Pay vs Place

Newcastle upon Tyne vs North Northamptonshire: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £20,000 (11%) more in North Northamptonshire than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.

Newcastle upon Tyne, terraced
£185,000
Income typically needed: £37,000
Median full-time pay: £35,446
North Northamptonshire, terraced
£205,000
Income typically needed: £41,000
Median full-time pay: £37,951

At a glance

Newcastle upon Tyne North Northamptonshire
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Fairly affordable
Recorded crime Above average About 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 North Northamptonshire (£37,951) is 7% higher than in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446), while a typical terraced house costs 11% more (£205,000 against £185,000).

Buying a terraced house takes 5.2× annual pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 5.4× in North Northamptonshire. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 31% in North Northamptonshire. Renting is harder in Newcastle upon Tyne; buying is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and North Northamptonshire is the 113th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas and North Northamptonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (182nd most expensive).

Someone on £40,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne would need about £44,500 in North Northamptonshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £30,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to North Northamptonshire 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 107.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Newcastle upon Tyne and 68.8 in North Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 36% lower in North Northamptonshire. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 9.0 per 1,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne against 4.6 in North Northamptonshire.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Newcastle upon Tyne North Northamptonshire
Median full-time pay £35,446 £37,951
House price ÷ pay 5.2× 5.4×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 96% 93%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 44% 31%

Buying, by property type

Type Newcastle upon Tyne North Northamptonshire Difference
Detached £357,000 £370,000 +4% in North Northamptonshire
Semi-detached £215,000 £250,000 +16% in North Northamptonshire
Terraced £185,000 £205,000 +11% in North Northamptonshire
Flat £155,000 £127,000 -18% in North Northamptonshire

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Newcastle upon Tyne North Northamptonshire Difference
Detached £1,697 £1,331 -22% in North Northamptonshire
Semi-detached £1,263 £1,029 -19% in North Northamptonshire
Terraced £1,293 £965 -25% in North Northamptonshire
Flat £993 £796 -20% in North Northamptonshire

Crime

Police recorded 107.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Newcastle upon Tyne and 68.8 in North Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 36% lower in North Northamptonshire.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Newcastle upon Tyne North Northamptonshire Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 107.4 68.8 -36% in North Northamptonshire
Violence against the person 36.6 27.5 -25% in North Northamptonshire
Sexual offences 4.5 3.6 -20% in North Northamptonshire
Robbery 2.3 1.2 -48% in North Northamptonshire
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.0 4.6 -49% in North Northamptonshire
Vehicle offences 5.9 4.1 -31% in North Northamptonshire
Theft from the person 1.4 0.2 -86% in North Northamptonshire
Criminal damage and arson 10.3 5.7 -45% in North Northamptonshire

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.

Newcastle upon Tyne: 148North Northamptonshire: 196
House prices in Newcastle upon Tyne and North Northamptonshire since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Newcastle upon Tyne now 148, North Northamptonshire now 196.5010015020020052010201520202025House prices in Newcastle upon Tyne and North Northamptonshire since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Newcastle upon Tyne now 148, North Northamptonshire now 196.5010015020020102020
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YearNewcastle upon TyneNorth Northamptonshire
2005100100
2006108104
2007115114
2008110110
20099996
2010103101
201198101
201298101
201398104
2014101112
2015108120
2016111133
2017112145
2018114155
2019114157
2020115160
2021123172
2022132191
2023134194
2024137189
2025145193
12 months to July 2026148196

In 2005 the average home cost £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne and £129,839 in North Northamptonshire. Now it is £204,282 and £255,079: Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48% and North Northamptonshire is up 96%. Prices have risen faster in North Northamptonshire, so the gap between the two has narrowed.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Newcastle upon Tyne: 176North Northamptonshire: 170
Rents in Newcastle upon Tyne and North Northamptonshire since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Newcastle upon Tyne now 176, North Northamptonshire now 170.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Newcastle upon Tyne and North Northamptonshire since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Newcastle upon Tyne now 176, North Northamptonshire now 170.100120140160180201520202025
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YearNewcastle upon TyneNorth Northamptonshire
2015100100
2016106105
2017113111
2018112116
2019113121
2020117122
2021123124
2022127130
2023137139
2024143147
2025160159
August 2026176170

In 2015 the average rent was £690 a month in Newcastle upon Tyne and £583 in North Northamptonshire. Now it is £1,215 and £992: up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne and up 70% in North Northamptonshire. 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 Newcastle upon Tyne to North Northamptonshire

Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne Equivalent to buy in North Northamptonshire Equivalent to rent in North Northamptonshire
£30,000 £33,000 £22,500
£40,000 £44,500 £30,000
£50,000 £55,500 £37,500
£60,000 £66,500 £45,000

Moving from North Northamptonshire to Newcastle upon Tyne

Earning in North Northamptonshire Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne
£30,000 £27,000 £40,000
£40,000 £36,000 £53,500
£50,000 £45,000 £67,000
£60,000 £54,000 £80,500
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Newcastle upon Tyne figures · All North Northamptonshire figures