Middlesbrough vs Sunderland: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £30,050 (32%) more in Sunderland than in Middlesbrough. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Sunderland: it takes 3.8× median annual pay, against 2.7× in Middlesbrough.
At a glance
| Middlesbrough | Sunderland | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | High | 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 Sunderland (£32,744) is 7% lower than in Middlesbrough (£35,177), while a typical terraced house costs 32% more (£125,000 against £94,950). Set against local pay, Middlesbrough is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 2.7× annual pay in Middlesbrough and 3.8× in Sunderland. Renting one takes 24% of pay in Middlesbrough and 26% in Sunderland. Both are harder in Sunderland, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Middlesbrough is the 10th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Sunderland is the 12th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Middlesbrough is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas and Sunderland is the 47th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Middlesbrough would need about £52,500 in Sunderland to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Sunderland 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 149.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Middlesbrough and 93.6 in Sunderland, so recorded crime per resident is 38% lower in Sunderland. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 7.7 per 1,000 in Middlesbrough against 4.1 in Sunderland.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Middlesbrough | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,177 | £32,744 |
| House price ÷ pay | 2.7× | 3.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 185% | 131% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 24% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Middlesbrough | Sunderland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £270,000 | £285,000 | +6% in Sunderland |
| Semi-detached | £165,000 | £162,500 | -2% in Sunderland |
| Terraced | £94,950 | £125,000 | +32% in Sunderland |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Middlesbrough | Sunderland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £951 | £1,049 | +10% in Sunderland |
| Semi-detached | £757 | £733 | -3% in Sunderland |
| Terraced | £710 | £723 | +2% in Sunderland |
Crime
Police recorded 149.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Middlesbrough and 93.6 in Sunderland, so recorded crime per resident is 38% lower in Sunderland.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Middlesbrough | Sunderland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 149.9 | 93.6 | -38% in Sunderland |
| Violence against the person | 53.4 | 33.5 | -37% in Sunderland |
| Sexual offences | 5.5 | 4.0 | -28% in Sunderland |
| Robbery | 3.7 | 1.5 | -58% in Sunderland |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 12.5 | 8.8 | -29% in Sunderland |
| Vehicle offences | 7.7 | 4.1 | -47% in Sunderland |
| Theft from the person | 0.7 | 0.5 | -33% in Sunderland |
| Criminal damage and arson | 19.6 | 11.3 | -42% in Sunderland |
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 | Middlesbrough | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 117 | 107 |
| 2007 | 127 | 113 |
| 2008 | 122 | 110 |
| 2009 | 118 | 101 |
| 2010 | 113 | 101 |
| 2011 | 108 | 97 |
| 2012 | 111 | 95 |
| 2013 | 106 | 94 |
| 2014 | 109 | 96 |
| 2015 | 110 | 97 |
| 2016 | 112 | 100 |
| 2017 | 113 | 102 |
| 2018 | 112 | 104 |
| 2019 | 114 | 104 |
| 2020 | 114 | 106 |
| 2021 | 127 | 118 |
| 2022 | 139 | 126 |
| 2023 | 141 | 127 |
| 2024 | 143 | 126 |
| 2025 | 150 | 133 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 151 | 137 |
In 2005 the average home cost £91,205 in Middlesbrough and £104,596 in Sunderland. Now it is £137,721 and £143,609: Middlesbrough is up 51% and Sunderland is up 37%. Prices have risen faster in Middlesbrough, 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 | Middlesbrough | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.0 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.9 years of pay | 4.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.1 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 3.9 years of pay | 4.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 3.9 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.0 years of pay in Middlesbrough and 5.5 years in Sunderland. In 2025 it was 3.9 years and 4.3 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Middlesbrough | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 101 |
| 2017 | 101 | 102 |
| 2018 | 102 | 101 |
| 2019 | 102 | 102 |
| 2020 | 103 | 102 |
| 2021 | 105 | 105 |
| 2022 | 106 | 107 |
| 2023 | 112 | 112 |
| 2024 | 121 | 120 |
| 2025 | 132 | 130 |
| August 2026 | 138 | 136 |
In 2015 the average rent was £504 a month in Middlesbrough and £521 in Sunderland. Now it is £698 and £707: up 38% in Middlesbrough and up 36% in Sunderland.
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 Middlesbrough to Sunderland
| Earning in Middlesbrough | Equivalent to buy in Sunderland | Equivalent to rent in Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £39,500 | £30,500 |
| £40,000 | £52,500 | £40,500 |
| £50,000 | £66,000 | £51,000 |
| £60,000 | £79,000 | £61,000 |
Moving from Sunderland to Middlesbrough
| Earning in Sunderland | Equivalent to buy in Middlesbrough | Equivalent to rent in Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,000 | £29,500 |
| £40,000 | £30,500 | £39,500 |
| £50,000 | £38,000 | £49,000 |
| £60,000 | £45,500 | £59,000 |