Pay vs Place

Bury vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £7,500 (4%) more in Leeds than in Bury. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.

Bury, terraced
£195,000
Income typically needed: £39,000
Median full-time pay: £35,767
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Bury Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly 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 3% higher than in Bury (£35,767), while a typical terraced house costs 4% more (£202,500 against £195,000).

Buying a terraced house takes 5.5× annual pay in Bury and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 32% of pay in Bury and 38% in Leeds. Renting is harder in Leeds; buying is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bury is the 121st least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bury is around the middle of 316 areas (164th most expensive) and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bury would need about £41,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £49,000 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 92.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bury and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 24% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.6 per 1,000 in Bury against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bury Leeds
Median full-time pay £35,767 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 5.5× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 92% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 32% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Bury Leeds Difference
Detached £386,500 £430,000 +11% in Leeds
Semi-detached £265,000 £262,000 -1% in Leeds
Terraced £195,000 £202,500 +4% in Leeds
Flat £141,500 £150,000 +6% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bury Leeds Difference
Detached £1,444 £1,507 +4% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,059 £1,226 +16% in Leeds
Terraced £946 £1,157 +22% in Leeds
Flat £832 £905 +9% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 92.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bury and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 24% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bury Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 92.1 114.6 +24% in Leeds
Violence against the person 39.0 44.9 +15% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.9 4.4 +11% in Leeds
Robbery 1.0 2.2 +114% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.6 13.0 +97% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 3.9 7.0 +81% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.4 1.3 +231% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.8 8.5 +9% 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.

Bury: 197Leeds: 181
House prices in Bury and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bury now 197, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Bury and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bury now 197, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearBuryLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007113114
2008110110
20099998
2010102103
201199101
20129799
201397100
2014103106
2015109111
2016114119
2017124125
2018129130
2019136134
2020143139
2021163151
2022178165
2023182168
2024186171
2025193177
12 months to July 2026197181

In 2005 the average home cost £121,331 in Bury and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £238,479 and £244,464: Bury is up 97% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Bury, 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.

Bury: 6.5 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bury and LeedsBury now 6.5, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bury and LeedsBury now 6.5, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBuryLeeds
20055.2 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20104.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20154.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20205.4 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.2 years of pay in Bury and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Bury over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bury: 174Leeds: 151
Rents in Bury and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bury now 174, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bury and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bury now 174, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBuryLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017108102
2018111104
2019113107
2020115112
2021119114
2022127125
2023139136
2024154145
2025168146
August 2026174151

In 2015 the average rent was £558 a month in Bury and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £969 and £1,145: up 74% in Bury and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Bury.

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 Bury to Leeds

Earning in Bury Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £31,000 £36,500
£40,000 £41,500 £49,000
£50,000 £52,000 £61,000
£60,000 £62,500 £73,500

Moving from Leeds to Bury

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Bury Equivalent to rent in Bury
£30,000 £29,000 £24,500
£40,000 £38,500 £32,500
£50,000 £48,000 £41,000
£60,000 £58,000 £49,000
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 Bury figures · All Leeds figures