Pay vs Place

Arun vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £87,500 (43%) more in Arun than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Arun: it takes 8.4× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Arun, terraced
£290,000
Income typically needed: £58,000
Median full-time pay: £34,546
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Arun Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Expensive
Recorded crime About average Above 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 Leeds (£36,716) is 6% higher than in Arun (£34,546), while a typical terraced house costs 30% less (£202,500 against £290,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.4× annual pay in Arun and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Arun and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Arun, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Arun is the 62nd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Arun is the 63rd most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Arun would need about £28,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Leeds would leave you better 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 70.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Arun and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 62% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.8 per 1,000 in Arun against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Arun Leeds
Median full-time pay £34,546 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 8.4× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 60% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 44% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Arun Leeds Difference
Detached £490,000 £430,000 -12% in Leeds
Semi-detached £340,000 £262,000 -23% in Leeds
Terraced £290,000 £202,500 -30% in Leeds
Flat £175,000 £150,000 -14% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Arun Leeds Difference
Detached £1,675 £1,507 -10% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,359 £1,226 -10% in Leeds
Terraced £1,269 £1,157 -9% in Leeds
Flat £978 £905 -7% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 70.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Arun and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 62% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Arun Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 70.6 114.6 +62% in Leeds
Violence against the person 26.2 44.9 +71% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.9 4.4 +51% in Leeds
Robbery 1.2 2.2 +80% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.8 13.0 +242% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 3.6 7.0 +94% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.3 1.3 +416% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.4 8.5 +15% in Leeds

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.

Arun: 174Leeds: 181
House prices in Arun and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Arun now 174, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Arun and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Arun now 174, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearArunLeeds
2005100100
2006105107
2007117114
2008114110
200910098
2010110103
2011106101
201210999
2013112100
2014120106
2015130111
2016139119
2017146125
2018152130
2019151134
2020153139
2021165151
2022181165
2023181168
2024176171
2025174177
12 months to July 2026174181

In 2005 the average home cost £184,674 in Arun and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £321,110 and £244,464: Arun is up 74% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, so the gap between the two has narrowed.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Arun: 9.3 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Arun and LeedsArun now 9.3, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Arun and LeedsArun now 9.3, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearArunLeeds
20059.0 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20108.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20159.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20209.8 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20259.3 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 9.0 years of pay in Arun and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 9.3 years and 6.5 years.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Arun: 158Leeds: 151
Rents in Arun and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Arun now 158, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Arun and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Arun now 158, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearArunLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017106102
2018110104
2019113107
2020114112
2021117114
2022120125
2023130136
2024142145
2025153146
August 2026158151

In 2015 the average rent was £778 a month in Arun and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,231 and £1,145: up 58% in Arun and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Arun.

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 Arun to Leeds

Earning in Arun Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £21,000 £27,500
£40,000 £28,000 £36,500
£50,000 £35,000 £45,500
£60,000 £42,000 £54,500

Moving from Leeds to Arun

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Arun Equivalent to rent in Arun
£30,000 £43,000 £33,000
£40,000 £57,500 £44,000
£50,000 £71,500 £55,000
£60,000 £86,000 £66,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Arun figures · All Leeds figures