Mid Sussex vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £190,000 (103%) more in Mid Sussex than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Mid Sussex: it takes 8.5× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.
At a glance
| Mid Sussex | 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 20% lower than in Mid Sussex (£44,352), while a typical terraced house costs 51% less (£185,000 against £375,000). 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 8.5× annual pay in Mid Sussex and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Mid Sussex and 44% in Newcastle upon Tyne. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Mid Sussex, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Mid Sussex is the 57th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Mid Sussex is the 96th most expensive of 316 areas and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Mid Sussex would need about £19,500 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,500 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 45.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Mid Sussex and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident in Newcastle upon Tyne is 2.4 times the rate in Mid Sussex. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.4 per 1,000 in Mid Sussex against 5.9 in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Mid Sussex | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £44,352 | £35,446 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.5× | 5.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 59% | 96% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 44% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Mid Sussex | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £650,000 | £357,000 | -45% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Semi-detached | £458,000 | £215,000 | -53% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £375,000 | £185,000 | -51% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Flat | £240,000 | £155,000 | -35% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Mid Sussex | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,043 | £1,697 | -17% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Semi-detached | £1,605 | £1,263 | -21% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £1,412 | £1,293 | -8% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Flat | £1,143 | £993 | -13% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Crime
Police recorded 45.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Mid Sussex and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident in Newcastle upon Tyne is 2.4 times the rate in Mid Sussex.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Mid Sussex | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 45.0 | 107.4 | +139% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Violence against the person | 17.1 | 36.6 | +114% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Sexual offences | 2.2 | 4.5 | +101% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 2.3 | +411% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.1 | 9.0 | +122% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Vehicle offences | 2.4 | 5.9 | +146% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.4 | +585% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.8 | 10.3 | +113% 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 | Mid Sussex | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 103 | 108 |
| 2007 | 114 | 115 |
| 2008 | 115 | 110 |
| 2009 | 100 | 99 |
| 2010 | 112 | 103 |
| 2011 | 110 | 98 |
| 2012 | 112 | 98 |
| 2013 | 116 | 98 |
| 2014 | 128 | 101 |
| 2015 | 138 | 108 |
| 2016 | 152 | 111 |
| 2017 | 156 | 112 |
| 2018 | 159 | 114 |
| 2019 | 158 | 114 |
| 2020 | 160 | 115 |
| 2021 | 165 | 123 |
| 2022 | 181 | 132 |
| 2023 | 182 | 134 |
| 2024 | 181 | 137 |
| 2025 | 186 | 145 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 187 | 148 |
In 2005 the average home cost £232,731 in Mid Sussex and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £435,478 and £204,282: Mid Sussex is up 87% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in Mid Sussex, 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 | Mid Sussex | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.7 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 8.6 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 10.1 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.1 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.8 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.7 years of pay in Mid Sussex and 6.6 years in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2025 it was 9.8 years and 5.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Mid Sussex 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 | Mid Sussex | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 106 |
| 2017 | 106 | 113 |
| 2018 | 107 | 112 |
| 2019 | 109 | 113 |
| 2020 | 110 | 117 |
| 2021 | 112 | 123 |
| 2022 | 116 | 127 |
| 2023 | 124 | 137 |
| 2024 | 134 | 143 |
| 2025 | 141 | 160 |
| August 2026 | 147 | 176 |
In 2015 the average rent was £970 a month in Mid Sussex and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £1,423 and £1,215: up 47% in Mid Sussex 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 Mid Sussex to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Mid Sussex | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £15,000 | £27,500 |
| £40,000 | £19,500 | £36,500 |
| £50,000 | £24,500 | £46,000 |
| £60,000 | £29,500 | £55,000 |
Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to Mid Sussex
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Mid Sussex | Equivalent to rent in Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £61,000 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £81,000 | £43,500 |
| £50,000 | £101,500 | £54,500 |
| £60,000 | £121,500 | £65,500 |