Pay vs Place

Bexley vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £213,500 (105%) more in Bexley than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bexley: it takes 9.5× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Bexley, terraced
£416,000
Income typically needed: £83,000
Median full-time pay: £43,969
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Bexley Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Expensive
Recorded crime Low 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 16% lower than in Bexley (£43,969), while a typical terraced house costs 51% less (£202,500 against £416,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 9.5× annual pay in Bexley and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 49% of pay in Bexley and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Bexley, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bexley is the 61st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bexley is the 67th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bexley would need about £19,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £26,000 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 60.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bexley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 90% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.9 per 1,000 in Bexley against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bexley Leeds
Median full-time pay £43,969 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 9.5× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 53% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 49% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Bexley Leeds Difference
Detached £700,000 £430,000 -39% in Leeds
Semi-detached £500,000 £262,000 -48% in Leeds
Terraced £416,000 £202,500 -51% in Leeds
Flat £265,000 £150,000 -43% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bexley Leeds Difference
Detached £2,268 £1,507 -34% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,977 £1,226 -38% in Leeds
Terraced £1,790 £1,157 -35% in Leeds
Flat £1,387 £905 -35% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 60.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bexley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 90% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bexley Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 60.2 114.6 +90% in Leeds
Violence against the person 20.6 44.9 +118% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.2 4.4 +97% in Leeds
Robbery 1.3 2.2 +66% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.9 13.0 +121% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 6.2 7.0 +13% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.8 1.3 +65% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 6.2 8.5 +36% 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.

Bexley: 219Leeds: 181
House prices in Bexley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bexley now 219, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bexley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bexley now 219, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBexleyLeeds
2005100100
2006103107
2007112114
2008113110
200910198
2010108103
2011108101
201210999
2013114100
2014131106
2015147111
2016172119
2017180125
2018184130
2019181134
2020184139
2021198151
2022215165
2023214168
2024215171
2025218177
12 months to July 2026219181

In 2005 the average home cost £186,507 in Bexley and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £409,139 and £244,464: Bexley is up 119% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Bexley, 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.

Bexley: 9.2 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bexley and LeedsBexley now 9.2, 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 Bexley and LeedsBexley now 9.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBexleyLeeds
20056.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.4 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20158.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20208.6 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20259.2 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.9 years of pay in Bexley and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 9.2 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Bexley over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bexley: 166Leeds: 151
Rents in Bexley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bexley now 166, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bexley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bexley now 166, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBexleyLeeds
2015100100
201610698
2017109102
2018110104
2019112107
2020115112
2021121114
2022127125
2023135136
2024144145
2025160146
August 2026166151

In 2015 the average rent was £926 a month in Bexley and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,537 and £1,145: up 66% in Bexley and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Bexley.

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 Bexley to Leeds

Earning in Bexley Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £14,500 £19,500
£40,000 £19,500 £26,000
£50,000 £24,500 £32,500
£60,000 £29,000 £39,000

Moving from Leeds to Bexley

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Bexley Equivalent to rent in Bexley
£30,000 £61,500 £46,500
£40,000 £82,000 £62,000
£50,000 £102,500 £77,500
£60,000 £123,500 £93,000
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 Bexley figures · All Leeds figures