Newcastle upon Tyne vs Westmorland and Furness: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £19,655 (12%) more in Newcastle upon Tyne than in Westmorland and Furness. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Newcastle upon Tyne: it takes 5.2× median annual pay, against 4.0× in Westmorland and Furness.
At a glance
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Westmorland and Furness | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Affordable |
| 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 Westmorland and Furness (£41,859) is 18% higher than in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446), while a typical terraced house costs 11% less (£165,345 against £185,000). Set against local pay, Westmorland and Furness 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 4.0× in Westmorland and Furness. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 23% in Westmorland and Furness. Both are harder in Newcastle upon Tyne, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Westmorland and Furness is the 52nd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas and Westmorland and Furness is the 21st least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne would need about £36,000 in Westmorland and Furness to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £25,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Westmorland and Furness would leave you better 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 66.0 in Westmorland and Furness, so recorded crime per resident is 38% lower in Westmorland and Furness. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 5.9 per 1,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne against 1.2 in Westmorland and Furness.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Newcastle upon Tyne | Westmorland and Furness |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,446 | £41,859 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.2× | 4.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 96% | 127% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 44% | 23% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Newcastle upon Tyne | Westmorland and Furness | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £357,000 | £390,000 | +9% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Semi-detached | £215,000 | £250,000 | +16% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Terraced | £185,000 | £165,345 | -11% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Flat | £155,000 | £150,000 | -3% in Westmorland and Furness |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Newcastle upon Tyne | Westmorland and Furness | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,697 | £1,132 | -33% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Semi-detached | £1,263 | £914 | -28% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Terraced | £1,293 | £815 | -37% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Flat | £993 | £693 | -30% in Westmorland and Furness |
Crime
Police recorded 107.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Newcastle upon Tyne and 66.0 in Westmorland and Furness, so recorded crime per resident is 38% lower in Westmorland and Furness.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Newcastle upon Tyne | Westmorland and Furness | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 107.4 | 66.0 | -38% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 29.5 | -20% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Sexual offences | 4.5 | 3.5 | -22% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Robbery | 2.3 | 0.3 | -88% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.0 | 2.7 | -70% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Vehicle offences | 5.9 | 1.2 | -80% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 0.3 | -76% in Westmorland and Furness |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 6.8 | -34% in Westmorland and Furness |
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 | Westmorland and Furness |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 110 |
| 2007 | 115 | 119 |
| 2008 | 110 | 118 |
| 2009 | 99 | 109 |
| 2010 | 103 | 113 |
| 2011 | 98 | 112 |
| 2012 | 98 | 109 |
| 2013 | 98 | 109 |
| 2014 | 101 | 112 |
| 2015 | 108 | 116 |
| 2016 | 111 | 120 |
| 2017 | 112 | 124 |
| 2018 | 114 | 128 |
| 2019 | 114 | 131 |
| 2020 | 115 | 133 |
| 2021 | 123 | 142 |
| 2022 | 132 | 154 |
| 2023 | 134 | 155 |
| 2024 | 137 | 157 |
| 2025 | 145 | 157 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 148 | 159 |
In 2005 the average home cost £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne and £141,261 in Westmorland and Furness. Now it is £204,282 and £225,218: Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48% and Westmorland and Furness is up 59%. Prices have risen faster in Westmorland and Furness, 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 | Westmorland and Furness |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 101 |
| 2017 | 113 | 104 |
| 2018 | 112 | 107 |
| 2019 | 113 | 110 |
| 2020 | 117 | 112 |
| 2021 | 123 | 115 |
| 2022 | 127 | 119 |
| 2023 | 137 | 124 |
| 2024 | 143 | 131 |
| 2025 | 160 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 176 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £690 a month in Newcastle upon Tyne and £541 in Westmorland and Furness. Now it is £1,215 and £816: up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne and up 51% in Westmorland and Furness. 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 Westmorland and Furness
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Westmorland and Furness | Equivalent to rent in Westmorland and Furness |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,000 | £19,000 |
| £40,000 | £36,000 | £25,000 |
| £50,000 | £44,500 | £31,500 |
| £60,000 | £53,500 | £38,000 |
Moving from Westmorland and Furness to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Westmorland and Furness | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £33,500 | £47,500 |
| £40,000 | £45,000 | £63,500 |
| £50,000 | £56,000 | £79,500 |
| £60,000 | £67,000 | £95,000 |
All Newcastle upon Tyne figures · All Westmorland and Furness figures