Pay vs Place

Bolton vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £40,500 (25%) more in Leeds than in Bolton. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.7× in Bolton.

Bolton, terraced
£162,000
Income typically needed: £32,500
Median full-time pay: £34,186
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Bolton Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly 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 7% higher than in Bolton (£34,186), while a typical terraced house costs 25% more (£202,500 against £162,000). Set against local pay, Bolton is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.7× annual pay in Bolton and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 30% of pay in Bolton and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bolton is the 65th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bolton is around the middle of 316 areas (181st most expensive) and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bolton would need about £50,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £54,000 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 98.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bolton and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 17% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.9 per 1,000 in Bolton against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bolton Leeds
Median full-time pay £34,186 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 4.7× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 106% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 30% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Bolton Leeds Difference
Detached £360,000 £430,000 +19% in Leeds
Semi-detached £225,000 £262,000 +16% in Leeds
Terraced £162,000 £202,500 +25% in Leeds
Flat £115,500 £150,000 +30% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bolton Leeds Difference
Detached £1,354 £1,507 +11% in Leeds
Semi-detached £969 £1,226 +27% in Leeds
Terraced £860 £1,157 +35% in Leeds
Flat £784 £905 +15% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 98.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bolton and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 17% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bolton Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 98.0 114.6 +17% in Leeds
Violence against the person 42.7 44.9 +5% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.0 4.4 +10% in Leeds
Robbery 1.4 2.2 +57% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.9 13.0 +87% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 4.5 7.0 +54% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.5 1.3 +163% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.6 8.5 +12% 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.

Bolton: 190Leeds: 181
House prices in Bolton and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bolton now 190, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Bolton and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bolton now 190, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearBoltonLeeds
2005100100
2006109107
2007119114
2008116110
200910398
2010103103
201199101
20129899
2013100100
2014102106
2015106111
2016110119
2017117125
2018121130
2019126134
2020131139
2021149151
2022167165
2023172168
2024179171
2025186177
12 months to July 2026190181

In 2005 the average home cost £105,242 in Bolton and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £200,205 and £244,464: Bolton is up 90% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Bolton, so the gap between the two has narrowed.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

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

Bolton: 5.7 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bolton and LeedsBolton now 5.7, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bolton and LeedsBolton now 5.7, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBoltonLeeds
20055.1 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20104.9 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20154.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20205.1 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20255.7 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.1 years of pay in Bolton and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 5.7 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.

Bolton: 174Leeds: 151
Rents in Bolton and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bolton now 174, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bolton and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bolton now 174, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBoltonLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017108102
2018110104
2019112107
2020113112
2021117114
2022126125
2023136136
2024146145
2025159146
August 2026174151

In 2015 the average rent was £513 a month in Bolton and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £894 and £1,145: up 74% in Bolton and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Bolton.

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 Bolton to Leeds

Earning in Bolton Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £37,500 £40,500
£40,000 £50,000 £54,000
£50,000 £62,500 £67,500
£60,000 £75,000 £80,500

Moving from Leeds to Bolton

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Bolton Equivalent to rent in Bolton
£30,000 £24,000 £22,500
£40,000 £32,000 £29,500
£50,000 £40,000 £37,000
£60,000 £48,000 £44,500
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 Bolton figures · All Leeds figures