Pay vs Place

Conwy vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £39,775 (24%) more in Leeds than in Conwy. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.6× in Conwy.

Conwy, terraced
£162,725
Income typically needed: £32,500
Median full-time pay: £35,424
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Conwy 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 4% higher than in Conwy (£35,424), while a typical terraced house costs 24% more (£202,500 against £162,725). Set against local pay, Conwy is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.6× annual pay in Conwy and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 26% of pay in Conwy and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Conwy is the 72nd least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Conwy is the 70th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Conwy would need about £50,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £60,000 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 81.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Conwy and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 40% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.5 per 1,000 in Conwy against 7.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Conwy Leeds
Median full-time pay £35,424 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 4.6× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 109% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 26% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Conwy Leeds Difference
Detached £300,000 £430,000 +43% in Leeds
Semi-detached £207,250 £262,000 +26% in Leeds
Terraced £162,725 £202,500 +24% in Leeds
Flat £138,000 £150,000 +9% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Conwy Leeds Difference
Detached £1,015 £1,507 +48% in Leeds
Semi-detached £834 £1,226 +47% in Leeds
Terraced £770 £1,157 +50% in Leeds
Flat £662 £905 +37% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 81.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Conwy and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 40% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Conwy Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 81.9 114.6 +40% in Leeds
Violence against the person 38.9 44.9 +15% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.4 4.4 +0% in Leeds
Robbery 0.3 2.2 +627% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.5 13.0 +272% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 1.5 7.0 +353% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.2 1.3 +486% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.8 8.5 +10% 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.

Conwy: 162Leeds: 181
House prices in Conwy and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Conwy now 162, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Conwy and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Conwy now 162, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearConwyLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007111114
2008105110
20099798
2010103103
2011100101
20129699
201397100
2014101106
2015103111
2016105119
2017112125
2018115130
2019121134
2020123139
2021139151
2022155165
2023156168
2024155171
2025160177
12 months to July 2026162181

In 2005 the average home cost £131,706 in Conwy and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £213,819 and £244,464: Conwy is up 62% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, 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.

Conwy: 5.9 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Conwy and LeedsConwy now 5.9, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Conwy and LeedsConwy now 5.9, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearConwyLeeds
20056.5 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20155.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20205.3 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20255.9 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.5 years of pay in Conwy and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 5.9 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Leeds over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Conwy: 147Leeds: 151
Rents in Conwy and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Conwy now 147, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Conwy and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Conwy now 147, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearConwyLeeds
2015100100
201610198
2017103102
2018103104
2019105107
2020107112
2021109114
2022113125
2023121136
2024134145
2025143146
August 2026147151

In 2015 the average rent was £540 a month in Conwy and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £796 and £1,145: up 47% in Conwy 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 Conwy to Leeds

Earning in Conwy Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £37,500 £45,000
£40,000 £50,000 £60,000
£50,000 £62,000 £75,000
£60,000 £74,500 £90,000

Moving from Leeds to Conwy

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Conwy Equivalent to rent in Conwy
£30,000 £24,000 £20,000
£40,000 £32,000 £26,500
£50,000 £40,000 £33,500
£60,000 £48,000 £40,000
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 Conwy figures · All Leeds figures