft from the person | 0.6 | 0.6 | +2% in Hartlepool |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.1 | 14.8 | +46% in Hartlepool |
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 | Gateshead | Hartlepool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 114 |
| 2007 | 116 | 126 |
| 2008 | 113 | 122 |
| 2009 | 102 | 109 |
| 2010 | 102 | 111 |
| 2011 | 99 | 106 |
| 2012 | 98 | 101 |
| 2013 | 100 | 100 |
| 2014 | 104 | 99 |
| 2015 | 104 | 101 |
| 2016 | 108 | 104 |
| 2017 | 110 | 105 |
| 2018 | 113 | 107 |
| 2019 | 113 | 108 |
| 2020 | 114 | 108 |
| 2021 | 123 | 123 |
| 2022 | 131 | 134 |
| 2023 | 135 | 134 |
| 2024 | 134 | 131 |
| 2025 | 138 | 139 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 141 | 141 |
In 2005 the average home cost £109,128 in Gateshead and £92,751 in Hartlepool. Now it is £153,654 and £130,733: Gateshead is up 41% and Hartlepool is up 41%.
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 | Gateshead | Hartlepool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.4 years of pay | 4.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.8 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.5 years of pay | 3.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.7 years of pay | 3.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.4 years of pay | 4.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.4 years of pay in Gateshead and 4.4 years in Hartlepool. In 2025 it was 4.4 years and 4.0 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Hartlepool 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 | Gateshead | Hartlepool |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 99 |
| 2017 | 102 | 99 |
| 2018 | 103 | 100 |
| 2019 | 104 | 103 |
| 2020 | 105 | 106 |
| 2021 | 108 | 107 |
| 2022 | 113 | 109 |
| 2023 | 120 | 112 |
| 2024 | 130 | 115 |
| 2025 | 141 | 118 |
| August 2026 | 150 | 120 |
In 2015 the average rent was £537 a month in Gateshead and £466 in Hartlepool. Now it is £804 and £558: up 50% in Gateshead and up 20% in Hartlepool. Rents have risen faster in Gateshead.
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 Gateshead to Hartlepool
| Earning in Gateshead | Equivalent to buy in Hartlepool | Equivalent to rent in Hartlepool |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £19,500 | £20,500 |
| £40,000 | £26,000 | £27,000 |
| £50,000 | £33,000 | £34,000 |
| £60,000 | £39,500 | £41,000 |
Moving from Hartlepool to Gateshead
| Earning in Hartlepool | Equivalent to buy in Gateshead | Equivalent to rent in Gateshead |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £46,000 | £44,000 |
| £40,000 | £61,000 | £58,500 |
| £50,000 | £76,500 | £73,500 |
| £60,000 | £91,500 | £88,000 |