Pay vs Place

Colchester vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £70,000 (35%) more in Colchester than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Colchester: it takes 6.9× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Colchester, terraced
£272,500
Income typically needed: £54,500
Median full-time pay: £39,353
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Colchester 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 7% lower than in Colchester (£39,353), while a typical terraced house costs 26% less (£202,500 against £272,500). 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 Colchester and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Colchester and 38% in Leeds. Buying is harder in Colchester; renting is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Colchester is around the middle of 316 areas (133rd most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Colchester is the 116th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Colchester would need about £29,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £37,500 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 82.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Colchester and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 39% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.5 per 1,000 in Colchester against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Colchester Leeds
Median full-time pay £39,353 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 6.9× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 72% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 37% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Colchester Leeds Difference
Detached £442,960 £430,000 -3% in Leeds
Semi-detached £325,000 £262,000 -19% in Leeds
Terraced £272,500 £202,500 -26% in Leeds
Flat £170,000 £150,000 -12% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Colchester Leeds Difference
Detached £1,566 £1,507 -4% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,268 £1,226 -3% in Leeds
Terraced £1,229 £1,157 -6% in Leeds
Flat £955 £905 -5% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 82.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Colchester and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 39% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Colchester Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 82.6 114.6 +39% in Leeds
Violence against the person 35.7 44.9 +26% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.0 4.4 +10% in Leeds
Robbery 0.9 2.2 +151% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.5 13.0 +136% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 5.4 7.0 +29% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.5 1.3 +169% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 6.6 8.5 +28% 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.

Colchester: 177Leeds: 181
House prices in Colchester and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Colchester now 177, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Colchester and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Colchester now 177, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearColchesterLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007113114
2008105110
20099398
2010103103
2011103101
201210499
2013106100
2014115106
2015126111
2016140119
2017152125
2018155130
2019154134
2020154139
2021162151
2022179165
2023180168
2024175171
2025177177
12 months to July 2026177181

In 2005 the average home cost £167,925 in Colchester and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £297,216 and £244,464: Colchester is up 77% 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.

Colchester: 7.6 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Colchester and LeedsColchester now 7.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Colchester and LeedsColchester now 7.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearColchesterLeeds
20056.6 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20157.4 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20208.0 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20257.6 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Colchester and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 7.6 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Colchester over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Colchester: 163Leeds: 151
Rents in Colchester and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Colchester now 163, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Colchester and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Colchester now 163, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearColchesterLeeds
2015100100
201610398
2017108102
2018112104
2019116107
2020115112
2021123114
2022127125
2023134136
2024145145
2025159146
August 2026163151

In 2015 the average rent was £735 a month in Colchester and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,197 and £1,145: up 63% in Colchester and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Colchester.

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 Colchester to Leeds

Earning in Colchester Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £22,500 £28,000
£40,000 £29,500 £37,500
£50,000 £37,000 £47,000
£60,000 £44,500 £56,500

Moving from Leeds to Colchester

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Colchester Equivalent to rent in Colchester
£30,000 £40,500 £32,000
£40,000 £54,000 £42,500
£50,000 £67,500 £53,000
£60,000 £80,500 £63,500
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 Colchester figures · All Leeds figures