Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole vs Leeds: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £95,500 (47%) more in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: it takes 7.9× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 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 2% lower than in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (£37,493), while a typical terraced house costs 32% less (£202,500 against £298,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.9× annual pay in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 43% of pay in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is the 93rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is the 49th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole would need about £27,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £34,500 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 75.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 52% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.7 per 1,000 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole against 13.0 in Leeds.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,493 | £36,716 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.9× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 63% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 43% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £470,000 | £430,000 | -9% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £340,000 | £262,000 | -23% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £298,000 | £202,500 | -32% in Leeds |
| Flat | £214,000 | £150,000 | -30% in Leeds |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,873 | £1,507 | -20% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £1,517 | £1,226 | -19% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £1,345 | £1,157 | -14% in Leeds |
| Flat | £1,076 | £905 | -16% in Leeds |
Crime
Police recorded 75.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 52% higher in Leeds.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 75.4 | 114.6 | +52% in Leeds |
| Violence against the person | 27.7 | 44.9 | +62% in Leeds |
| Sexual offences | 3.3 | 4.4 | +31% in Leeds |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 2.2 | +160% in Leeds |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.7 | 13.0 | +130% in Leeds |
| Vehicle offences | 6.4 | 7.0 | +9% in Leeds |
| Theft from the person | 0.6 | 1.3 | +115% in Leeds |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.0 | 8.5 | +22% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 114 | 114 |
| 2008 | 110 | 110 |
| 2009 | 98 | 98 |
| 2010 | 106 | 103 |
| 2011 | 106 | 101 |
| 2012 | 106 | 99 |
| 2013 | 108 | 100 |
| 2014 | 117 | 106 |
| 2015 | 126 | 111 |
| 2016 | 133 | 119 |
| 2017 | 141 | 125 |
| 2018 | 146 | 130 |
| 2019 | 146 | 134 |
| 2020 | 148 | 139 |
| 2021 | 157 | 151 |
| 2022 | 174 | 165 |
| 2023 | 173 | 168 |
| 2024 | 169 | 171 |
| 2025 | 166 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 164 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £189,761 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £311,557 and £244,464: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is up 64% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 98 |
| 2017 | 106 | 102 |
| 2018 | 108 | 104 |
| 2019 | 111 | 107 |
| 2020 | 112 | 112 |
| 2021 | 119 | 114 |
| 2022 | 123 | 125 |
| 2023 | 131 | 136 |
| 2024 | 144 | 145 |
| 2025 | 154 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 158 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £887 a month in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,398 and £1,145: up 58% in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to Leeds
| Earning in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,500 | £26,000 |
| £40,000 | £27,000 | £34,500 |
| £50,000 | £34,000 | £43,000 |
| £60,000 | £41,000 | £51,500 |
Moving from Leeds to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Equivalent to rent in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £44,000 | £35,000 |
| £40,000 | £59,000 | £46,500 |
| £50,000 | £73,500 | £58,000 |
| £60,000 | £88,500 | £69,500 |
All Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole figures · All Leeds figures