Newcastle upon Tyne vs Oxford: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £275,000 (149%) more in Oxford than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Oxford: it takes 10.6× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.
At a glance
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Oxford | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above 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 Oxford (£43,289) is 22% higher than in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446), while a typical terraced house costs 149% more (£460,000 against £185,000). 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 5.2× annual pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 10.6× in Oxford. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 56% in Oxford. Both are harder in Oxford, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Oxford is the 43rd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas and Oxford is the 18th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne would need about £99,500 in Oxford to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £62,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Oxford 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 96.3 in Oxford, so recorded crime per resident is 10% lower in Oxford. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 9.0 per 1,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne against 5.7 in Oxford.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Newcastle upon Tyne | Oxford |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,446 | £43,289 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.2× | 10.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 96% | 47% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 44% | 56% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Newcastle upon Tyne | Oxford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £357,000 | £922,500 | +158% in Oxford |
| Semi-detached | £215,000 | £479,500 | +123% in Oxford |
| Terraced | £185,000 | £460,000 | +149% in Oxford |
| Flat | £155,000 | £335,000 | +116% in Oxford |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Newcastle upon Tyne | Oxford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,697 | £2,593 | +53% in Oxford |
| Semi-detached | £1,263 | £2,188 | +73% in Oxford |
| Terraced | £1,293 | £2,022 | +56% in Oxford |
| Flat | £993 | £1,557 | +57% in Oxford |
Crime
Police recorded 107.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Newcastle upon Tyne and 96.3 in Oxford, so recorded crime per resident is 10% lower in Oxford.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Newcastle upon Tyne | Oxford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 107.4 | 96.3 | -10% in Oxford |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 30.7 | -16% in Oxford |
| Sexual offences | 4.5 | 3.9 | -13% in Oxford |
| Robbery | 2.3 | 1.3 | -40% in Oxford |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.0 | 5.7 | -37% in Oxford |
| Vehicle offences | 5.9 | 4.3 | -27% in Oxford |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 2.1 | +53% in Oxford |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 6.6 | -36% in Oxford |
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 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Oxford |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 107 |
| 2007 | 115 | 118 |
| 2008 | 110 | 117 |
| 2009 | 99 | 105 |
| 2010 | 103 | 121 |
| 2011 | 98 | 119 |
| 2012 | 98 | 127 |
| 2013 | 98 | 131 |
| 2014 | 101 | 146 |
| 2015 | 108 | 164 |
| 2016 | 111 | 176 |
| 2017 | 112 | 180 |
| 2018 | 114 | 178 |
| 2019 | 114 | 178 |
| 2020 | 115 | 180 |
| 2021 | 123 | 187 |
| 2022 | 132 | 197 |
| 2023 | 134 | 197 |
| 2024 | 137 | 201 |
| 2025 | 145 | 199 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 148 | 200 |
In 2005 the average home cost £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne and £241,793 in Oxford. Now it is £204,282 and £483,054: Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48% and Oxford is up 100%. Prices have risen faster in Oxford, 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 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Oxford |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | 10.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.4 years of pay | 11.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.6 years of pay | 13.0 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.5 years of pay | 12.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.6 years of pay | 11.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 10.4 years in Oxford. In 2025 it was 5.6 years and 11.1 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Oxford 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 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Oxford |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 103 |
| 2017 | 113 | 108 |
| 2018 | 112 | 111 |
| 2019 | 113 | 113 |
| 2020 | 117 | 116 |
| 2021 | 123 | 116 |
| 2022 | 127 | 121 |
| 2023 | 137 | 127 |
| 2024 | 143 | 135 |
| 2025 | 160 | 148 |
| August 2026 | 176 | 156 |
In 2015 the average rent was £690 a month in Newcastle upon Tyne and £1,260 in Oxford. Now it is £1,215 and £1,963: up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne and up 56% in Oxford. 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 Oxford
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Oxford | Equivalent to rent in Oxford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £74,500 | £47,000 |
| £40,000 | £99,500 | £62,500 |
| £50,000 | £124,500 | £78,000 |
| £60,000 | £149,000 | £94,000 |
Moving from Oxford to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Oxford | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £12,000 | £19,000 |
| £40,000 | £16,000 | £25,500 |
| £50,000 | £20,000 | £32,000 |
| £60,000 | £24,000 | £38,500 |