Town Hall and Shambles Market Hall, Stockton on Tees

Stockton-on-Tees, #1 on this list · Photo: Petegal-half · CC BY-SA 3.0

County Durham rankings · Cost of living

Most affordable towns in County Durham

Stockton-on-Tees ranks first on cost of living among County Durham’s 52 towns of 2,500+; 41 of the 52 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The Cost of living Grade: the median sale price (Land Registry), a year’s private rent (ONS) and Band D council tax with the parish precept, each against the mean household income of the town’s council area. The rank across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland sits beside each letter. How grades work

Stockton-on-Tees

84,824 people

Homes cost 3.1 years of area income·#214 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Billingham

33,917 people

Homes cost 2.9 years of area income·#230 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Darlington

93,022 people

Homes cost 3.4 years of area income·#324 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

All 52 towns, ranked

Cost of living grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland links to the national list.

Every town in County Durham →

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52 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Stockton-on-Tees84,824 peopleA#214 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.1 years of area income

2Billingham33,917 peopleA#230 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.9 years of area income

3Darlington93,022 peopleA#324 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.4 years of area income

4Coundon and Leeholme2,522 peopleA#450 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.0 years of area income

5Leadgate3,339 peopleA#463 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.3 years of area income

6Crook9,717 peopleA#483 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.7 years of area income

7West Auckland3,107 peopleA⁻#490 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.7 years of area income

8Esh Winning3,877 peopleA⁻#509 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.7 years of area income

9Hartlepool88,001 peopleA⁻#512 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.4 years of area income

T10Stanley19,423 peopleA⁻#520 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.3 years of area income

T10Witton Gilbert2,525 peopleA⁻#520 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.9 years of area income

12Langley Park4,031 peopleA⁻#524 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.8 years of area income

13Shotton Colliery4,943 peopleA⁻#536 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.4 years of area income

14Annfield Plain7,786 peopleA⁻#538 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.6 years of area income

15Sacriston5,186 peopleA⁻#540 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.0 years of area income

16Wheatley Hill3,148 peopleA⁻#552 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.2 years of area income

T17Blackhall Colliery4,577 peopleA⁻#556 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.1 years of area income

T17Egglescliffe10,250 peopleA⁻#556 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 4.9 years of area income

19Ferryhill8,857 peopleA⁻#561 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.0 years of area income

T20Horden6,805 peopleA⁻#565 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 1.3 years of area income

T20Murton7,239 peopleA⁻#565 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.3 years of area income

T22Easington6,968 peopleA⁻#569 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.0 years of area income

T22Shildon9,650 peopleA⁻#569 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 1.8 years of area income

T22South Hetton2,877 peopleA⁻#569 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.5 years of area income

T25Brandon9,508 peopleA⁻#573 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.2 years of area income

T25Dipton2,653 peopleA⁻#573 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.4 years of area income

27Peterlee19,750 peopleA⁻#593 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.3 years of area income

28Willington5,685 peopleA⁻#598 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.3 years of area income

29Sherburn2,796 peopleA⁻#609 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.4 years of area income

30Consett29,874 peopleA⁻#611 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.5 years of area income

31Trimdon2,835 peopleA⁻#614 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.9 years of area income

32Chilton4,693 peopleA⁻#625 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.9 years of area income

33Burnopfield2,998 peopleA⁻#635 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.6 years of area income

34Thornley2,543 peopleA⁻#642 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 2.9 years of area income

35Ushaw Moor and Bearpark6,483 peopleA⁻#647 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.5 years of area income

36Bishop Auckland23,359 peopleA⁻#657 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.4 years of area income

37Seaham21,660 peopleA⁻#662 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.0 years of area income

38Newton Aycliffe25,760 peopleA⁻#685 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.3 years of area income

39Spennymoor20,401 peopleA⁻#700 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.4 years of area income

40Bowburn4,843 peopleA⁻#717 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.8 years of area income

41Chester-le-Street23,554 peopleA⁻#733 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 3.9 years of area income

42Coxhoe4,542 peopleB⁺#821 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 4.0 years of area income

43Wingate5,033 peopleB⁺#885 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 4.1 years of area income

44Pelton and Ouston7,305 peopleB⁺#914 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 4.3 years of area income

45Lanchester3,510 peopleB⁺#917 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 4.4 years of area income

46Great Lumley3,627 peopleB⁺#938 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 4.4 years of area income

47Middleton St George4,756 peopleB#1,054 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 5.4 years of area income

48Sedgefield4,979 peopleB#1,058 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 4.5 years of area income

49Hurworth-on-Tees2,667 peopleB#1,190 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 5.6 years of area income

50Durham50,502 peopleB#1,293 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 5.2 years of area income

51Barnard Castle5,783 peopleC⁺#1,538 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 5.6 years of area income

52Wynyard4,040 peopleC⁺#1,564 of 2,515 nationallyhomes cost 7.9 years of area income

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the most affordable town in County Durham?

Stockton-on-Tees ranks first on cost of living among 52 towns, with an A: homes cost 3.1 years of area income. Billingham and Darlington follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The Cost of living Grade: the median sale price (Land Registry), a year’s private rent (ONS) and Band D council tax with the parish precept, each against the mean household income of the town’s council area. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers County Durham’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in County Durham is on the county page.

Go deeper

More County Durham lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All County Durham rankings →

Best places to live52 towns · #1 Egglescliffe Best small towns38 towns · #1 Sedgefield Safest towns52 towns · #1 Wynyard Towns with the best schools52 towns · #1 Barnard Castle Healthiest towns52 towns · #1 Wynyard Best towns for jobs & income52 towns · #1 Wynyard Most walkable towns52 towns · #1 Barnard Castle Towns with the lowest flood risk52 towns · #1 Blackhall Colliery and 23 more Best towns for the outdoors52 towns · #1 Seaham Most historic towns52 towns · #1 Barnard Castle Towns with the most civic life52 towns · #1 Barnard Castle Towns with the highest household incomes52 towns · #1 WynyardDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax52 towns · #1 DarlingtonDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters52 towns · #1 Horden and SeahamDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers52 towns · #1 Stockton-on-TeesDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers52 towns · #1 Consett and LeadgateDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts52 towns · #1 HartlepoolDescribed, no letters Driest towns52 towns · #1 Hartlepool and HordenDescribed, no letters Wettest towns52 towns · #1 Esh WinningDescribed, no letters

Sources: HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.