Calderdale vs Wakefield: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £6,293 (4%) more in Calderdale than in Wakefield. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Calderdale | Wakefield | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Wakefield (£34,400) is 4% lower than in Calderdale (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 4% less (£155,000 against £161,293).
Buying a terraced house takes 4.5× annual pay in Calderdale and 4.5× in Wakefield. Renting one takes 24% of pay in Calderdale and 27% in Wakefield. Renting is harder in Wakefield; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Calderdale is the 36th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Wakefield is the 58th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Calderdale is the 35th least expensive of 316 areas and Wakefield is the 88th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Calderdale would need about £38,500 in Wakefield to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £44,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Wakefield 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 103.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Calderdale and 105.8 in Wakefield: about the same. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 5.2 per 1,000 in Calderdale against 6.3 in Wakefield.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Calderdale | Wakefield |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £34,400 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.5× | 4.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 112% | 111% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 24% | 27% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Calderdale | Wakefield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | £335,000 | -16% in Wakefield |
| Semi-detached | £225,000 | £205,000 | -9% in Wakefield |
| Terraced | £161,293 | £155,000 | -4% in Wakefield |
| Flat | £128,000 | £105,000 | -18% in Wakefield |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Calderdale | Wakefield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,076 | £1,105 | +3% in Wakefield |
| Semi-detached | £825 | £868 | +5% in Wakefield |
| Terraced | £711 | £784 | +10% in Wakefield |
| Flat | £627 | £664 | +6% in Wakefield |
Crime
Police recorded 103.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Calderdale and 105.8 in Wakefield: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Calderdale | Wakefield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 103.4 | 105.8 | +2% in Wakefield |
| Violence against the person | 45.6 | 47.7 | +5% in Wakefield |
| Sexual offences | 4.3 | 4.4 | +1% in Wakefield |
| Robbery | 1.0 | 1.1 | +11% in Wakefield |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.9 | 7.5 | -5% in Wakefield |
| Vehicle offences | 5.2 | 6.3 | +20% in Wakefield |
| Theft from the person | 0.6 | 0.6 | -10% in Wakefield |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.6 | 8.2 | -5% in Wakefield |
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 | Calderdale | Wakefield |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 109 | 108 |
| 2007 | 119 | 116 |
| 2008 | 114 | 111 |
| 2009 | 103 | 102 |
| 2010 | 109 | 102 |
| 2011 | 105 | 98 |
| 2012 | 103 | 97 |
| 2013 | 104 | 97 |
| 2014 | 108 | 101 |
| 2015 | 113 | 104 |
| 2016 | 118 | 109 |
| 2017 | 120 | 114 |
| 2018 | 126 | 118 |
| 2019 | 130 | 121 |
| 2020 | 133 | 125 |
| 2021 | 148 | 141 |
| 2022 | 158 | 155 |
| 2023 | 162 | 158 |
| 2024 | 167 | 160 |
| 2025 | 177 | 165 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 182 | 169 |
In 2005 the average home cost £103,568 in Calderdale and £116,811 in Wakefield. Now it is £188,321 and £197,147: Calderdale is up 82% and Wakefield is up 69%. Prices have risen faster in Calderdale, 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 | Calderdale | Wakefield |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.9 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.7 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.6 years of pay | 5.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.9 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.1 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Calderdale and 5.7 years in Wakefield. In 2025 it was 5.1 years and 5.6 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 | Calderdale | Wakefield |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 101 |
| 2017 | 102 | 102 |
| 2018 | 103 | 103 |
| 2019 | 104 | 104 |
| 2020 | 105 | 108 |
| 2021 | 108 | 112 |
| 2022 | 113 | 119 |
| 2023 | 121 | 128 |
| 2024 | 129 | 136 |
| 2025 | 140 | 139 |
| August 2026 | 146 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £518 a month in Calderdale and £546 in Wakefield. Now it is £756 and £806: up 46% in Calderdale and up 48% in Wakefield.
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 Wakefield
| Earning in Calderdale | Equivalent to buy in Wakefield | Equivalent to rent in Wakefield |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,000 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £38,500 | £44,000 |
| £50,000 | £48,000 | £55,000 |
| £60,000 | £57,500 | £66,000 |
Moving from Wakefield to Calderdale
| Earning in Wakefield | Equivalent to buy in Calderdale | Equivalent to rent in Calderdale |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,000 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,500 | £36,500 |
| £50,000 | £52,000 | £45,500 |
| £60,000 | £62,500 | £54,500 |