Pay vs Place

Chichester vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £142,500 (70%) more in Chichester than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Chichester: it takes 9.8× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Chichester, terraced
£345,000
Income typically needed: £69,000
Median full-time pay: £35,264
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Chichester Leeds
Buying a home Very expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very 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 4% higher than in Chichester (£35,264), while a typical terraced house costs 41% less (£202,500 against £345,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 9.8× annual pay in Chichester and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 46% of pay in Chichester and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Chichester, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Chichester is the 17th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Chichester is the 47th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Chichester would need about £23,500 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 60.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Chichester and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 89% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.6 per 1,000 in Chichester against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Chichester Leeds
Median full-time pay £35,264 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 9.8× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 51% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 46% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Chichester Leeds Difference
Detached £607,500 £430,000 -29% in Leeds
Semi-detached £397,250 £262,000 -34% in Leeds
Terraced £345,000 £202,500 -41% in Leeds
Flat £210,000 £150,000 -29% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Chichester Leeds Difference
Detached £1,762 £1,507 -14% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,464 £1,226 -16% in Leeds
Terraced £1,357 £1,157 -15% in Leeds
Flat £1,099 £905 -18% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 60.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Chichester and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 89% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Chichester Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 60.5 114.6 +89% in Leeds
Violence against the person 21.4 44.9 +110% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.9 4.4 +52% in Leeds
Robbery 0.7 2.2 +203% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.6 13.0 +256% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 2.4 7.0 +186% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.3 1.3 +269% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.0 8.5 +22% 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.

Chichester: 176Leeds: 181
House prices in Chichester and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Chichester now 176, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Chichester and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Chichester now 176, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearChichesterLeeds
2005100100
2006104107
2007114114
2008114110
200910298
2010113103
2011115101
201211599
2013118100
2014126106
2015136111
2016144119
2017152125
2018157130
2019153134
2020161139
2021164151
2022179165
2023180168
2024178171
2025178177
12 months to July 2026176181

In 2005 the average home cost £249,511 in Chichester and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £440,233 and £244,464: Chichester is up 76% 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.

Chichester: 12.6 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Chichester and LeedsChichester now 12.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Chichester and LeedsChichester now 12.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearChichesterLeeds
200510.4 years of pay6.1 years of pay
201011.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201512.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202013.4 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202512.6 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 10.4 years of pay in Chichester and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 12.6 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Chichester over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Chichester: 147Leeds: 151
Rents in Chichester and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Chichester now 147, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Chichester and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Chichester now 147, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearChichesterLeeds
2015100100
201610398
2017106102
2018107104
2019108107
2020110112
2021111114
2022118125
2023127136
2024136145
2025142146
August 2026147151

In 2015 the average rent was £906 a month in Chichester and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,333 and £1,145: up 47% in Chichester 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 Chichester to Leeds

Earning in Chichester Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £17,500 £25,500
£40,000 £23,500 £34,000
£50,000 £29,500 £42,500
£60,000 £35,000 £51,000

Moving from Leeds to Chichester

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Chichester Equivalent to rent in Chichester
£30,000 £51,000 £35,000
£40,000 £68,000 £47,000
£50,000 £85,000 £58,500
£60,000 £102,000 £70,500
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 Chichester figures · All Leeds figures