Newcastle upon Tyne vs Welwyn Hatfield: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £227,500 (123%) more in Welwyn Hatfield than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Welwyn Hatfield: it takes 9.1× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.
At a glance
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Welwyn Hatfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above average | About 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 Welwyn Hatfield (£45,145) is 27% higher than in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446), while a typical terraced house costs 123% more (£412,500 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 9.1× in Welwyn Hatfield. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 41% in Welwyn Hatfield. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Welwyn Hatfield, 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 Welwyn Hatfield is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas and Welwyn Hatfield is the 83rd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne would need about £89,000 in Welwyn Hatfield 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 Welwyn Hatfield 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 77.7 in Welwyn Hatfield, so recorded crime per resident is 28% lower in Welwyn Hatfield. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 10.3 per 1,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne against 6.0 in Welwyn Hatfield.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Newcastle upon Tyne | Welwyn Hatfield |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,446 | £45,145 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.2× | 9.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 96% | 55% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 44% | 41% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Newcastle upon Tyne | Welwyn Hatfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £357,000 | £793,500 | +122% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Semi-detached | £215,000 | £531,250 | +147% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Terraced | £185,000 | £412,500 | +123% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Flat | £155,000 | £245,000 | +58% in Welwyn Hatfield |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Newcastle upon Tyne | Welwyn Hatfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,697 | £1,922 | +13% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Semi-detached | £1,263 | £1,669 | +32% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Terraced | £1,293 | £1,527 | +18% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Flat | £993 | £1,198 | +21% in Welwyn Hatfield |
Crime
Police recorded 107.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Newcastle upon Tyne and 77.7 in Welwyn Hatfield, so recorded crime per resident is 28% lower in Welwyn Hatfield.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Newcastle upon Tyne | Welwyn Hatfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 107.4 | 77.7 | -28% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 30.6 | -17% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Sexual offences | 4.5 | 3.1 | -31% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Robbery | 2.3 | 1.2 | -47% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.0 | 7.6 | -16% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Vehicle offences | 5.9 | 5.3 | -11% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 1.1 | -23% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 6.0 | -42% in Welwyn Hatfield |
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 | Welwyn Hatfield |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 104 |
| 2007 | 115 | 112 |
| 2008 | 110 | 111 |
| 2009 | 99 | 102 |
| 2010 | 103 | 114 |
| 2011 | 98 | 114 |
| 2012 | 98 | 116 |
| 2013 | 98 | 119 |
| 2014 | 101 | 131 |
| 2015 | 108 | 146 |
| 2016 | 111 | 168 |
| 2017 | 112 | 174 |
| 2018 | 114 | 177 |
| 2019 | 114 | 177 |
| 2020 | 115 | 179 |
| 2021 | 123 | 186 |
| 2022 | 132 | 200 |
| 2023 | 134 | 197 |
| 2024 | 137 | 193 |
| 2025 | 145 | 193 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 148 | 196 |
In 2005 the average home cost £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne and £226,726 in Welwyn Hatfield. Now it is £204,282 and £444,673: Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48% and Welwyn Hatfield is up 96%. Prices have risen faster in Welwyn Hatfield, 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 | Welwyn Hatfield |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.4 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.6 years of pay | 11.0 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.5 years of pay | 11.9 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.6 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 8.9 years in Welwyn Hatfield. In 2025 it was 5.6 years and 9.7 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Welwyn Hatfield 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 | Welwyn Hatfield |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 104 |
| 2017 | 113 | 108 |
| 2018 | 112 | 109 |
| 2019 | 113 | 111 |
| 2020 | 117 | 111 |
| 2021 | 123 | 113 |
| 2022 | 127 | 117 |
| 2023 | 137 | 124 |
| 2024 | 143 | 132 |
| 2025 | 160 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 176 | 149 |
In 2015 the average rent was £690 a month in Newcastle upon Tyne and £1,018 in Welwyn Hatfield. Now it is £1,215 and £1,512: up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne and up 49% in Welwyn Hatfield. 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 Welwyn Hatfield
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Welwyn Hatfield | Equivalent to rent in Welwyn Hatfield |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £67,000 | £35,500 |
| £40,000 | £89,000 | £47,000 |
| £50,000 | £111,500 | £59,000 |
| £60,000 | £134,000 | £71,000 |
Moving from Welwyn Hatfield to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Welwyn Hatfield | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £13,500 | £25,500 |
| £40,000 | £18,000 | £34,000 |
| £50,000 | £22,500 | £42,500 |
| £60,000 | £27,000 | £51,000 |
All Newcastle upon Tyne figures · All Welwyn Hatfield figures