Lewes vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £166,000 (90%) more in Lewes than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Lewes: it takes 8.6× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.
At a glance
| Lewes | 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 13% lower than in Lewes (£40,807), while a typical terraced house costs 47% less (£185,000 against £351,000). 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 8.6× annual pay in Lewes and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 40% of pay in Lewes and 44% in Newcastle upon Tyne. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Lewes, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Lewes is the 76th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Lewes is the 90th most expensive of 316 areas and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Lewes would need about £21,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £37,500 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 55.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Lewes and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 95% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.5 per 1,000 in Lewes against 5.9 in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Lewes | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £40,807 | £35,446 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.6× | 5.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 58% | 96% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 40% | 44% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Lewes | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £485,000 | £357,000 | -26% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Semi-detached | £390,000 | £215,000 | -45% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £351,000 | £185,000 | -47% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Flat | £215,000 | £155,000 | -28% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Lewes | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,822 | £1,697 | -7% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Semi-detached | £1,468 | £1,263 | -14% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £1,372 | £1,293 | -6% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Flat | £1,061 | £993 | -6% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Crime
Police recorded 55.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Lewes and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 95% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Lewes | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 55.2 | 107.4 | +95% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Violence against the person | 22.3 | 36.6 | +64% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Sexual offences | 2.7 | 4.5 | +68% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 2.3 | +350% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.0 | 9.0 | +204% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Vehicle offences | 1.5 | 5.9 | +304% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.4 | +585% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.7 | 10.3 | +82% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Lewes | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 108 |
| 2007 | 116 | 115 |
| 2008 | 114 | 110 |
| 2009 | 101 | 99 |
| 2010 | 110 | 103 |
| 2011 | 112 | 98 |
| 2012 | 115 | 98 |
| 2013 | 119 | 98 |
| 2014 | 127 | 101 |
| 2015 | 135 | 108 |
| 2016 | 147 | 111 |
| 2017 | 152 | 112 |
| 2018 | 157 | 114 |
| 2019 | 157 | 114 |
| 2020 | 156 | 115 |
| 2021 | 167 | 123 |
| 2022 | 185 | 132 |
| 2023 | 188 | 134 |
| 2024 | 180 | 137 |
| 2025 | 176 | 145 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 177 | 148 |
In 2005 the average home cost £207,480 in Lewes and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £367,890 and £204,282: Lewes is up 77% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in Lewes, 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 | Lewes | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.9 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 8.2 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 9.7 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.3 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.0 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.9 years of pay in Lewes and 6.6 years in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2025 it was 9.0 years and 5.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Lewes 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 | Lewes | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 106 |
| 2017 | 109 | 113 |
| 2018 | 111 | 112 |
| 2019 | 111 | 113 |
| 2020 | 113 | 117 |
| 2021 | 117 | 123 |
| 2022 | 123 | 127 |
| 2023 | 131 | 137 |
| 2024 | 135 | 143 |
| 2025 | 139 | 160 |
| August 2026 | 146 | 176 |
In 2015 the average rent was £910 a month in Lewes and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £1,333 and £1,215: up 46% in Lewes 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 Lewes to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Lewes | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £16,000 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £21,000 | £37,500 |
| £50,000 | £26,500 | £47,000 |
| £60,000 | £31,500 | £56,500 |
Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to Lewes
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Lewes | Equivalent to rent in Lewes |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £57,000 | £32,000 |
| £40,000 | £76,000 | £42,500 |
| £50,000 | £95,000 | £53,000 |
| £60,000 | £114,000 | £63,500 |