Newcastle upon Tyne vs Vale of Glamorgan: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £50,000 (27%) more in Vale of Glamorgan than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Vale of Glamorgan: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.
At a glance
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Vale of Glamorgan | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Vale of Glamorgan (£38,656) is 9% higher than in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446), while a typical terraced house costs 27% more (£235,000 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 6.1× in Vale of Glamorgan. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 29% in Vale of Glamorgan. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Vale of Glamorgan, 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 Vale of Glamorgan is around the middle of 316 areas (171st most expensive). For renting against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas and Vale of Glamorgan is around the middle of 316 areas (189th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne would need about £51,000 in Vale of Glamorgan to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £29,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Vale of Glamorgan 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 60.9 in Vale of Glamorgan, so recorded crime per resident is 43% lower in Vale of Glamorgan. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 9.0 per 1,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne against 2.4 in Vale of Glamorgan.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Newcastle upon Tyne | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,446 | £38,656 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.2× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 96% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 44% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Newcastle upon Tyne | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £357,000 | £455,000 | +27% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Semi-detached | £215,000 | £287,000 | +33% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Terraced | £185,000 | £235,000 | +27% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Flat | £155,000 | £167,000 | +8% in Vale of Glamorgan |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Newcastle upon Tyne | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,697 | £1,341 | -21% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Semi-detached | £1,263 | £996 | -21% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Terraced | £1,293 | £946 | -27% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Flat | £993 | £806 | -19% in Vale of Glamorgan |
Crime
Police recorded 107.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Newcastle upon Tyne and 60.9 in Vale of Glamorgan, so recorded crime per resident is 43% lower in Vale of Glamorgan.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Newcastle upon Tyne | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 107.4 | 60.9 | -43% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 23.9 | -35% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Sexual offences | 4.5 | 2.4 | -47% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Robbery | 2.3 | 0.5 | -76% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.0 | 2.4 | -74% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Vehicle offences | 5.9 | 3.0 | -49% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 0.2 | -82% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 5.6 | -46% in Vale of Glamorgan |
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 | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 106 |
| 2007 | 115 | 113 |
| 2008 | 110 | 110 |
| 2009 | 99 | 103 |
| 2010 | 103 | 108 |
| 2011 | 98 | 107 |
| 2012 | 98 | 110 |
| 2013 | 98 | 110 |
| 2014 | 101 | 117 |
| 2015 | 108 | 122 |
| 2016 | 111 | 126 |
| 2017 | 112 | 131 |
| 2018 | 114 | 139 |
| 2019 | 114 | 143 |
| 2020 | 115 | 147 |
| 2021 | 123 | 158 |
| 2022 | 132 | 179 |
| 2023 | 134 | 182 |
| 2024 | 137 | 182 |
| 2025 | 145 | 187 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 148 | 190 |
In 2005 the average home cost £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne and £155,856 in Vale of Glamorgan. Now it is £204,282 and £295,470: Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48% and Vale of Glamorgan is up 90%. Prices have risen faster in Vale of Glamorgan, 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 | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 6.4 years of pay | – |
| 2015 | 5.6 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.5 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.6 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
In 2015 a home cost 5.6 years of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 6.8 years in Vale of Glamorgan. In 2025 it was 5.6 years and 7.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Vale of Glamorgan 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 | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 101 |
| 2017 | 113 | 104 |
| 2018 | 112 | 107 |
| 2019 | 113 | 108 |
| 2020 | 117 | 112 |
| 2021 | 123 | 112 |
| 2022 | 127 | 118 |
| 2023 | 137 | 129 |
| 2024 | 143 | 140 |
| 2025 | 160 | 152 |
| August 2026 | 176 | 158 |
In 2015 the average rent was £690 a month in Newcastle upon Tyne and £620 in Vale of Glamorgan. Now it is £1,215 and £982: up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne and up 58% in Vale of Glamorgan. 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 Vale of Glamorgan
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Vale of Glamorgan | Equivalent to rent in Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £38,000 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £51,000 | £29,500 |
| £50,000 | £63,500 | £36,500 |
| £60,000 | £76,000 | £44,000 |
Moving from Vale of Glamorgan to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Vale of Glamorgan | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,500 | £41,000 |
| £40,000 | £31,500 | £54,500 |
| £50,000 | £39,500 | £68,500 |
| £60,000 | £47,000 | £82,000 |
All Newcastle upon Tyne figures · All Vale of Glamorgan figures