Newcastle is an amazing city, but you already knew that, right?
It's such a brilliant place to live, with the city centre being right in the middle of everything, and lots of nice areas to live surrounding it.
But which area is the best place to live in Newcastle?
- Most Sought After Place To Live In Newcastle - Gosforth
- Best Area For Families - Gosforth
- Best Area For Students - Jesmond
- Best Area For Young Professionals - Heaton
- Closest Area To The City Centre - Quayside
- Good For Creatives - Ouseburn
- Best Area Just Outside Newcastle - Tynemouth
- Where Do Footballers Live? - Ponteland & Darras Hall
Let's take a look at the best places to live in Newcastle in more detail
Gosforth
There's no doubt that if money was no object and you could live anywhere in the Newcastle, Gosforth would be top of the list.
The streets in Gosforth are always among the most expensive in the city, as we've shown in our Newcastle map price list you'll see that the Metro stations around Gosforth are among the most expensive places to live.
In general Gosforth is a safe place to live, and you'll feel safe walking around the neighbourhood.
Gosforth has great transport links including bus and Metro, and is an easy place to drive around if you own a car. Most houses will have off-street parking in the form of driveways and garages.
Many streets do have parking restrictions, with parking permit operations in place, to stop people parking on residential streets.
There's plenty of amenities too, with sports clubs, bars and restaurants and shops on your doorstep.
If you can afford it, Gosforth is the place to live.
- Good For: Families, Young Professionals, Forever Home, Rich
- Cost: Expensive
- Area: North Newcastle
- Postcode: NE3
Jesmond
Jesmond is another good area to live, but you can split this up into 2 buckets: Students and families or young professionals. It is an expensive area of Newcastle for both.
A lot of Jesmond is heavily dominated by a student population, typically the streets around the Osbourne Road area. Most places are flats, set up for students with 4 and 5, even 6 and 7 bed flats being available.
If you're a posh student, this is one of the areas you might be looking at.
In the more Northern and Eastern parts of Jesmond you'll find impressive family homes which are perfect for those looking for a lot of space.
Amenities are good in Jesmond, with a neighbourhood feel around the student areas, with lots of shops, bars and restaurants to enjoy.
Transport links are good too, with two Metro stops depending on where you live, good bus routes and easy for drivers.
There are lots of parking restrictions on roads, and you may need a parking permit to park for long periods of time.
- Good For: Students, Families, Young Professionals, Rich
- Cost: Expensive
- Area: North/East Newcastle
- Postcode: NE3
Heaton & High Heaton
The best of the east end places to live are the areas of Heaton and High Heaton. These can be thought of as one for young professionals and students, while the other is better for affluent families.
Heaton - Young Professionals, Families & Students
High Heaton - Families, Affluent Young Professionals
Heaton has gone through gentrification, with Heaton having a bit of a hipster vibe with cafe culture, eateries and places to drink. They're into their home decor, and our Geordie prints have been spotted in many homes,
This has led to it becoming increasingly more expensive, with house prices rising consistently.
High Heaton has always been the bigger, older, more mature brother of Heaton. Bordering Jesmond it's a more affluent area with more of a semi-detached family style of homes being more common.
- Good For: Students, Families, Young Professionals, Rich
- Cost: Moderate To Expensive
- Area: East Newcastle
- Postcode: NE6
Quayside
Ever fancied living in a city centre apartment on the water? Newcastle Quayside is the place for you. If you want to live in the middle of the city, the Quayside is the place to be.
You'll have to sacrifice having a large family home with a garden, but in exchange you get the city centre literally on your doorstep, with everything that brings.
Good for young professionals and those who want to be in walkable distance to the town, you can live city life in one of the apartments around the quayside area.
There's all the amenities you could ever need, and public transport is all around, not that you'd need it living in the middle of the city.
The trade off is the nose that a busy city brings, along with less space, no garden and harder to own a car.
- Good For: Students, Young Professionals
- Cost: Moderate To Expensive
- Area: Central Newcastle
- Postcode: NE1
Ouseburn
The Ouseburn area can be a good place to live for young professionals and those looking for a bit more arts and culture on their doorstep.
It's a small pocket of space in-between the town centre and Byker, and home to residential flats along with businesses, arts, bars and restaurants.
