Pay vs Place

Brent vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £472,500 (233%) more in Brent than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Brent: it takes 16.9× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Brent, terraced
£675,000
Income typically needed: £135,000
Median full-time pay: £39,944
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Brent Leeds
Buying a home Very 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 8% lower than in Brent (£39,944), while a typical terraced house costs 70% less (£202,500 against £675,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 16.9× annual pay in Brent and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 70% of pay in Brent and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Brent, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Brent is the 4th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Brent is the 11th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Brent would need about £12,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £20,000 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 89.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Brent and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 28% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 2.5 per 1,000 in Brent against 4.4 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Brent Leeds
Median full-time pay £39,944 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 16.9× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 30% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 70% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Brent Leeds Difference
Semi-detached £660,000 £262,000 -60% in Leeds
Terraced £675,000 £202,500 -70% in Leeds
Flat £420,000 £150,000 -64% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Brent Leeds Difference
Semi-detached £2,628 £1,226 -53% in Leeds
Terraced £2,332 £1,157 -50% in Leeds
Flat £1,801 £905 -50% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 89.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Brent and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 28% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Brent Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 89.3 114.6 +28% in Leeds
Violence against the person 27.8 44.9 +62% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.5 4.4 +72% in Leeds
Robbery 3.7 2.2 -41% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 10.1 13.0 +28% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 7.4 7.0 -6% in Leeds
Theft from the person 5.2 1.3 -75% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 5.5 8.5 +55% 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.

Brent: 212Leeds: 181
House prices in Brent and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Brent now 212, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Brent and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Brent now 212, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBrentLeeds
2005100100
2006105107
2007119114
2008121110
200910998
2010120103
2011124101
201213099
2013141100
2014163106
2015182111
2016203119
2017202125
2018204130
2019196134
2020202139
2021203151
2022216165
2023215168
2024217171
2025216177
12 months to July 2026212181

In 2005 the average home cost £260,579 in Brent and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £551,875 and £244,464: Brent is up 112% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Brent, 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.

Brent: 14.1 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Brent and LeedsBrent now 14.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Brent and LeedsBrent now 14.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBrentLeeds
200510.6 years of pay6.1 years of pay
201011.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201516.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202015.4 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202514.1 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 10.6 years of pay in Brent and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 14.1 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Brent over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Brent: 145Leeds: 151
Rents in Brent and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Brent now 145, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Brent and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Brent now 145, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearBrentLeeds
2015100100
201610698
2017108102
2018107104
2019107107
2020105112
2021106114
2022107125
2023113136
2024145145
2025144146
August 2026145151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,389 a month in Brent and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £2,014 and £1,145: up 45% in Brent 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 Brent to Leeds

Earning in Brent Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £9,000 £15,000
£40,000 £12,000 £20,000
£50,000 £15,000 £25,000
£60,000 £18,000 £30,000

Moving from Leeds to Brent

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Brent Equivalent to rent in Brent
£30,000 £100,000 £60,500
£40,000 £133,500 £80,500
£50,000 £166,500 £101,000
£60,000 £200,000 £121,000
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 Brent figures · All Leeds figures