Newcastle upon Tyne vs West Northamptonshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £53,750 (29%) more in West Northamptonshire than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in West Northamptonshire: it takes 6.3× median annual pay, against 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne.
At a glance
| Newcastle upon Tyne | West Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | 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 West Northamptonshire (£38,000) is 7% higher than in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446), while a typical terraced house costs 29% more (£238,750 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 6.3× in West Northamptonshire. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 34% in West Northamptonshire. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in West Northamptonshire, 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 West Northamptonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (154th most expensive). For renting against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas and West Northamptonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (144th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne would need about £51,500 in West Northamptonshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £33,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Northamptonshire 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 71.0 in West Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 34% lower in West Northamptonshire. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 10.3 per 1,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne against 5.4 in West Northamptonshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Newcastle upon Tyne | West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,446 | £38,000 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.2× | 6.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 96% | 80% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 44% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Newcastle upon Tyne | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £357,000 | £425,000 | +19% in West Northamptonshire |
| Semi-detached | £215,000 | £281,000 | +31% in West Northamptonshire |
| Terraced | £185,000 | £238,750 | +29% in West Northamptonshire |
| Flat | £155,000 | £146,000 | -6% in West Northamptonshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Newcastle upon Tyne | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,697 | £1,470 | -13% in West Northamptonshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,263 | £1,107 | -12% in West Northamptonshire |
| Terraced | £1,293 | £1,063 | -18% in West Northamptonshire |
| Flat | £993 | £858 | -14% in West Northamptonshire |
Crime
Police recorded 107.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Newcastle upon Tyne and 71.0 in West Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 34% lower in West Northamptonshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Newcastle upon Tyne | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 107.4 | 71.0 | -34% in West Northamptonshire |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 27.4 | -25% in West Northamptonshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.5 | 3.8 | -16% in West Northamptonshire |
| Robbery | 2.3 | 1.5 | -32% in West Northamptonshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.0 | 6.3 | -30% in West Northamptonshire |
| Vehicle offences | 5.9 | 4.7 | -21% in West Northamptonshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 0.3 | -76% in West Northamptonshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 5.4 | -48% in West Northamptonshire |
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 | West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 104 |
| 2007 | 115 | 112 |
| 2008 | 110 | 107 |
| 2009 | 99 | 94 |
| 2010 | 103 | 101 |
| 2011 | 98 | 100 |
| 2012 | 98 | 101 |
| 2013 | 98 | 104 |
| 2014 | 101 | 113 |
| 2015 | 108 | 121 |
| 2016 | 111 | 132 |
| 2017 | 112 | 142 |
| 2018 | 114 | 148 |
| 2019 | 114 | 147 |
| 2020 | 115 | 149 |
| 2021 | 123 | 158 |
| 2022 | 132 | 173 |
| 2023 | 134 | 174 |
| 2024 | 137 | 172 |
| 2025 | 145 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 148 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne and £162,574 in West Northamptonshire. Now it is £204,282 and £291,495: Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48% and West Northamptonshire is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in West Northamptonshire, so the gap between the two has widened.
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 | West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 105 |
| 2017 | 113 | 111 |
| 2018 | 112 | 115 |
| 2019 | 113 | 118 |
| 2020 | 117 | 120 |
| 2021 | 123 | 123 |
| 2022 | 127 | 128 |
| 2023 | 137 | 135 |
| 2024 | 143 | 144 |
| 2025 | 160 | 154 |
| August 2026 | 176 | 160 |
In 2015 the average rent was £690 a month in Newcastle upon Tyne and £678 in West Northamptonshire. Now it is £1,215 and £1,084: up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne and up 60% in West Northamptonshire. 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 West Northamptonshire
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in West Northamptonshire | Equivalent to rent in West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £38,500 | £24,500 |
| £40,000 | £51,500 | £33,000 |
| £50,000 | £64,500 | £41,000 |
| £60,000 | £77,500 | £49,500 |
Moving from West Northamptonshire to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in West Northamptonshire | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,000 | £36,500 |
| £40,000 | £31,000 | £48,500 |
| £50,000 | £38,500 | £61,000 |
| £60,000 | £46,500 | £73,000 |
All Newcastle upon Tyne figures · All West Northamptonshire figures