Pay vs Place

Cambridge vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £290,000 (143%) more in Cambridge than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cambridge: it takes 11.3× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Cambridge, terraced
£492,500
Income typically needed: £98,500
Median full-time pay: £43,741
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Cambridge Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very 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 16% lower than in Cambridge (£43,741), while a typical terraced house costs 59% less (£202,500 against £492,500). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 11.3× annual pay in Cambridge and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 50% of pay in Cambridge and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Cambridge, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Cambridge is the 31st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cambridge is the 28th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Cambridge would need about £16,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £25,000 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 91.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cambridge and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 25% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.8 per 1,000 in Cambridge against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Cambridge Leeds
Median full-time pay £43,741 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 11.3× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 44% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 50% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Cambridge Leeds Difference
Detached £810,153 £430,000 -47% in Leeds
Semi-detached £550,138 £262,000 -52% in Leeds
Terraced £492,500 £202,500 -59% in Leeds
Flat £320,000 £150,000 -53% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Cambridge Leeds Difference
Detached £2,342 £1,507 -36% in Leeds
Semi-detached £2,008 £1,226 -39% in Leeds
Terraced £1,833 £1,157 -37% in Leeds
Flat £1,455 £905 -38% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 91.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cambridge and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 25% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Cambridge Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 91.7 114.6 +25% in Leeds
Violence against the person 27.4 44.9 +64% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.0 4.4 +45% in Leeds
Robbery 1.2 2.2 +79% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.8 13.0 +92% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 4.2 7.0 +65% in Leeds
Theft from the person 2.3 1.3 -45% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.0 8.5 +21% 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.

Cambridge: 211Leeds: 181
House prices in Cambridge and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cambridge now 211, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Cambridge and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cambridge now 211, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearCambridgeLeeds
2005100100
2006111107
2007124114
2008116110
200911198
2010123103
2011126101
201213599
2013147100
2014163106
2015184111
2016193119
2017199125
2018201130
2019198134
2020201139
2021200151
2022221165
2023219168
2024217171
2025214177
12 months to July 2026211181

In 2005 the average home cost £225,245 in Cambridge and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £475,300 and £244,464: Cambridge is up 111% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Cambridge, 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.

Cambridge: 11.0 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cambridge and LeedsCambridge now 11.0, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cambridge and LeedsCambridge now 11.0, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCambridgeLeeds
2005–6.1 years of pay
20109.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201513.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202013.0 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202511.0 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 9.0 years of pay in Cambridge and 5.7 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 11.0 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Cambridge over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Cambridge: 148Leeds: 151
Rents in Cambridge and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cambridge now 148, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Cambridge and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cambridge now 148, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearCambridgeLeeds
2015100100
201610798
2017109102
2018109104
2019111107
2020112112
2021114114
2022119125
2023127136
2024137145
2025145146
August 2026148151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,223 a month in Cambridge and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,805 and £1,145: up 48% in Cambridge and up 51% 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 Cambridge to Leeds

Earning in Cambridge Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £12,500 £19,000
£40,000 £16,500 £25,000
£50,000 £20,500 £31,500
£60,000 £24,500 £38,000

Moving from Leeds to Cambridge

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Cambridge Equivalent to rent in Cambridge
£30,000 £73,000 £47,500
£40,000 £97,500 £63,500
£50,000 £121,500 £79,000
£60,000 £146,000 £95,000
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 Cambridge figures · All Leeds figures