United Kingdom · North East · Local Authority
Sunderland
Metropolitan district · North East, England · population ~278k · 116 state-funded schools
Affordable to enter, difficult to build wealth in. Sunderland offers a median house price of £152,000, which is 4.5 times median annual pay, making it one of the most accessible markets in the North East. Rent is similarly manageable, consuming 24.5% of gross earnings. However, this low cost of entry is tethered to the lowest weekly pay in the region at £655.30. While the council tax bill is the lowest in the North East at £2,197, the area faces significant socioeconomic challenges, with a deprivation score higher than 89% of England authorities. This location suits those prioritising immediate housing affordability over local wage growth, provided they are prepared for a challenging economic environment.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-10 data.
The signature
How Sunderland ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£34,076/yr
Very low
Worse than 96% of UK LAs
House price
£152,000
Most affordable
Better than 96% of UK LAs
Rent
£695/mo
Most affordable
Better than 92% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,197/yr
Cheapest
Better than 91% of UK LAs
Crime
94.6/1k
High
Worse than 79% of UK LAs
Deprivation
30.6
Most deprived
Worse than 89% of UK LAs
Schools
97.4%
Very strong
Better than 84% of UK LAs
Colour shows quintile position against 361 UK Local Authorities. Green is the best position for someone moving here; red is the worst. Direction is set per indicator — higher pay, lower rent, less crime, less deprivation are all green.
Schools
136 state-funded schools · Ofsted Sep 2026
113 of 116 (97.4%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. 20 schools are on the post-2024 report-card framework and don't roll up into the legacy total. How we count →
The map
116 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 116 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Sunderland →Places with similar signatures
Nearest by quintile position across pay · housing · tax · crime · IMD · schools
Sunderland head-to-heads
What we don't know yet
Commute times · GP appointment availability · broadband speeds · air quality at LA level · green-space proximity · public transport coverage. These matter for a relocation decision. We'll add them when the source data is reliable nationally and consistent across LA boundaries.