Burnley vs Leeds: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £102,500 (102%) more in Leeds than in Burnley. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 3.0× in Burnley.
At a glance
| Burnley | Leeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | 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 11% higher than in Burnley (£33,208), while a typical terraced house costs 102% more (£202,500 against £100,000). Set against local pay, Burnley is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 3.0× annual pay in Burnley and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 23% of pay in Burnley and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Burnley is the 5th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Burnley is the 12th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Burnley would need about £81,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £74,000 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 107.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Burnley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 7% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 10.9 per 1,000 in Burnley against 8.5 in Leeds.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Burnley | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £33,208 | £36,716 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.0× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 166% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 23% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Burnley | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £297,563 | £430,000 | +45% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £180,000 | £262,000 | +46% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £100,000 | £202,500 | +102% in Leeds |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Burnley | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £929 | £1,507 | +62% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £704 | £1,226 | +74% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £624 | £1,157 | +85% in Leeds |
Crime
Police recorded 107.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Burnley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 7% higher in Leeds.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Burnley | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 107.5 | 114.6 | +7% in Leeds |
| Violence against the person | 42.3 | 44.9 | +6% in Leeds |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 4.4 | -2% in Leeds |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 2.2 | +98% in Leeds |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 12.7 | 13.0 | +2% in Leeds |
| Vehicle offences | 5.5 | 7.0 | +28% in Leeds |
| Theft from the person | 0.6 | 1.3 | +130% in Leeds |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.9 | 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 | Burnley | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 119 | 107 |
| 2007 | 139 | 114 |
| 2008 | 132 | 110 |
| 2009 | 117 | 98 |
| 2010 | 117 | 103 |
| 2011 | 111 | 101 |
| 2012 | 107 | 99 |
| 2013 | 101 | 100 |
| 2014 | 108 | 106 |
| 2015 | 109 | 111 |
| 2016 | 113 | 119 |
| 2017 | 121 | 125 |
| 2018 | 123 | 130 |
| 2019 | 129 | 134 |
| 2020 | 138 | 139 |
| 2021 | 157 | 151 |
| 2022 | 175 | 165 |
| 2023 | 170 | 168 |
| 2024 | 176 | 171 |
| 2025 | 190 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 197 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £66,941 in Burnley and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £131,612 and £244,464: Burnley is up 97% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Burnley, 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Burnley | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3.2 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 3.7 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 3.3 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2020 | 3.7 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 3.8 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 3.2 years of pay in Burnley and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 3.8 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Burnley | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 98 |
| 2017 | 102 | 102 |
| 2018 | 104 | 104 |
| 2019 | 106 | 107 |
| 2020 | 108 | 112 |
| 2021 | 109 | 114 |
| 2022 | 114 | 125 |
| 2023 | 118 | 136 |
| 2024 | 127 | 145 |
| 2025 | 138 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 143 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £440 a month in Burnley and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £631 and £1,145: up 43% in Burnley 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 Burnley to Leeds
| Earning in Burnley | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £61,000 | £55,500 |
| £40,000 | £81,000 | £74,000 |
| £50,000 | £101,500 | £92,500 |
| £60,000 | £121,500 | £111,500 |
Moving from Leeds to Burnley
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in Burnley | Equivalent to rent in Burnley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £15,000 | £16,000 |
| £40,000 | £20,000 | £21,500 |
| £50,000 | £24,500 | £27,000 |
| £60,000 | £29,500 | £32,500 |