Newcastle upon Tyne vs South Staffordshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £45,000 (24%) more in South Staffordshire than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in South Staffordshire: it takes 5.9× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.
At a glance
| Newcastle upon Tyne | South Staffordshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Staffordshire (£38,788) is 9% higher than in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446), while a typical terraced house costs 24% more (£230,000 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 5.9× in South Staffordshire. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 29% in South Staffordshire. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in South Staffordshire, 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 Staffordshire is around the middle of 316 areas (164th most expensive). For renting against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas and South Staffordshire is the 118th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne would need about £49,500 in South Staffordshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £29,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Staffordshire 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 50.8 in South Staffordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 53% lower in South Staffordshire. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 10.3 per 1,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne against 4.4 in South Staffordshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Newcastle upon Tyne | South Staffordshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,446 | £38,788 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.2× | 5.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 96% | 84% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 44% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Newcastle upon Tyne | South Staffordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £357,000 | £420,000 | +18% in South Staffordshire |
| Semi-detached | £215,000 | £259,975 | +21% in South Staffordshire |
| Terraced | £185,000 | £230,000 | +24% in South Staffordshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Newcastle upon Tyne | South Staffordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,697 | £1,334 | -21% in South Staffordshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,263 | £970 | -23% in South Staffordshire |
| Terraced | £1,293 | £938 | -27% in South Staffordshire |
Crime
Police recorded 107.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Newcastle upon Tyne and 50.8 in South Staffordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 53% lower in South Staffordshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Newcastle upon Tyne | South Staffordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 107.4 | 50.8 | -53% in South Staffordshire |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 22.7 | -38% in South Staffordshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.5 | 2.6 | -43% in South Staffordshire |
| Robbery | 2.3 | 0.4 | -81% in South Staffordshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.0 | 4.8 | -47% in South Staffordshire |
| Vehicle offences | 5.9 | 4.1 | -30% in South Staffordshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 0.1 | -96% in South Staffordshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 4.4 | -58% in South Staffordshire |
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 Staffordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 105 |
| 2007 | 115 | 112 |
| 2008 | 110 | 111 |
| 2009 | 99 | 103 |
| 2010 | 103 | 107 |
| 2011 | 98 | 104 |
| 2012 | 98 | 102 |
| 2013 | 98 | 102 |
| 2014 | 101 | 106 |
| 2015 | 108 | 112 |
| 2016 | 111 | 117 |
| 2017 | 112 | 124 |
| 2018 | 114 | 129 |
| 2019 | 114 | 131 |
| 2020 | 115 | 137 |
| 2021 | 123 | 150 |
| 2022 | 132 | 164 |
| 2023 | 134 | 166 |
| 2024 | 137 | 168 |
| 2025 | 145 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 148 | 182 |
In 2005 the average home cost £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne and £167,700 in South Staffordshire. Now it is £204,282 and £305,952: Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48% and South Staffordshire is up 82%. Prices have risen faster in South Staffordshire, 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 Staffordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | 6.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.4 years of pay | 6.9 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.6 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.6 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 6.9 years in South Staffordshire. In 2025 it was 5.6 years and 7.7 years.
Affordability has worsened more in South Staffordshire 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 Staffordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 103 |
| 2017 | 113 | 105 |
| 2018 | 112 | 108 |
| 2019 | 113 | 111 |
| 2020 | 117 | 112 |
| 2021 | 123 | 117 |
| 2022 | 127 | 122 |
| 2023 | 137 | 126 |
| 2024 | 143 | 138 |
| 2025 | 160 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 176 | 155 |
In 2015 the average rent was £690 a month in Newcastle upon Tyne and £617 in South Staffordshire. Now it is £1,215 and £958: up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne and up 55% in South Staffordshire. 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 Staffordshire
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in South Staffordshire | Equivalent to rent in South Staffordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £37,500 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £49,500 | £29,000 |
| £50,000 | £62,000 | £36,500 |
| £60,000 | £74,500 | £43,500 |
Moving from South Staffordshire to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in South Staffordshire | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £24,000 | £41,500 |
| £40,000 | £32,000 | £55,000 |
| £50,000 | £40,000 | £69,000 |
| £60,000 | £48,500 | £82,500 |
All Newcastle upon Tyne figures · All South Staffordshire figures