Pay vs Place

Basildon vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £124,000 (61%) more in Basildon than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Basildon: it takes 8.2× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Basildon, terraced
£326,500
Income typically needed: £65,500
Median full-time pay: £39,734
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Basildon 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 8% lower than in Basildon (£39,734), while a typical terraced house costs 38% less (£202,500 against £326,500). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.2× annual pay in Basildon and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 43% of pay in Basildon and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Basildon, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Basildon is the 88th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Basildon is the 59th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Basildon would need about £25,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £32,500 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 84.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Basildon and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 35% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.5 per 1,000 in Basildon against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Basildon Leeds
Median full-time pay £39,734 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 8.2× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 61% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 43% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Basildon Leeds Difference
Detached £570,500 £430,000 -25% in Leeds
Semi-detached £415,000 £262,000 -37% in Leeds
Terraced £326,500 £202,500 -38% in Leeds
Flat £200,000 £150,000 -25% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Basildon Leeds Difference
Detached £1,963 £1,507 -23% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,494 £1,226 -18% in Leeds
Terraced £1,435 £1,157 -19% in Leeds
Flat £1,131 £905 -20% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 84.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Basildon and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 35% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Basildon Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 84.8 114.6 +35% in Leeds
Violence against the person 34.2 44.9 +31% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.3 4.4 +32% in Leeds
Robbery 1.0 2.2 +118% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.5 13.0 +138% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 6.5 7.0 +7% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.5 1.3 +139% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 8.2 8.5 +4% 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.

Basildon: 210Leeds: 181
House prices in Basildon and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Basildon now 210, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Basildon and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Basildon now 210, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBasildonLeeds
2005100100
2006103107
2007112114
2008112110
200910098
2010107103
2011107101
201210999
2013111100
2014123106
2015137111
2016159119
2017171125
2018175130
2019173134
2020179139
2021189151
2022206165
2023207168
2024204171
2025210177
12 months to July 2026210181

In 2005 the average home cost £171,681 in Basildon and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £360,838 and £244,464: Basildon is up 110% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Basildon, 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.

Basildon: 9.1 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Basildon and LeedsBasildon 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 Basildon and LeedsBasildon now 9.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBasildonLeeds
20057.1 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20209.4 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20259.1 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Basildon and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 9.1 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Basildon over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Basildon: 162Leeds: 151
Rents in Basildon and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Basildon now 162, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Basildon and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Basildon now 162, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBasildonLeeds
2015100100
201610798
2017112102
2018115104
2019118107
2020120112
2021124114
2022129125
2023135136
2024143145
2025153146
August 2026162151

In 2015 the average rent was £881 a month in Basildon and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,424 and £1,145: up 62% in Basildon and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Basildon.

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 Basildon to Leeds

Earning in Basildon Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £18,500 £24,000
£40,000 £25,000 £32,500
£50,000 £31,000 £40,500
£60,000 £37,000 £48,500

Moving from Leeds to Basildon

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Basildon Equivalent to rent in Basildon
£30,000 £48,500 £37,000
£40,000 £64,500 £49,500
£50,000 £80,500 £62,000
£60,000 £96,500 £74,500
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 Basildon figures · All Leeds figures