Pay vs Place

Canterbury vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £94,500 (47%) more in Canterbury than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Canterbury: it takes 7.9× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Canterbury, terraced
£297,000
Income typically needed: £59,500
Median full-time pay: £37,682
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Canterbury 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 3% lower than in Canterbury (£37,682), while a typical terraced house costs 32% less (£202,500 against £297,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 7.9× annual pay in Canterbury and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 43% of pay in Canterbury and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Canterbury, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Canterbury is the 83rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Canterbury is the 75th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Canterbury would need about £27,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £34,500 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 79.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Canterbury and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 44% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.2 per 1,000 in Canterbury against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Canterbury Leeds
Median full-time pay £37,682 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 7.9× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 63% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 43% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Canterbury Leeds Difference
Detached £475,000 £430,000 -9% in Leeds
Semi-detached £340,000 £262,000 -23% in Leeds
Terraced £297,000 £202,500 -32% in Leeds
Flat £194,750 £150,000 -23% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Canterbury Leeds Difference
Detached £1,666 £1,507 -10% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,469 £1,226 -17% in Leeds
Terraced £1,337 £1,157 -13% in Leeds
Flat £1,025 £905 -12% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 79.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Canterbury and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 44% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Canterbury Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 79.7 114.6 +44% in Leeds
Violence against the person 28.5 44.9 +57% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.9 4.4 +51% in Leeds
Robbery 1.1 2.2 +98% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.2 13.0 +207% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 3.6 7.0 +93% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.4 1.3 +207% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 8.2 8.5 +4% 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.

Canterbury: 189Leeds: 181
House prices in Canterbury and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Canterbury now 189, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Canterbury and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Canterbury now 189, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearCanterburyLeeds
2005100100
2006105107
2007116114
2008116110
200910498
2010114103
2011113101
201211499
2013118100
2014131106
2015140111
2016153119
2017163125
2018169130
2019170134
2020174139
2021181151
2022195165
2023196168
2024187171
2025188177
12 months to July 2026189181

In 2005 the average home cost £178,637 in Canterbury and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £338,096 and £244,464: Canterbury is up 89% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Canterbury, 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.

Canterbury: 8.9 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Canterbury and LeedsCanterbury now 8.9, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Canterbury and LeedsCanterbury now 8.9, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCanterburyLeeds
20056.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20107.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20157.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202010.2 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.9 years of pay in Canterbury and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Canterbury over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Canterbury: 144Leeds: 151
Rents in Canterbury and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Canterbury now 144, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Canterbury and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Canterbury now 144, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearCanterburyLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017109102
2018109104
2019111107
2020111112
2021114114
2022119125
2023124136
2024130145
2025136146
August 2026144151

In 2015 the average rent was £890 a month in Canterbury and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,280 and £1,145: up 44% in Canterbury 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 Canterbury to Leeds

Earning in Canterbury Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £20,500 £26,000
£40,000 £27,500 £34,500
£50,000 £34,000 £43,500
£60,000 £41,000 £52,000

Moving from Leeds to Canterbury

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Canterbury Equivalent to rent in Canterbury
£30,000 £44,000 £34,500
£40,000 £58,500 £46,000
£50,000 £73,500 £58,000
£60,000 £88,000 £69,500
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 Canterbury figures · All Leeds figures