Pay vs Place

Calderdale vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £41,207 (26%) more in Leeds than in Calderdale. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.5× in Calderdale.

Calderdale, terraced
£161,293
Income typically needed: £32,500
Median full-time pay: £35,989
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Calderdale Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly 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 2% higher than in Calderdale (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 26% more (£202,500 against £161,293). Set against local pay, Calderdale is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.5× annual pay in Calderdale and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 24% of pay in Calderdale and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Calderdale is the 36th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Calderdale is the 35th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Calderdale would need about £50,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £65,000 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 103.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Calderdale and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 11% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 7.9 per 1,000 in Calderdale against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Calderdale Leeds
Median full-time pay £35,989 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 4.5× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 112% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 24% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Calderdale Leeds Difference
Detached £400,000 £430,000 +8% in Leeds
Semi-detached £225,000 £262,000 +16% in Leeds
Terraced £161,293 £202,500 +26% in Leeds
Flat £128,000 £150,000 +17% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Calderdale Leeds Difference
Detached £1,076 £1,507 +40% in Leeds
Semi-detached £825 £1,226 +49% in Leeds
Terraced £711 £1,157 +63% in Leeds
Flat £627 £905 +44% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 103.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Calderdale and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 11% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Calderdale Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 103.4 114.6 +11% in Leeds
Violence against the person 45.6 44.9 -2% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.3 4.4 +1% in Leeds
Robbery 1.0 2.2 +112% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 7.9 13.0 +64% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 5.2 7.0 +33% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.6 1.3 +108% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 8.6 8.5 -2% 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.

Calderdale: 182Leeds: 181
House prices in Calderdale and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Calderdale now 182, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Calderdale and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Calderdale now 182, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearCalderdaleLeeds
2005100100
2006109107
2007119114
2008114110
200910398
2010109103
2011105101
201210399
2013104100
2014108106
2015113111
2016118119
2017120125
2018126130
2019130134
2020133139
2021148151
2022158165
2023162168
2024167171
2025177177
12 months to July 2026182181

In 2005 the average home cost £103,568 in Calderdale and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £188,321 and £244,464: Calderdale is up 82% and Leeds is up 81%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Calderdale: 5.1 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Calderdale and LeedsCalderdale now 5.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Calderdale and LeedsCalderdale now 5.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCalderdaleLeeds
20054.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20104.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20154.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20204.9 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20255.1 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Calderdale and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 5.1 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.

Calderdale: 146Leeds: 151
Rents in Calderdale and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Calderdale now 146, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Calderdale and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Calderdale now 146, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearCalderdaleLeeds
2015100100
201610198
2017102102
2018103104
2019104107
2020105112
2021108114
2022113125
2023121136
2024129145
2025140146
August 2026146151

In 2015 the average rent was £518 a month in Calderdale and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £756 and £1,145: up 46% in Calderdale 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 Calderdale to Leeds

Earning in Calderdale Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £37,500 £49,000
£40,000 £50,000 £65,000
£50,000 £63,000 £81,500
£60,000 £75,500 £97,500

Moving from Leeds to Calderdale

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Calderdale Equivalent to rent in Calderdale
£30,000 £24,000 £18,500
£40,000 £32,000 £24,500
£50,000 £40,000 £30,500
£60,000 £48,000 £37,000
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 Calderdale figures · All Leeds figures