Moving to Newcastle
An overview of Newcastle
Newcastle was born around 1,900 years ago, as a Roman settlement called Pons Aelius.
After becoming a shipbuilding and manufacturing behemoth during the Industrial Revolution, the home of Geordies has since become famous for its world-beating nightlife, brown ale, and football club, whose stadium sits proudly in the city centre.
This cold, dry, eternally welcoming city has given us the first street in the world to be lit by electricity, the first surgery to replace part of a pelvis with a 3D-printed model, and Lucozade – as well as Ant and Dec, Cheryl, and Alan Shearer. Howay the lads!
Think Newcastle could be your new home? Find out how much it’ll cost you to ship your belongings there by popping a few details about your move into this short form. We’ll then put you in touch with our professional suppliers, who will contact you with free shipping quotes to compare.
Newcastle’s architecture is beautiful, as you can see
The cost of moving to Newcastle
As with any relocation, the cost of moving to Newcastle will depend on where you’re coming from, and what you’re bringing with you.
If you’re planning to move the contents of a three-bedroom house (roughly 875 cubic metres of belongings) from London to Newcastle, you should expect to pay £1,411, on average.
This includes:
- loading and unloading
- packing services and materials
- dismantling and reassembling furniture
- the fee for distance travelled
The drive from London to Newcastle is around 280 miles, and most removal companies charge £1 per mile (source: comparemymove, 2020).
The amount you’ll end up paying will also change depending on your moving date, the removal company you choose, and whether you need any additional services.
The cost of living in Newcastle
Newcastle is the eighth-cheapest city in the UK (source: Money Nest, 2019).
Single people in the city can expect to save an average of £860 per month, while the typical couple will be able to save £1,889 per month (source: Money Nest, 2019).
Whether you’re looking at buying a home or just want to live affordably in lovely surroundings, the Geordie heartland is a great choice.
Here’s a look at how much you can expect to pay for different goods and services in Newcastle (source: Numbeo, 2021).
| Item | Average price |
|---|---|
| Pint of beer | £3.80 |
| Regular cappuccino | £2.74 |
| Mid-range bottle of wine | £6 |
| Monthly public transport pass | £60 |
| Cinema ticket for one | £8 |
| Monthly gym subscription | £25 |
| 1kg of local cheese | £4.99 |
Property prices
The median house price in Newcastle is £164,995 – a great deal cheaper than the average across England and Wales, which stands at £235,000 (source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2020).
This contributes to Newcastle being the fifth-best UK city for anyone who’s saving towards a deposit for a house (source: Money Nest, 2019).
It takes an average of 13 months for a single person to save enough for a deposit, and just five months for a couple.
If you want to buy a terrace house in Newcastle, the average price is £173,998. The average cost of a flat is lower, at £124,637 (source: Zoopla, 2021).
If you want to rent a home in Newcastle, you can expect to pay £566 per month, on average – significantly lower than the English average of £725 (sources: Zoopla and ONS, 2021 and 2020).
Council tax
The council tax bands in Newcastle for 2021/22 range from £1,348.19 (Band A in the city) to £4,082.12 per year (Band H in Brunswick), depending on the type and location of your property.
There is support available if you or someone who lives with you is disabled or receives certain benefits.
Electricity bills
You can expect your electricity bills in Newcastle to be somewhere in the region of the UK average.
The average fixed cost of electricity in the North East is £88.86 per year, which is £4.77 higher than the UK average of £84.09.
And the average variable unit price of electricity in the North East is 16.8p per kWh, which is 0.4p lower than the UK average of 17.2p (source: NimbleFins, 2021).
A spectacular sunrise over the Millennium Bridge
Getting in and out of Newcastle
Drivers can comfort themselves with the fact that Newcastle experiences the fifth-lowest level of traffic congestion of any major city in the UK (source: TomTom, 2020).
Newcastle is sometimes referred to as ‘the 15-minute city’ because it takes that long to cross, and drivers benefit from its small size.
And thankfully, you don’t have to go through the city centre to get to Newcastle International Airport, making the drive pretty straightforward.
You can also enjoy a relatively quick and stress-free journey to the airport by getting on a train, a bus, or the local Metro system.
Public transport in Newcastle
Despite being one of the UK’s major cities, you should have little trouble getting around Newcastle, thanks to its small size, low population density, and top-notch public transport system.
You can take advantage of these services by getting a Day Rover for unlimited public transport travel in Tyne and Wear. If you want to explore beyond the county, get a North East Explorer and use public transport across the region.
By Metro
There are two Metro routes – the Yellow and Green lines – which start providing trains every day around 5:10am, and don’t stop until 12:25am the next day.
The only difference on weekends is that train drivers get a slightly longer lie-in on Sundays, with the first train leaving the station at 6:14am.
By bus
There are dozens of bus routes in the area, most of which operate from around 5:30am to 12am on a daily basis.
