Pay vs Place

Cornwall vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £27,500 (14%) more in Cornwall than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cornwall: it takes 6.6× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Cornwall, terraced
£230,000
Income typically needed: £46,000
Median full-time pay: £35,002
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Cornwall 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 5% higher than in Cornwall (£35,002), while a typical terraced house costs 12% less (£202,500 against £230,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 6.6× annual pay in Cornwall and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 35% of pay in Cornwall and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Cornwall, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Cornwall is around the middle of 316 areas (136th most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cornwall is around the middle of 316 areas (142nd most expensive) and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Cornwall would need about £35,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £45,000 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 62.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cornwall and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 83% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 2.6 per 1,000 in Cornwall against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Cornwall Leeds
Median full-time pay £35,002 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 6.6× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 76% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 35% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Cornwall Leeds Difference
Detached £399,950 £430,000 +8% in Leeds
Semi-detached £265,000 £262,000 -1% in Leeds
Terraced £230,000 £202,500 -12% in Leeds
Flat £175,000 £150,000 -14% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Cornwall Leeds Difference
Detached £1,278 £1,507 +18% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,070 £1,226 +15% in Leeds
Terraced £1,033 £1,157 +12% in Leeds
Flat £810 £905 +12% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 62.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cornwall and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 83% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Cornwall Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 62.7 114.6 +83% in Leeds
Violence against the person 29.7 44.9 +51% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.5 4.4 +25% in Leeds
Robbery 0.3 2.2 +541% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 2.6 13.0 +403% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 1.6 7.0 +347% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.3 1.3 +291% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.5 8.5 +13% 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.

Cornwall: 156Leeds: 181
House prices in Cornwall and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cornwall now 156, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Cornwall and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cornwall now 156, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearCornwallLeeds
2005100100
2006105107
2007114114
2008110110
20099998
2010106103
2011104101
201210399
2013104100
2014107106
2015112111
2016114119
2017118125
2018124130
2019126134
2020131139
2021144151
2022163165
2023164168
2024159171
2025156177
12 months to July 2026156181

In 2005 the average home cost £178,433 in Cornwall and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £278,852 and £244,464: Cornwall is up 56% 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.

Cornwall: 7.9 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cornwall and LeedsCornwall now 7.9, 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 Cornwall and LeedsCornwall now 7.9, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCornwallLeeds
20059.4 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20108.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20158.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20208.6 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20257.9 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 9.4 years of pay in Cornwall and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 7.9 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.

Cornwall: 147Leeds: 151
Rents in Cornwall and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cornwall now 147, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Cornwall and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cornwall now 147, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearCornwallLeeds
2015100100
201610198
2017103102
2018106104
2019109107
2020112112
2021114114
2022119125
2023127136
2024133145
2025143146
August 2026147151

In 2015 the average rent was £678 a month in Cornwall and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,000 and £1,145: up 47% in Cornwall 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 Cornwall to Leeds

Earning in Cornwall Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £26,500 £33,500
£40,000 £35,000 £45,000
£50,000 £44,000 £56,000
£60,000 £53,000 £67,000

Moving from Leeds to Cornwall

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Cornwall Equivalent to rent in Cornwall
£30,000 £34,000 £27,000
£40,000 £45,500 £35,500
£50,000 £57,000 £44,500
£60,000 £68,000 £53,500
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 Cornwall figures · All Leeds figures