Merthyr Tydfil vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £60,500 (49%) more in Newcastle upon Tyne than in Merthyr Tydfil. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Newcastle upon Tyne: it takes 5.2× median annual pay, against 3.5× in Merthyr Tydfil.
At a glance
| Merthyr Tydfil | Newcastle upon Tyne | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | About 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 1% higher than in Merthyr Tydfil (£35,152), while a typical terraced house costs 49% more (£185,000 against £124,500). Set against local pay, Merthyr Tydfil is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 3.5× annual pay in Merthyr Tydfil and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 23% of pay in Merthyr Tydfil and 44% in Newcastle upon Tyne. Both are harder in Newcastle upon Tyne, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Merthyr Tydfil is the 3rd least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Merthyr Tydfil is the 44th least expensive of 316 areas and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Merthyr Tydfil would need about £59,500 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £75,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Newcastle upon Tyne 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 76.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Merthyr Tydfil and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 40% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.4 per 1,000 in Merthyr Tydfil against 9.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Merthyr Tydfil | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,152 | £35,446 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.5× | 5.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 141% | 96% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 23% | 44% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Merthyr Tydfil | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £183,000 | £215,000 | +17% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £124,500 | £185,000 | +49% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Merthyr Tydfil | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £765 | £1,263 | +65% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £684 | £1,293 | +89% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Crime
Police recorded 76.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Merthyr Tydfil and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 40% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Merthyr Tydfil | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 76.5 | 107.4 | +40% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Violence against the person | 34.0 | 36.6 | +8% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Sexual offences | 3.5 | 4.5 | +27% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 2.3 | +449% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.4 | 9.0 | +167% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Vehicle offences | 3.6 | 5.9 | +64% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 1.4 | +328% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.1 | 10.3 | +46% 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 | Merthyr Tydfil | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 113 | 108 |
| 2007 | 124 | 115 |
| 2008 | 116 | 110 |
| 2009 | 106 | 99 |
| 2010 | 107 | 103 |
| 2011 | 105 | 98 |
| 2012 | 105 | 98 |
| 2013 | 103 | 98 |
| 2014 | 107 | 101 |
| 2015 | 112 | 108 |
| 2016 | 115 | 111 |
| 2017 | 120 | 112 |
| 2018 | 125 | 114 |
| 2019 | 133 | 114 |
| 2020 | 136 | 115 |
| 2021 | 158 | 123 |
| 2022 | 181 | 132 |
| 2023 | 187 | 134 |
| 2024 | 187 | 137 |
| 2025 | 190 | 145 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 192 | 148 |
In 2005 the average home cost £77,602 in Merthyr Tydfil and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £149,087 and £204,282: Merthyr Tydfil is up 92% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in Merthyr Tydfil, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
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 | Merthyr Tydfil | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.1 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.0 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 3.9 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.1 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.2 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.1 years of pay in Merthyr Tydfil and 6.6 years in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2025 it was 4.2 years and 5.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Merthyr Tydfil 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 | Merthyr Tydfil | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 106 |
| 2017 | 102 | 113 |
| 2018 | 105 | 112 |
| 2019 | 108 | 113 |
| 2020 | 112 | 117 |
| 2021 | 115 | 123 |
| 2022 | 127 | 127 |
| 2023 | 137 | 137 |
| 2024 | 149 | 143 |
| 2025 | 166 | 160 |
| August 2026 | 166 | 176 |
In 2015 the average rent was £453 a month in Merthyr Tydfil and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £754 and £1,215: up 66% in Merthyr Tydfil 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 Merthyr Tydfil to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Merthyr Tydfil | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £44,500 | £56,500 |
| £40,000 | £59,500 | £75,500 |
| £50,000 | £74,500 | £94,500 |
| £60,000 | £89,000 | £113,500 |
Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to Merthyr Tydfil
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Merthyr Tydfil | Equivalent to rent in Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,000 | £16,000 |
| £40,000 | £27,000 | £21,000 |
| £50,000 | £33,500 | £26,500 |
| £60,000 | £40,500 | £31,500 |
All Merthyr Tydfil figures · All Newcastle upon Tyne figures