Pay vs Place

Cherwell vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £88,000 (43%) more in Cherwell than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cherwell: it takes 6.9× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Cherwell, terraced
£290,500
Income typically needed: £58,000
Median full-time pay: £42,147
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Cherwell 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 13% lower than in Cherwell (£42,147), while a typical terraced house costs 30% less (£202,500 against £290,500). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 6.9× annual pay in Cherwell and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Cherwell and 38% in Leeds. Buying is harder in Cherwell; renting is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Cherwell is around the middle of 316 areas (128th most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cherwell is the 109th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Cherwell would need about £28,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £35,500 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 63.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cherwell and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 80% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.3 per 1,000 in Cherwell against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Cherwell Leeds
Median full-time pay £42,147 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 6.9× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 73% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 37% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Cherwell Leeds Difference
Detached £499,000 £430,000 -14% in Leeds
Semi-detached £336,000 £262,000 -22% in Leeds
Terraced £290,500 £202,500 -30% in Leeds
Flat £180,000 £150,000 -17% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Cherwell Leeds Difference
Detached £1,864 £1,507 -19% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,406 £1,226 -13% in Leeds
Terraced £1,297 £1,157 -11% in Leeds
Flat £1,081 £905 -16% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 63.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cherwell and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 80% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Cherwell Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 63.7 114.6 +80% in Leeds
Violence against the person 25.0 44.9 +79% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.1 4.4 +41% in Leeds
Robbery 0.7 2.2 +225% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.3 13.0 +199% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 2.7 7.0 +160% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.4 1.3 +231% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 5.1 8.5 +67% 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.

Cherwell: 184Leeds: 181
House prices in Cherwell and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cherwell now 184, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Cherwell and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cherwell now 184, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearCherwellLeeds
2005100100
2006107107
2007116114
2008111110
200910298
2010111103
2011111101
201211399
2013118100
2014129106
2015140111
2016151119
2017153125
2018156130
2019149134
2020153139
2021161151
2022176165
2023179168
2024178171
2025181177
12 months to July 2026184181

In 2005 the average home cost £190,627 in Cherwell and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £350,585 and £244,464: Cherwell is up 84% 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.

Cherwell: 8.2 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cherwell and LeedsCherwell 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 Cherwell and LeedsCherwell now 8.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCherwellLeeds
20057.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20107.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20159.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20208.8 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20258.2 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Cherwell and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 8.2 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.

Cherwell: 151Leeds: 151
Rents in Cherwell and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cherwell now 151, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Cherwell and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cherwell now 151, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearCherwellLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017105102
2018106104
2019108107
2020109112
2021112114
2022119125
2023126136
2024134145
2025146146
August 2026151151

In 2015 the average rent was £861 a month in Cherwell and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,304 and £1,145: up 51% in Cherwell 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 Cherwell to Leeds

Earning in Cherwell Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £21,000 £27,000
£40,000 £28,000 £35,500
£50,000 £35,000 £44,500
£60,000 £42,000 £53,500

Moving from Leeds to Cherwell

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Cherwell Equivalent to rent in Cherwell
£30,000 £43,000 £33,500
£40,000 £57,500 £45,000
£50,000 £71,500 £56,000
£60,000 £86,000 £67,500
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 Cherwell figures · All Leeds figures