Pay vs Place

Chelmsford vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £157,500 (78%) more in Chelmsford than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Chelmsford: it takes 7.8× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Chelmsford, terraced
£360,000
Income typically needed: £72,000
Median full-time pay: £46,179
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Chelmsford Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home 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 20% lower than in Chelmsford (£46,179), while a typical terraced house costs 44% less (£202,500 against £360,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 7.8× annual pay in Chelmsford and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 36% of pay in Chelmsford and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Chelmsford, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Chelmsford is the 103rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Chelmsford is the 107th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Chelmsford would need about £22,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £34,000 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 70.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Chelmsford and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 63% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.3 per 1,000 in Chelmsford against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Chelmsford Leeds
Median full-time pay £46,179 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 7.8× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 64% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 36% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Chelmsford Leeds Difference
Detached £590,000 £430,000 -27% in Leeds
Semi-detached £430,000 £262,000 -39% in Leeds
Terraced £360,000 £202,500 -44% in Leeds
Flat £216,000 £150,000 -31% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Chelmsford Leeds Difference
Detached £1,993 £1,507 -24% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,521 £1,226 -19% in Leeds
Terraced £1,370 £1,157 -16% in Leeds
Flat £1,210 £905 -25% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 70.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Chelmsford and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 63% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Chelmsford Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 70.4 114.6 +63% in Leeds
Violence against the person 29.3 44.9 +53% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.2 4.4 +38% in Leeds
Robbery 0.6 2.2 +241% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.3 13.0 +143% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 3.2 7.0 +118% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.6 1.3 +105% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 4.9 8.5 +72% 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.

Chelmsford: 198Leeds: 181
House prices in Chelmsford and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Chelmsford now 198, Leeds now 181.5010015020020052010201520202025House prices in Chelmsford and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Chelmsford now 198, Leeds now 181.5010015020020102020
Show the figures
YearChelmsfordLeeds
2005100100
2006104107
2007115114
2008112110
200910198
2010110103
2011110101
201211299
2013115100
2014127106
2015139111
2016155119
2017165125
2018168130
2019171134
2020170139
2021179151
2022197165
2023195168
2024192171
2025198177
12 months to July 2026198181

In 2005 the average home cost £191,903 in Chelmsford and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £380,645 and £244,464: Chelmsford is up 98% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Chelmsford, 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.

Chelmsford: 8.2 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Chelmsford and LeedsChelmsford now 8.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Chelmsford and LeedsChelmsford now 8.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearChelmsfordLeeds
20057.0 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20107.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20158.4 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20209.3 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20258.2 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Chelmsford and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 8.2 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Chelmsford over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Chelmsford: 162Leeds: 151
Rents in Chelmsford and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Chelmsford now 162, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Chelmsford and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Chelmsford now 162, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearChelmsfordLeeds
2015100100
201610598
2017110102
2018113104
2019115107
2020116112
2021121114
2022126125
2023133136
2024142145
2025155146
August 2026162151

In 2015 the average rent was £891 a month in Chelmsford and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,439 and £1,145: up 62% in Chelmsford and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Chelmsford.

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 Chelmsford to Leeds

Earning in Chelmsford Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £17,000 £25,500
£40,000 £22,500 £34,000
£50,000 £28,000 £42,000
£60,000 £34,000 £50,500

Moving from Leeds to Chelmsford

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Chelmsford Equivalent to rent in Chelmsford
£30,000 £53,500 £35,500
£40,000 £71,000 £47,500
£50,000 £89,000 £59,000
£60,000 £106,500 £71,000
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 Chelmsford figures · All Leeds figures