Pay vs Place

Bromley vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £312,500 (154%) more in Bromley than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bromley: it takes 10.1× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Bromley, terraced
£515,000
Income typically needed: £103,000
Median full-time pay: £51,225
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Bromley Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home 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 28% lower than in Bromley (£51,225), while a typical terraced house costs 61% less (£202,500 against £515,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 10.1× annual pay in Bromley and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 45% of pay in Bromley and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Bromley, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bromley is the 48th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bromley is the 88th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bromley would need about £15,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £24,000 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 69.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bromley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 66% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 20.1 per 1,000 in Bromley against 44.9 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bromley Leeds
Median full-time pay £51,225 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 10.1× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 50% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 45% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Bromley Leeds Difference
Detached £860,000 £430,000 -50% in Leeds
Semi-detached £625,000 £262,000 -58% in Leeds
Terraced £515,000 £202,500 -61% in Leeds
Flat £335,000 £150,000 -55% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bromley Leeds Difference
Detached £2,897 £1,507 -48% in Leeds
Semi-detached £2,159 £1,226 -43% in Leeds
Terraced £1,913 £1,157 -40% in Leeds
Flat £1,511 £905 -40% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 69.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bromley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 66% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bromley Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 69.1 114.6 +66% in Leeds
Violence against the person 20.1 44.9 +123% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.3 4.4 +94% in Leeds
Robbery 1.9 2.2 +12% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.4 13.0 +102% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 9.5 7.0 -26% in Leeds
Theft from the person 1.6 1.3 -18% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 6.2 8.5 +38% 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.

Bromley: 212Leeds: 181
House prices in Bromley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bromley now 212, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bromley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bromley now 212, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBromleyLeeds
2005100100
2006104107
2007116114
2008116110
200910498
2010113103
2011115101
201211899
2013124100
2014145106
2015161111
2016178119
2017184125
2018185130
2019182134
2020181139
2021195151
2022210165
2023208168
2024204171
2025213177
12 months to July 2026212181

In 2005 the average home cost £243,927 in Bromley and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £518,218 and £244,464: Bromley is up 112% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Bromley, 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.

Bromley: 10.1 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bromley and LeedsBromley now 10.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bromley and LeedsBromley now 10.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBromleyLeeds
20057.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20108.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201510.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202010.1 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202510.1 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Bromley and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 10.1 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Bromley over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bromley: 145Leeds: 151
Rents in Bromley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bromley now 145, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Bromley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bromley now 145, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearBromleyLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017106102
2018106104
2019107107
2020109112
2021112114
2022117125
2023123136
2024133145
2025140146
August 2026145151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,163 a month in Bromley and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,684 and £1,145: up 45% in Bromley 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 Bromley to Leeds

Earning in Bromley Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £12,000 £18,000
£40,000 £15,500 £24,000
£50,000 £19,500 £30,000
£60,000 £23,500 £36,500

Moving from Leeds to Bromley

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Bromley Equivalent to rent in Bromley
£30,000 £76,500 £49,500
£40,000 £101,500 £66,000
£50,000 £127,000 £82,500
£60,000 £152,500 £99,000
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 Bromley figures · All Leeds figures