Pay vs Place

Cardiff vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £64,500 (32%) more in Cardiff than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cardiff: it takes 7.2× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Cardiff, terraced
£267,000
Income typically needed: £53,500
Median full-time pay: £36,946
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Cardiff Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Expensive 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 1% lower than in Cardiff (£36,946), while a typical terraced house costs 24% less (£202,500 against £267,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 7.2× annual pay in Cardiff and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Cardiff and 38% in Leeds. Buying is harder in Cardiff; renting is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Cardiff is around the middle of 316 areas (173rd most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cardiff is the 98th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Cardiff would need about £30,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £39,500 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 93.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cardiff and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 22% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.6 per 1,000 in Cardiff against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Cardiff Leeds
Median full-time pay £36,946 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 7.2× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 69% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 38% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Cardiff Leeds Difference
Detached £460,000 £430,000 -7% in Leeds
Semi-detached £307,250 £262,000 -15% in Leeds
Terraced £267,000 £202,500 -24% in Leeds
Flat £165,000 £150,000 -9% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Cardiff Leeds Difference
Detached £1,516 £1,507 -1% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,186 £1,226 +3% in Leeds
Terraced £1,177 £1,157 -2% in Leeds
Flat £995 £905 -9% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 93.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cardiff and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 22% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Cardiff Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 93.8 114.6 +22% in Leeds
Violence against the person 29.8 44.9 +51% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.5 4.4 +25% in Leeds
Robbery 1.7 2.2 +31% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.6 13.0 +182% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 7.5 7.0 -7% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.9 1.3 +47% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 8.0 8.5 +7% 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.

Cardiff: 179Leeds: 181
House prices in Cardiff and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cardiff now 179, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Cardiff and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cardiff now 179, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearCardiffLeeds
2005100100
2006103107
2007109114
2008106110
20099698
2010101103
2011101101
201210399
2013105100
2014112106
2015118111
2016125119
2017129125
2018135130
2019138134
2020141139
2021154151
2022169165
2023174168
2024174171
2025177177
12 months to July 2026179181

In 2005 the average home cost £150,636 in Cardiff and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £270,053 and £244,464: Cardiff is up 79% 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.

Cardiff: 7.2 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cardiff and LeedsCardiff now 7.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cardiff and LeedsCardiff now 7.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCardiffLeeds
20056.5 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20156.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20207.4 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20257.2 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.5 years of pay in Cardiff and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 7.2 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.

Cardiff: 170Leeds: 151
Rents in Cardiff and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cardiff now 170, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Cardiff and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cardiff now 170, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearCardiffLeeds
2015100100
201610398
2017109102
2018113104
2019116107
2020120112
2021124114
2022124125
2023134136
2024149145
2025163146
August 2026170151

In 2015 the average rent was £691 a month in Cardiff and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,177 and £1,145: up 70% in Cardiff and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Cardiff.

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 Cardiff to Leeds

Earning in Cardiff Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £23,000 £29,500
£40,000 £30,500 £39,500
£50,000 £38,000 £49,000
£60,000 £45,500 £59,000

Moving from Leeds to Cardiff

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Cardiff Equivalent to rent in Cardiff
£30,000 £39,500 £30,500
£40,000 £52,500 £40,500
£50,000 £66,000 £51,000
£60,000 £79,000 £61,000
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 Cardiff figures · All Leeds figures