Central Bedfordshire vs Leeds: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £109,500 (54%) more in Central Bedfordshire than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Central Bedfordshire: it takes 7.1× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| Central Bedfordshire | Leeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Central Bedfordshire (£43,645), while a typical terraced house costs 35% less (£202,500 against £312,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.1× annual pay in Central Bedfordshire and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Central Bedfordshire and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Central Bedfordshire, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Central Bedfordshire is the 125th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Central Bedfordshire is around the middle of 316 areas (139th most expensive) and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Central Bedfordshire would need about £26,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,500 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 47.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Central Bedfordshire and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.4 times the rate in Central Bedfordshire. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.2 per 1,000 in Central Bedfordshire against 13.0 in Leeds.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Central Bedfordshire | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £43,645 | £36,716 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.1× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 70% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Central Bedfordshire | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £521,500 | £430,000 | -18% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £262,000 | -29% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £312,000 | £202,500 | -35% in Leeds |
| Flat | £190,000 | £150,000 | -21% in Leeds |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Central Bedfordshire | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,761 | £1,507 | -14% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £1,352 | £1,226 | -9% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £1,205 | £1,157 | -4% in Leeds |
| Flat | £989 | £905 | -8% in Leeds |
Crime
Police recorded 47.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Central Bedfordshire and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.4 times the rate in Central Bedfordshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Central Bedfordshire | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 47.3 | 114.6 | +142% in Leeds |
| Violence against the person | 17.7 | 44.9 | +153% in Leeds |
| Sexual offences | 2.1 | 4.4 | +105% in Leeds |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 2.2 | +230% in Leeds |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.2 | 13.0 | +310% in Leeds |
| Vehicle offences | 4.5 | 7.0 | +55% in Leeds |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.3 | +545% in Leeds |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.4 | 8.5 | +91% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Central Bedfordshire | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 113 | 114 |
| 2008 | 112 | 110 |
| 2009 | 99 | 98 |
| 2010 | 105 | 103 |
| 2011 | 104 | 101 |
| 2012 | 105 | 99 |
| 2013 | 108 | 100 |
| 2014 | 118 | 106 |
| 2015 | 132 | 111 |
| 2016 | 151 | 119 |
| 2017 | 162 | 125 |
| 2018 | 167 | 130 |
| 2019 | 163 | 134 |
| 2020 | 164 | 139 |
| 2021 | 169 | 151 |
| 2022 | 184 | 165 |
| 2023 | 187 | 168 |
| 2024 | 185 | 171 |
| 2025 | 193 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 196 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £181,536 in Central Bedfordshire and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £355,075 and £244,464: Central Bedfordshire is up 96% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Central Bedfordshire, 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Central Bedfordshire | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | – | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.6 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.8 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2020 | 8.2 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.0 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Central Bedfordshire and 5.7 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 8.0 years and 6.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Central Bedfordshire over that time.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Central Bedfordshire | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 98 |
| 2017 | 115 | 102 |
| 2018 | 116 | 104 |
| 2019 | 116 | 107 |
| 2020 | 117 | 112 |
| 2021 | 122 | 114 |
| 2022 | 127 | 125 |
| 2023 | 132 | 136 |
| 2024 | 142 | 145 |
| 2025 | 152 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 159 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £786 a month in Central Bedfordshire and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,250 and £1,145: up 59% in Central Bedfordshire and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Central Bedfordshire.
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 Central Bedfordshire to Leeds
| Earning in Central Bedfordshire | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £19,500 | £29,000 |
| £40,000 | £26,000 | £38,500 |
| £50,000 | £32,500 | £48,000 |
| £60,000 | £39,000 | £57,500 |
Moving from Leeds to Central Bedfordshire
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in Central Bedfordshire | Equivalent to rent in Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £46,000 | £31,000 |
| £40,000 | £61,500 | £41,500 |
| £50,000 | £77,000 | £52,000 |
| £60,000 | £92,500 | £62,500 |