Cheshire West and Chester vs Leeds: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £2,500 (1%) more in Leeds than in Cheshire West and Chester. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.8× in Cheshire West and Chester.
At a glance
| Cheshire West and Chester | Leeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | 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 11% lower than in Cheshire West and Chester (£41,486), while a typical terraced house costs 1% more (£202,500 against £200,000). Set against local pay, Cheshire West and Chester is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.8× annual pay in Cheshire West and Chester and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 28% of pay in Cheshire West and Chester and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Cheshire West and Chester is the 85th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cheshire West and Chester is the 98th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Cheshire West and Chester would need about £40,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £47,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Leeds would leave you worse 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 66.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cheshire West and Chester and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 72% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.4 per 1,000 in Cheshire West and Chester against 7.0 in Leeds.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Cheshire West and Chester | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,486 | £36,716 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.8× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 104% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 28% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Cheshire West and Chester | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £390,000 | £430,000 | +10% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £250,000 | £262,000 | +5% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £200,000 | £202,500 | +1% in Leeds |
| Flat | £142,000 | £150,000 | +6% in Leeds |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Cheshire West and Chester | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,400 | £1,507 | +8% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £1,123 | £1,226 | +9% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £979 | £1,157 | +18% in Leeds |
| Flat | £850 | £905 | +6% in Leeds |
Crime
Police recorded 66.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cheshire West and Chester and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 72% higher in Leeds.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Cheshire West and Chester | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 66.8 | 114.6 | +72% in Leeds |
| Violence against the person | 30.4 | 44.9 | +48% in Leeds |
| Sexual offences | 3.6 | 4.4 | +21% in Leeds |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 2.2 | +459% in Leeds |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.0 | 13.0 | +337% in Leeds |
| Vehicle offences | 1.4 | 7.0 | +398% in Leeds |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.3 | +486% in Leeds |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.7 | 8.5 | +81% 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 | Cheshire West and Chester | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 111 | 114 |
| 2008 | 108 | 110 |
| 2009 | 100 | 98 |
| 2010 | 104 | 103 |
| 2011 | 101 | 101 |
| 2012 | 100 | 99 |
| 2013 | 102 | 100 |
| 2014 | 105 | 106 |
| 2015 | 110 | 111 |
| 2016 | 116 | 119 |
| 2017 | 118 | 125 |
| 2018 | 122 | 130 |
| 2019 | 125 | 134 |
| 2020 | 129 | 139 |
| 2021 | 143 | 151 |
| 2022 | 155 | 165 |
| 2023 | 159 | 168 |
| 2024 | 162 | 171 |
| 2025 | 167 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 170 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £155,256 in Cheshire West and Chester and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £264,425 and £244,464: Cheshire West and Chester is up 70% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
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 | Cheshire West and Chester | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | – | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.6 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.0 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.4 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.2 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 5.6 years of pay in Cheshire West and Chester and 5.7 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 6.2 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Cheshire West and Chester | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 98 |
| 2017 | 103 | 102 |
| 2018 | 104 | 104 |
| 2019 | 106 | 107 |
| 2020 | 107 | 112 |
| 2021 | 110 | 114 |
| 2022 | 116 | 125 |
| 2023 | 128 | 136 |
| 2024 | 138 | 145 |
| 2025 | 149 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 160 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £619 a month in Cheshire West and Chester and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £991 and £1,145: up 60% in Cheshire West and Chester and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Cheshire West and Chester.
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 Cheshire West and Chester to Leeds
| Earning in Cheshire West and Chester | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £35,500 |
| £40,000 | £40,500 | £47,500 |
| £50,000 | £50,500 | £59,000 |
| £60,000 | £61,000 | £71,000 |
Moving from Leeds to Cheshire West and Chester
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in Cheshire West and Chester | Equivalent to rent in Cheshire West and Chester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £25,500 |
| £40,000 | £39,500 | £34,000 |
| £50,000 | £49,500 | £42,500 |
| £60,000 | £59,500 | £51,000 |