Pay vs Place

Barnet vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £427,500 (211%) more in Barnet than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Barnet: it takes 13.4× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Barnet, terraced
£630,000
Income typically needed: £126,000
Median full-time pay: £47,141
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Barnet Leeds
Buying a home Very 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 22% lower than in Barnet (£47,141), while a typical terraced house costs 68% less (£202,500 against £630,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 13.4× annual pay in Barnet and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 57% of pay in Barnet and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Barnet, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Barnet is the 13th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Barnet is the 27th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Barnet would need about £13,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £20,500 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 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnet and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 69% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 19.4 per 1,000 in Barnet against 44.9 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Barnet Leeds
Median full-time pay £47,141 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 13.4× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 37% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 57% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Barnet Leeds Difference
Detached £1,196,250 £430,000 -64% in Leeds
Semi-detached £805,000 £262,000 -67% in Leeds
Terraced £630,000 £202,500 -68% in Leeds
Flat £380,000 £150,000 -61% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Barnet Leeds Difference
Detached £3,018 £1,507 -50% in Leeds
Semi-detached £2,572 £1,226 -52% in Leeds
Terraced £2,231 £1,157 -48% in Leeds
Flat £1,738 £905 -48% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnet and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 69% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Barnet Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 67.8 114.6 +69% in Leeds
Violence against the person 19.4 44.9 +131% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.0 4.4 +117% in Leeds
Robbery 1.9 2.2 +12% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 11.0 13.0 +18% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 8.4 7.0 -17% in Leeds
Theft from the person 2.2 1.3 -41% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 4.4 8.5 +91% 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.

Barnet: 201Leeds: 181
House prices in Barnet and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Barnet now 201, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Barnet and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Barnet now 201, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBarnetLeeds
2005100100
2006104107
2007117114
2008118110
200910798
2010119103
2011121101
201212899
2013134100
2014154106
2015171111
2016188119
2017193125
2018191130
2019187134
2020188139
2021199151
2022213165
2023210168
2024209171
2025206177
12 months to July 2026201181

In 2005 the average home cost £296,425 in Barnet and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £594,641 and £244,464: Barnet is up 101% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Barnet, 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.

Barnet: 13.0 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Barnet and LeedsBarnet now 13.0, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Barnet and LeedsBarnet now 13.0, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBarnetLeeds
200510.0 years of pay6.1 years of pay
201010.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201515.4 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202015.3 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202513.0 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 10.0 years of pay in Barnet and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 13.0 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Barnet over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Barnet: 141Leeds: 151
Rents in Barnet and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Barnet now 141, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Barnet and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Barnet now 141, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearBarnetLeeds
2015100100
201610598
2017106102
2018105104
2019106107
2020107112
2021107114
2022110125
2023119136
2024127145
2025136146
August 2026141151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,380 a month in Barnet and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,949 and £1,145: up 41% in Barnet and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Leeds.

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 Barnet to Leeds

Earning in Barnet Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £9,500 £15,500
£40,000 £13,000 £20,500
£50,000 £16,000 £26,000
£60,000 £19,500 £31,000

Moving from Leeds to Barnet

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Barnet Equivalent to rent in Barnet
£30,000 £93,500 £58,000
£40,000 £124,500 £77,000
£50,000 £155,500 £96,500
£60,000 £186,500 £115,500
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 Barnet figures · All Leeds figures