Pay vs Place

Birmingham vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £17,500 (9%) more in Birmingham than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Birmingham, terraced
£220,000
Income typically needed: £44,000
Median full-time pay: £35,989
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Birmingham Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Expensive 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 2% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 8% less (£202,500 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 6.1× annual pay in Birmingham and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 38% in Leeds. Buying is harder in Birmingham; renting is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £37,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £42,500 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 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 114.6 in Leeds: about the same. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 7.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Birmingham Leeds
Median full-time pay £35,989 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 6.1× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 82% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 37% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Birmingham Leeds Difference
Detached £452,500 £430,000 -5% in Leeds
Semi-detached £265,000 £262,000 -1% in Leeds
Terraced £220,000 £202,500 -8% in Leeds
Flat £145,000 £150,000 +3% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Birmingham Leeds Difference
Detached £1,434 £1,507 +5% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,151 £1,226 +7% in Leeds
Terraced £1,095 £1,157 +6% in Leeds
Flat £919 £905 -2% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 114.6 in Leeds: about the same.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Birmingham Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 114.2 114.6 +0% in Leeds
Violence against the person 46.1 44.9 -3% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.8 4.4 -10% in Leeds
Robbery 3.1 2.2 -31% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 11.7 13.0 +10% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 10.2 7.0 -31% in Leeds
Theft from the person 1.3 1.3 +3% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 9.1 8.5 -6% 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.

Birmingham: 179Leeds: 181
House prices in Birmingham and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Birmingham now 179, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Birmingham and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Birmingham now 179, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearBirminghamLeeds
2005100100
2006104107
2007109114
2008105110
20099598
2010100103
201197101
20129899
2013100100
2014106106
2015111111
2016120119
2017129125
2018136130
2019140134
2020142139
2021157151
2022172165
2023174168
2024174171
2025178177
12 months to July 2026179181

In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £232,548 and £244,464: Birmingham is up 79% and Leeds is up 81%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

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

Birmingham: 6.5 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Birmingham and LeedsBirmingham now 6.5, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Birmingham and LeedsBirmingham now 6.5, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBirminghamLeeds
20056.1 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20105.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20155.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20206.3 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay6.5 years of pay

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

How rents have changed in each area

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

Birmingham: 161Leeds: 151
Rents in Birmingham and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Birmingham now 161, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Birmingham and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Birmingham now 161, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBirminghamLeeds
2015100100
201610598
2017108102
2018111104
2019113107
2020116112
2021118114
2022122125
2023132136
2024147145
2025156146
August 2026161151

In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,099 and £1,145: up 61% in Birmingham and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Birmingham.

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 Birmingham to Leeds

Earning in Birmingham Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £27,500 £31,500
£40,000 £37,000 £42,500
£50,000 £46,000 £53,000
£60,000 £55,000 £63,500

Moving from Leeds to Birmingham

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Birmingham Equivalent to rent in Birmingham
£30,000 £32,500 £28,500
£40,000 £43,500 £38,000
£50,000 £54,500 £47,500
£60,000 £65,000 £57,000
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 Birmingham figures · All Leeds figures