Pay vs Place

Bridgend vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £49,500 (32%) more in Leeds than in Bridgend. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.1× in Bridgend.

Bridgend, terraced
£153,000
Income typically needed: £30,500
Median full-time pay: £37,002
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Bridgend Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Affordable 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 1% lower than in Bridgend (£37,002), while a typical terraced house costs 32% more (£202,500 against £153,000). Set against local pay, Bridgend is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.1× annual pay in Bridgend and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 24% of pay in Bridgend and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bridgend is the 57th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bridgend is the 33rd least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bridgend would need about £53,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £61,500 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 70.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bridgend and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 63% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 2.5 per 1,000 in Bridgend against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bridgend Leeds
Median full-time pay £37,002 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 4.1× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 121% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 24% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Bridgend Leeds Difference
Detached £340,000 £430,000 +26% in Leeds
Semi-detached £220,000 £262,000 +19% in Leeds
Terraced £153,000 £202,500 +32% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bridgend Leeds Difference
Detached £1,008 £1,507 +50% in Leeds
Semi-detached £813 £1,226 +51% in Leeds
Terraced £752 £1,157 +54% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 70.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bridgend and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 63% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bridgend Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 70.1 114.6 +63% in Leeds
Violence against the person 30.7 44.9 +46% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.5 4.4 +26% in Leeds
Robbery 0.3 2.2 +523% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 2.5 13.0 +429% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 2.4 7.0 +192% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.3 1.3 +361% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 6.2 8.5 +37% 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.

Bridgend: 193Leeds: 181
House prices in Bridgend and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bridgend now 193, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Bridgend and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bridgend now 193, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearBridgendLeeds
2005100100
2006110107
2007115114
2008111110
200910398
2010106103
2011103101
201210299
2013103100
2014107106
2015110111
2016117119
2017124125
2018128130
2019134134
2020140139
2021158151
2022176165
2023178168
2024184171
2025189177
12 months to July 2026193181

In 2005 the average home cost £108,133 in Bridgend and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £208,598 and £244,464: Bridgend is up 93% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Bridgend, 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.

Bridgend: 5.5 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bridgend and LeedsBridgend now 5.5, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bridgend and LeedsBridgend now 5.5, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBridgendLeeds
20054.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20104.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20154.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20205.3 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20255.5 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Bridgend and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 5.5 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.

Bridgend: 151Leeds: 151
Rents in Bridgend and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bridgend now 151, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Bridgend and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bridgend now 151, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearBridgendLeeds
2015100100
201610098
2017102102
2018104104
2019106107
2020108112
2021110114
2022113125
2023121136
2024130145
2025138146
August 2026151151

In 2015 the average rent was £505 a month in Bridgend and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £763 and £1,145: up 51% in Bridgend and up 51% 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 Bridgend to Leeds

Earning in Bridgend Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £39,500 £46,000
£40,000 £53,000 £61,500
£50,000 £66,000 £77,000
£60,000 £79,500 £92,500

Moving from Leeds to Bridgend

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Bridgend Equivalent to rent in Bridgend
£30,000 £22,500 £19,500
£40,000 £30,000 £26,000
£50,000 £38,000 £32,500
£60,000 £45,500 £39,000
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 Bridgend figures · All Leeds figures