By ferry
If you need to cross the Tyne – because everyone needs to go to Gateshead at some point, if just to see the Angel of the North – you can use the Shields Ferry, which runs every 30 minutes.
From Monday to Saturday, ferries start crossing the river at 6:45am from South Shields, and 7am from North Shields, and stop running at 6:15pm and 6:30pm respectively.
On Sundays, you can go from south to north every half hour from 10:15am to 5:45pm, and north to south from 10:30am to 6pm.
By train
There are also regular trains that can whisk you all over the country, whether you need to pop to Sunderland or Durham, or somewhere further afield.
Working in Newcastle
Health, manufacturing, and retail are the biggest employers in the North East, in that order. Between them, they provide 36.3% of jobs in the region (source: North East Local Enterprise Partnership, 2020).
Unfortunately, Newcastle’s unemployment rate is considerably higher than the UK average.
It stood at 5.4% in the year from October 2019 to September 2020, which places the city in the worst 9% of local authorities in the UK (source: ONS, 2021).
The city’s residents will be looking to its biggest employers – like Virgin Money, Greggs, and public transport operator The Go-Ahead Group – to improve matters.
Grey’s Monument pays tribute to 19th-century Prime Minister Charles Grey
The best neighbourhoods in Newcastle
Newcastle is a city of welcoming, passionate people who have succeeded in turning this hub of the Industrial Revolution into a modern city that overflows with culture, nightlife, and stunning architecture.
Let’s have a look at three of our favourite areas in the friendliest city in the UK.
Ouseburn
A wonderful area for young professionals
Average property price: £165,131
If you want to have excitement on your doorstep when you get back from work, choose Ouseburn.
This former industrial centre has been transformed into the city’s cultural heart, with artists, musicians, and designers creating alongside traditional Newcastle pursuits like brewing and printmaking.
Enjoy scrumptious vegan meals at the Ship Inn, buy delectable treats at Dreamworld Cakes Patisserie, and enjoy the live music that pops up around every corner, in Ouseburn’s many pubs, bars, and concert venues.
And if you’re after a more relaxed activity, you can pet some fluffy creatures at the community-run Ouseburn Farm, take a tour through the 19th-century Victoria Tunnel, or dive into nostalgia at Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books.
Gosforth
The ideal home for families
Average property price: £295,889
As with most family-friendly neighbourhoods around the country, Gosforth is a bit pricier than other areas of Newcastle – but it’s worth it.
The birthplace of Alan Shearer is home to 10 excellent schools that cater to all ages, as well as two cinemas, three golf courses, and the charming Gosforth Central Park, which boasts even more sports facilities.
If you’re after a leafy suburb with lovely detached homes that’s just 10 to 15 minutes from the city centre, this is the place for you.
Quayside
A fantastic all-rounder for anyone
Average property price: £143,516
This area sits either side of the picturesque River Tyne, and is a welcoming location for anyone and everyone.
As well as a lively collection of high-quality bars, restaurants, and clubs, you can also enjoy strolling through the Quayside Sunday market, which features independently made crafts, clothes, and artwork – not to mention the wonderful food trucks.
There are also plenty of opportunities to take in some higher culture at the Sage concert venue and the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art – and you can get the perfect overview of your new surroundings on the iconic Millennium Bridge.
Things to do in Newcastle
Nightlife
Newcastle’s nightlife consistently tops the rankings, and that’s no surprise.
The city boasts thousands of high-quality bars, pubs, and nightclubs, so make sure you pay all the best ones a visit.
Take in the opulent Tup Tup Palace, visit Livello for some live music and innovative cocktails, and don’t miss Aveika, a Japanese restaurant and bar that transforms at night into an excellent club.
And if you want a comprehensive account of every venue in the city, the NewcastleGateshead site has you covered.
Pure fun
There is a noticeable trend in British cities towards fun – a collective realisation that people will pay for a wide variety of pseudo-childish activities, especially when they’re accompanied by alcohol.
Newcastle is no different. You can enjoy bowling, ping pong (or beer pong), and karaoke at the endlessly entertaining Lane 7, sci-fi fun at Mr Mulligan’s Space Golf, and explore the novel thrill of bubble football and combat archery.
And there’s plenty to offer the kids too – not least at Fun Shack, an adventure park that you and your family can easily spend a day in.
Culture
You can jump into a world of culture in Newcastle.
Book to see a play, stand-up routine, or concert at Quayside’s Live Theatre, see award-winning productions at the Northern Stage, or head to Laing Art Gallery for one of its ever-changing exhibitions.
Or you could simply admire the architecture, for instance on Grey Street, perhaps the best example of the Georgian style in the UK.
This central road caused former Poet Laureate John Betjeman to write: “As for the curve of Grey Street, I shall never forget seeing it to perfection, traffic-less on a misty Sunday morning.” Beautiful.