A key factor in living in Ouseburn would be it's close proximity to the city centre
- Good For: Students, Young Professionals
- Cost: Moderate To Expensive
- Area: Central-East Newcastle
- Postcode: NE1
Fenham
Fenham is the best area of the West end of Newcastle to live in. It's quite a large area, and it's incredibly diverse in it's population, quality and house prices.
Many are put off by Fenham as it's surrounded on all sides by areas which are less affluent such as Cowgate, Benwell and Arthurs Hill, but it has plenty of good areas for families, young professionals and some student areas.
For family homes the west side of the west end is the best. For those with a large budget, streets such as Wingrove Road North and Moorside North can command over £500,000.
The usual family home will run at £160k - £200k, with plenty of affordable options including flats for around £100,000.
There's plenty of amenities, with good transport links and easy to drive if you own a car.
Something worth mentioning is there is no Metro in the west of the city, but there's plenty of bus routes that get you into the city centre and beyond.
- Good For: Families, Students, Young Professionals
- Cost: Cheap, Moderate To Expensive
- Area: West Newcastle
- Postcode: NE4, NE5
Sandyford
Heading back to the east of the city, Sandyford is a hotspot for student accommodation, and a favourite for moderate and affordable priced student flats.
The benefits of Sandyford are it's close proximity to both the University as well as the city centre, both being quite walkable. You'll also be able to stroll down the quayside, a great benefit of living so close to the river Tyne.
Transport links are good, but parking in the streets can be troublesome in some streets, with it being quite busy, especially in student term time.
Sandyford is not the best area for a forever home, but if you're renting or a student, it makes a good area to live.
- Good For: Students, Young Professionals, Renters
- Cost: Affordable to Moderate
- Area: East-Central Newcastle
- Postcode: NE2, NE2
Chapel House & Chapel Park
If you're looking for a bungalow, both Chapel House and Chapel Park are good options, with family homes being on the market too.
They are further afield in Newcastle, in the outer west end of the city, but have a ton of bungalow options, with many of the older generation living there.
You'll find quiet streets and a more sleepy atmosphere than you'll find closer to the middle of town.
There's amenities such as pubs and shops, and local schools nearby, good for raising families or enjoying a more laid back life.
Transport routes are not the best, but there are a few bus services which get you into the city centre.
- Good For: Families, Older Generation
- Cost: Moderate
- Area: East-Central Newcastle
- Postcode: NE5
Outside Newcastle - Tynemouth
Tynemouth is in North Tyneside so just outside Newcastle, but it's such a good area it has to get mentioned.
Tynemouth is the best area to live in North Tyneside when budget is not a concern. House prices are on the rise, and for good reason, it's such an amazing place to live.
You're right there on the coast, with two blue flag beaches in Longsands and King Edwards Bay on your doorstep.
There's bustling cafe culture, you can walk along the promenade, and there's good schools if you have kids.
Transport is good, with it's own Metro station and bus links meaning you'll be into Newcastle in less than 30 minutes.
However all of this comes at a price, literally. Many good hoses will go for upwards of £500,000, and now the secret is out, they're being snapped up by anyone moving from the south of England up to the North East making prices rise further.
If you can afford it and you want to live in the North East without living in Newcastle, Tynemouth is the best area to live in.
- Good For: Families, Forever Home
- Cost: Moderate
- Area: North Tyneside (East Of Newcastle)
- Postcode: NE29, NE30
Ponteland & Darras Hall - Where The Footballers Live
The areas of Ponteland and in particular Darras Hall are the home of the rich, the wealthy and of course footballers.
This is where Alan Shearer lives, and streets like Runnymede Road are basically the millionaire's row of Newcastle.
Technically these are both areas in Northumberland outside of Newcastle, situated West-North-West of the city.
It has it's own small community, with shops, restaurants, bars and everything you could need within the village.
If you're a millionaire and want to be away from it all while still in a commutable distance to Newcastle, it's worth considering - But we'd still prefer Gosforth & Tynemouth over here!
- Good For: Rich people, rich families, footballers
- Cost: Extortionate
- Area: Northumberland (West-North-West of Newcastle)
- Postcode: NE20
And there you have it, the best areas of Newcastle to live in. As you can see, the best is subjective, and will depend on several factors including your age, what you're looking for in your ideal home and your price range.
Whichever area you choose, these are some of the best places to live in Newcastle the North East.
