Newcastle upon Tyne vs Wyre Forest: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £5,500 (3%) more in Wyre Forest than in Newcastle upon Tyne. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Wyre Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Fairly 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 Wyre Forest (£34,661) is 2% lower than in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446), while a typical terraced house costs 3% more (£190,500 against £185,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 5.2× annual pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 5.5× in Wyre Forest. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 28% in Wyre Forest. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Wyre Forest, 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 Wyre Forest is around the middle of 316 areas (179th most expensive). For renting against pay, Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas and Wyre Forest is the 96th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne would need about £41,000 in Wyre Forest 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 Wyre Forest 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 63.8 in Wyre Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 41% lower in Wyre Forest. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 10.3 per 1,000 in Newcastle upon Tyne against 5.8 in Wyre Forest.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Newcastle upon Tyne | Wyre Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,446 | £34,661 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.2× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 96% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 44% | 28% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Newcastle upon Tyne | Wyre Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £357,000 | £355,000 | -1% in Wyre Forest |
| Semi-detached | £215,000 | £249,000 | +16% in Wyre Forest |
| Terraced | £185,000 | £190,500 | +3% in Wyre Forest |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Newcastle upon Tyne | Wyre Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,697 | £1,072 | -37% in Wyre Forest |
| Semi-detached | £1,263 | £917 | -27% in Wyre Forest |
| Terraced | £1,293 | £810 | -37% in Wyre Forest |
Crime
Police recorded 107.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Newcastle upon Tyne and 63.8 in Wyre Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 41% lower in Wyre Forest.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Newcastle upon Tyne | Wyre Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 107.4 | 63.8 | -41% in Wyre Forest |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 25.6 | -30% in Wyre Forest |
| Sexual offences | 4.5 | 3.1 | -32% in Wyre Forest |
| Robbery | 2.3 | 0.9 | -61% in Wyre Forest |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.0 | 5.4 | -40% in Wyre Forest |
| Vehicle offences | 5.9 | 3.8 | -36% in Wyre Forest |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 0.2 | -84% in Wyre Forest |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 5.8 | -44% in Wyre Forest |
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 | Wyre Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 104 |
| 2007 | 115 | 110 |
| 2008 | 110 | 107 |
| 2009 | 99 | 95 |
| 2010 | 103 | 98 |
| 2011 | 98 | 97 |
| 2012 | 98 | 96 |
| 2013 | 98 | 97 |
| 2014 | 101 | 100 |
| 2015 | 108 | 105 |
| 2016 | 111 | 111 |
| 2017 | 112 | 117 |
| 2018 | 114 | 123 |
| 2019 | 114 | 126 |
| 2020 | 115 | 131 |
| 2021 | 123 | 142 |
| 2022 | 132 | 156 |
| 2023 | 134 | 160 |
| 2024 | 137 | 158 |
| 2025 | 145 | 161 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 148 | 162 |
In 2005 the average home cost £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne and £143,580 in Wyre Forest. Now it is £204,282 and £232,015: Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48% and Wyre Forest is up 62%. Prices have risen faster in Wyre Forest, 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 | Wyre Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | 7.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.4 years of pay | – |
| 2015 | 5.6 years of pay | 5.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.6 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Newcastle upon Tyne and 7.3 years in Wyre Forest. In 2025 it was 5.6 years and 6.7 years.
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 | Wyre Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 101 |
| 2017 | 113 | 104 |
| 2018 | 112 | 105 |
| 2019 | 113 | 107 |
| 2020 | 117 | 110 |
| 2021 | 123 | 113 |
| 2022 | 127 | 119 |
| 2023 | 137 | 126 |
| 2024 | 143 | 135 |
| 2025 | 160 | 147 |
| August 2026 | 176 | 145 |
In 2015 the average rent was £690 a month in Newcastle upon Tyne and £568 in Wyre Forest. Now it is £1,215 and £825: up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne and up 45% in Wyre Forest. 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 Wyre Forest
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Wyre Forest | Equivalent to rent in Wyre Forest |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,000 | £19,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £25,000 |
| £50,000 | £51,500 | £31,500 |
| £60,000 | £62,000 | £37,500 |
Moving from Wyre Forest to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Wyre Forest | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,000 | £48,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £64,000 |
| £50,000 | £48,500 | £80,000 |
| £60,000 | £58,500 | £96,000 |