Newcastle upon Tyne vs South Cambridgeshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £140,000 (76%) more in South Cambridgeshire than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in South Cambridgeshire: it takes 6.6× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.
At a glance
| Newcastle upon Tyne | South Cambridgeshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above average | Low |
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 South Cambridgeshire (£48,916) is 38% higher than in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446), while a typical terraced house costs 76% more (£325,000 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 6.6× in South Cambridgeshire. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 34% in South Cambridgeshire. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in South Cambridgeshire, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and South Cambridgeshire is the 108th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas and South Cambridgeshire is around the middle of 316 areas (137th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne would need about £70,500 in South Cambridgeshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £43,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Cambridgeshire 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 46.9 in South Cambridgeshire, so recorded crime per resident is 56% lower in South Cambridgeshire. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 4.5 per 1,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne against 1.8 in South Cambridgeshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Newcastle upon Tyne | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,446 | £48,916 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.2× | 6.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 96% | 75% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 44% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Newcastle upon Tyne | South Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £357,000 | £597,500 | +67% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Semi-detached | £215,000 | £396,250 | +84% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Terraced | £185,000 | £325,000 | +76% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Flat | £155,000 | £216,500 | +40% in South Cambridgeshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Newcastle upon Tyne | South Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,697 | £1,928 | +14% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,263 | £1,469 | +16% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Terraced | £1,293 | £1,400 | +8% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Flat | £993 | £1,171 | +18% in South Cambridgeshire |
Crime
Police recorded 107.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Newcastle upon Tyne and 46.9 in South Cambridgeshire, so recorded crime per resident is 56% lower in South Cambridgeshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Newcastle upon Tyne | South Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 107.4 | 46.9 | -56% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 16.9 | -54% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.5 | 1.8 | -59% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Robbery | 2.3 | 0.3 | -85% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.0 | 6.0 | -33% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Vehicle offences | 5.9 | 3.6 | -39% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 0.1 | -89% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 5.0 | -51% in South Cambridgeshire |
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 | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 110 |
| 2007 | 115 | 119 |
| 2008 | 110 | 117 |
| 2009 | 99 | 105 |
| 2010 | 103 | 116 |
| 2011 | 98 | 117 |
| 2012 | 98 | 121 |
| 2013 | 98 | 125 |
| 2014 | 101 | 135 |
| 2015 | 108 | 152 |
| 2016 | 111 | 165 |
| 2017 | 112 | 174 |
| 2018 | 114 | 177 |
| 2019 | 114 | 174 |
| 2020 | 115 | 176 |
| 2021 | 123 | 181 |
| 2022 | 132 | 194 |
| 2023 | 134 | 198 |
| 2024 | 137 | 197 |
| 2025 | 145 | 200 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 148 | 202 |
In 2005 the average home cost £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne and £215,853 in South Cambridgeshire. Now it is £204,282 and £435,383: Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48% and South Cambridgeshire is up 102%. Prices have risen faster in South Cambridgeshire, 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 | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | 8.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.4 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.6 years of pay | 10.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.5 years of pay | 9.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.6 years of pay | 8.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 8.1 years in South Cambridgeshire. In 2025 it was 5.6 years and 8.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in South Cambridgeshire 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 | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 103 |
| 2017 | 113 | 110 |
| 2018 | 112 | 113 |
| 2019 | 113 | 115 |
| 2020 | 117 | 116 |
| 2021 | 123 | 121 |
| 2022 | 127 | 128 |
| 2023 | 137 | 137 |
| 2024 | 143 | 147 |
| 2025 | 160 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 176 | 162 |
In 2015 the average rent was £690 a month in Newcastle upon Tyne and £870 in South Cambridgeshire. Now it is £1,215 and £1,408: up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne and up 62% in South Cambridgeshire. 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 South Cambridgeshire
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in South Cambridgeshire | Equivalent to rent in South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £52,500 | £32,500 |
| £40,000 | £70,500 | £43,500 |
| £50,000 | £88,000 | £54,000 |
| £60,000 | £105,500 | £65,000 |
Moving from South Cambridgeshire to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in South Cambridgeshire | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £17,000 | £27,500 |
| £40,000 | £23,000 | £37,000 |
| £50,000 | £28,500 | £46,000 |
| £60,000 | £34,000 | £55,500 |
All Newcastle upon Tyne figures · All South Cambridgeshire figures