Pay vs Place

Barnsley vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £64,500 (47%) more in Leeds than in Barnsley. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 3.8× in Barnsley.

Barnsley, terraced
£138,000
Income typically needed: £27,500
Median full-time pay: £36,652
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Barnsley Leeds
Buying a home Affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Affordable Expensive
Recorded crime Above 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 the same than in Barnsley (£36,652), while a typical terraced house costs 47% more (£202,500 against £138,000). Set against local pay, Barnsley is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 3.8× annual pay in Barnsley and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 22% of pay in Barnsley and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Barnsley is the 21st least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Barnsley is the 11th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Barnsley would need about £58,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £69,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Leeds would leave you worse 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 95.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnsley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 21% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 10.4 per 1,000 in Barnsley against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Barnsley Leeds
Median full-time pay £36,652 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 3.8× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 133% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 22% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Barnsley Leeds Difference
Detached £300,000 £430,000 +43% in Leeds
Semi-detached £180,000 £262,000 +46% in Leeds
Terraced £138,000 £202,500 +47% in Leeds
Flat £102,000 £150,000 +47% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Barnsley Leeds Difference
Detached £951 £1,507 +58% in Leeds
Semi-detached £746 £1,226 +64% in Leeds
Terraced £672 £1,157 +72% in Leeds
Flat £579 £905 +56% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 95.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnsley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 21% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Barnsley Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 95.1 114.6 +21% in Leeds
Violence against the person 36.6 44.9 +23% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.5 4.4 +24% in Leeds
Robbery 1.3 2.2 +66% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 10.4 13.0 +24% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 6.1 7.0 +15% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.4 1.3 +258% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 10.4 8.5 -19% 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.

Barnsley: 173Leeds: 181
House prices in Barnsley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Barnsley now 173, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Barnsley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Barnsley now 173, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearBarnsleyLeeds
2005100100
2006109107
2007118114
2008116110
200910498
2010104103
2011101101
201210099
201399100
2014103106
2015104111
2016108119
2017113125
2018118130
2019122134
2020127139
2021139151
2022155165
2023158168
2024162171
2025169177
12 months to July 2026173181

In 2005 the average home cost £100,361 in Barnsley and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £173,949 and £244,464: Barnsley is up 73% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, 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.

Barnsley: 4.6 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Barnsley and LeedsBarnsley now 4.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Barnsley and LeedsBarnsley now 4.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBarnsleyLeeds
20054.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20104.3 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20154.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20204.7 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20254.6 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Barnsley and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 4.6 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Leeds over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Barnsley: 154Leeds: 151
Rents in Barnsley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Barnsley now 154, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Barnsley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Barnsley now 154, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearBarnsleyLeeds
2015100100
201610098
2017102102
2018104104
2019106107
2020108112
2021111114
2022116125
2023124136
2024135145
2025143146
August 2026154151

In 2015 the average rent was £451 a month in Barnsley and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £696 and £1,145: up 54% in Barnsley and up 51% 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 Barnsley to Leeds

Earning in Barnsley Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £44,000 £51,500
£40,000 £58,500 £69,000
£50,000 £73,500 £86,000
£60,000 £88,000 £103,500

Moving from Leeds to Barnsley

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Barnsley Equivalent to rent in Barnsley
£30,000 £20,500 £17,500
£40,000 £27,500 £23,000
£50,000 £34,000 £29,000
£60,000 £41,000 £35,000
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 Barnsley figures · All Leeds figures