Pay vs Place

Ashford vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £82,500 (41%) more in Ashford than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Ashford: it takes 7.6× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Ashford, terraced
£285,000
Income typically needed: £57,000
Median full-time pay: £37,440
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Ashford 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 2% lower than in Ashford (£37,440), while a typical terraced house costs 29% less (£202,500 against £285,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 7.6× annual pay in Ashford and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Ashford and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Ashford, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Ashford is the 79th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Ashford is the 85th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Ashford would need about £28,500 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 65.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashford and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 76% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.4 per 1,000 in Ashford against 7.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Ashford Leeds
Median full-time pay £37,440 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 7.6× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 66% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 41% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Ashford Leeds Difference
Detached £515,000 £430,000 -17% in Leeds
Semi-detached £337,000 £262,000 -22% in Leeds
Terraced £285,000 £202,500 -29% in Leeds
Flat £175,000 £150,000 -14% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Ashford Leeds Difference
Detached £1,783 £1,507 -15% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,333 £1,226 -8% in Leeds
Terraced £1,268 £1,157 -9% in Leeds
Flat £1,045 £905 -13% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 65.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashford and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 76% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Ashford Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 65.3 114.6 +76% in Leeds
Violence against the person 27.0 44.9 +66% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.9 4.4 +50% in Leeds
Robbery 0.5 2.2 +327% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.6 13.0 +184% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 2.4 7.0 +195% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.3 1.3 +361% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.0 8.5 +21% 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.

Ashford: 191Leeds: 181
House prices in Ashford and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ashford now 191, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Ashford and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ashford now 191, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearAshfordLeeds
2005100100
2006107107
2007117114
2008113110
200910298
2010110103
2011106101
201210999
2013114100
2014121106
2015131111
2016143119
2017152125
2018159130
2019161134
2020163139
2021173151
2022188165
2023190168
2024188171
2025189177
12 months to July 2026191181

In 2005 the average home cost £180,701 in Ashford and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £345,734 and £244,464: Ashford is up 91% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Ashford, so the gap between the two has widened.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

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

Ashford: 9.1 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ashford and LeedsAshford now 9.1, 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 Ashford and LeedsAshford now 9.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearAshfordLeeds
20058.0 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20108.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20158.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20209.8 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20259.1 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.0 years of pay in Ashford and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 9.1 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Ashford over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Ashford: 164Leeds: 151
Rents in Ashford and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ashford now 164, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Ashford and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ashford now 164, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearAshfordLeeds
2015100100
201610398
2017108102
2018112104
2019114107
2020116112
2021119114
2022127125
2023134136
2024146145
2025157146
August 2026164151

In 2015 the average rent was £762 a month in Ashford and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,248 and £1,145: up 64% in Ashford and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Ashford.

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 Ashford to Leeds

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

Moving from Leeds to Ashford

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Ashford Equivalent to rent in Ashford
£30,000 £42,000 £33,000
£40,000 £56,500 £44,000
£50,000 £70,500 £55,000
£60,000 £84,500 £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 Ashford figures · All Leeds figures