Newcastle upon Tyne vs Tunbridge Wells: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £200,000 (108%) more in Tunbridge Wells than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Tunbridge Wells: it takes 8.0× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.
At a glance
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Tunbridge Wells | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | 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 Tunbridge Wells (£47,896) is 35% higher than in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446), while a typical terraced house costs 108% more (£385,000 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 8.0× in Tunbridge Wells. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 38% in Tunbridge Wells. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Tunbridge Wells, 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 Tunbridge Wells is the 86th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas and Tunbridge Wells is the 97th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne would need about £83,000 in Tunbridge Wells to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £47,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Tunbridge Wells 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.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Newcastle upon Tyne | Tunbridge Wells |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,446 | £47,896 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.2× | 8.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 96% | 62% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 44% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Newcastle upon Tyne | Tunbridge Wells | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £357,000 | £771,583 | +116% in Tunbridge Wells |
| Semi-detached | £215,000 | £450,000 | +109% in Tunbridge Wells |
| Terraced | £185,000 | £385,000 | +108% in Tunbridge Wells |
| Flat | £155,000 | £255,883 | +65% in Tunbridge Wells |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Newcastle upon Tyne | Tunbridge Wells | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,697 | £2,206 | +30% in Tunbridge Wells |
| Semi-detached | £1,263 | £1,668 | +32% in Tunbridge Wells |
| Terraced | £1,293 | £1,525 | +18% in Tunbridge Wells |
| Flat | £993 | £1,228 | +24% in Tunbridge Wells |
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 | Tunbridge Wells |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 106 |
| 2007 | 115 | 115 |
| 2008 | 110 | 113 |
| 2009 | 99 | 103 |
| 2010 | 103 | 114 |
| 2011 | 98 | 116 |
| 2012 | 98 | 117 |
| 2013 | 98 | 122 |
| 2014 | 101 | 131 |
| 2015 | 108 | 142 |
| 2016 | 111 | 157 |
| 2017 | 112 | 162 |
| 2018 | 114 | 168 |
| 2019 | 114 | 165 |
| 2020 | 115 | 167 |
| 2021 | 123 | 180 |
| 2022 | 132 | 194 |
| 2023 | 134 | 191 |
| 2024 | 137 | 191 |
| 2025 | 145 | 196 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 148 | 196 |
In 2005 the average home cost £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne and £230,136 in Tunbridge Wells. Now it is £204,282 and £452,000: Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48% and Tunbridge Wells is up 96%. Prices have risen faster in Tunbridge Wells, 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 | Tunbridge Wells |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | 8.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.4 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.6 years of pay | 9.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.5 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.6 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 8.6 years in Tunbridge Wells. In 2025 it was 5.6 years and 9.4 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Tunbridge Wells 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 | Tunbridge Wells |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 104 |
| 2017 | 113 | 107 |
| 2018 | 112 | 108 |
| 2019 | 113 | 109 |
| 2020 | 117 | 112 |
| 2021 | 123 | 115 |
| 2022 | 127 | 120 |
| 2023 | 137 | 128 |
| 2024 | 143 | 135 |
| 2025 | 160 | 147 |
| August 2026 | 176 | 155 |
In 2015 the average rent was £690 a month in Newcastle upon Tyne and £989 in Tunbridge Wells. Now it is £1,215 and £1,533: up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne and up 55% in Tunbridge Wells. 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 Tunbridge Wells
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Tunbridge Wells | Equivalent to rent in Tunbridge Wells |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £62,500 | £35,500 |
| £40,000 | £83,000 | £47,000 |
| £50,000 | £104,000 | £59,000 |
| £60,000 | £125,000 | £71,000 |
Moving from Tunbridge Wells to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Tunbridge Wells | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £14,500 | £25,500 |
| £40,000 | £19,000 | £34,000 |
| £50,000 | £24,000 | £42,500 |
| £60,000 | £29,000 | £51,000 |
All Newcastle upon Tyne figures · All Tunbridge Wells figures