Pay vs Place

Blackpool vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £86,375 (74%) more in Leeds than in Blackpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 3.6× in Blackpool.

Blackpool, terraced
£116,125
Income typically needed: £23,000
Median full-time pay: £31,858
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Blackpool Leeds
Buying a home Affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly affordable Expensive
Recorded crime High 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 15% higher than in Blackpool (£31,858), while a typical terraced house costs 74% more (£202,500 against £116,125). Set against local pay, Blackpool is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 3.6× annual pay in Blackpool and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 28% of pay in Blackpool and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Blackpool is the 7th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Blackpool is the 71st least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Blackpool would need about £70,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £62,500 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 145.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Blackpool and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 21% lower in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.5 per 1,000 in Blackpool against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Blackpool Leeds
Median full-time pay £31,858 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 3.6× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 137% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 28% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Blackpool Leeds Difference
Detached £260,000 £430,000 +65% in Leeds
Semi-detached £160,000 £262,000 +64% in Leeds
Terraced £116,125 £202,500 +74% in Leeds
Flat £88,000 £150,000 +70% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Blackpool Leeds Difference
Detached £979 £1,507 +54% in Leeds
Semi-detached £811 £1,226 +51% in Leeds
Terraced £742 £1,157 +56% in Leeds
Flat £566 £905 +60% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 145.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Blackpool and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 21% lower in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Blackpool Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 145.8 114.6 -21% in Leeds
Violence against the person 69.0 44.9 -35% in Leeds
Sexual offences 6.9 4.4 -36% in Leeds
Robbery 1.6 2.2 +35% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.5 13.0 +99% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 5.6 7.0 +25% in Leeds
Theft from the person 1.3 1.3 -2% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 12.6 8.5 -33% 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.

Blackpool: 127Leeds: 181
House prices in Blackpool and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Blackpool now 127, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Blackpool and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Blackpool now 127, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearBlackpoolLeeds
2005100100
2006108107
2007112114
2008107110
20099498
201095103
201189101
20128899
201386100
201487106
201589111
201691119
201795125
201895130
201996134
202099139
2021111151
2022123165
2023121168
2024122171
2025124177
12 months to July 2026127181

In 2005 the average home cost £105,052 in Blackpool and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £133,693 and £244,464: Blackpool is up 27% 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.

Blackpool: 4.1 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Blackpool and LeedsBlackpool now 4.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Blackpool and LeedsBlackpool now 4.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBlackpoolLeeds
20055.8 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20105.4 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20154.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20204.2 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20254.1 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.8 years of pay in Blackpool and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 4.1 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.

Blackpool: 137Leeds: 151
Rents in Blackpool and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Blackpool now 137, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Blackpool and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Blackpool now 137, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearBlackpoolLeeds
2015100100
201610198
2017101102
2018102104
2019102107
2020103112
2021105114
2022108125
2023112136
2024117145
2025127146
August 2026137151

In 2015 the average rent was £525 a month in Blackpool and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £719 and £1,145: up 37% in Blackpool 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 Blackpool to Leeds

Earning in Blackpool Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £52,500 £47,000
£40,000 £70,000 £62,500
£50,000 £87,000 £78,000
£60,000 £104,500 £93,500

Moving from Leeds to Blackpool

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Blackpool Equivalent to rent in Blackpool
£30,000 £17,000 £19,000
£40,000 £23,000 £25,500
£50,000 £28,500 £32,000
£60,000 £34,500 £38,500
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 Blackpool figures · All Leeds figures