Pay vs Place

Coventry vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £12,500 (6%) more in Coventry than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.

Coventry, terraced
£215,000
Income typically needed: £43,000
Median full-time pay: £37,759
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Coventry 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 3% lower than in Coventry (£37,759), while a typical terraced house costs 6% less (£202,500 against £215,000).

Buying a terraced house takes 5.7× annual pay in Coventry and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Coventry and 38% in Leeds. Renting is harder in Leeds; buying is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Coventry is the 74th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Coventry is around the middle of 316 areas (166th most expensive) and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Coventry would need about £37,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £44,500 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 88.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Coventry and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 30% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 9.4 per 1,000 in Coventry against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Coventry Leeds
Median full-time pay £37,759 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 5.7× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 88% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 33% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Coventry Leeds Difference
Detached £378,750 £430,000 +14% in Leeds
Semi-detached £265,000 £262,000 -1% in Leeds
Terraced £215,000 £202,500 -6% in Leeds
Flat £130,000 £150,000 +15% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Coventry Leeds Difference
Detached £1,234 £1,507 +22% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,075 £1,226 +14% in Leeds
Terraced £1,041 £1,157 +11% in Leeds
Flat £853 £905 +6% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 88.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Coventry and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 30% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Coventry Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 88.4 114.6 +30% in Leeds
Violence against the person 34.4 44.9 +31% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.9 4.4 +13% in Leeds
Robbery 1.9 2.2 +17% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.4 13.0 +38% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 7.6 7.0 -8% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.8 1.3 +52% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.3 8.5 +17% 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.

Coventry: 183Leeds: 181
House prices in Coventry and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Coventry now 183, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Coventry and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Coventry now 183, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearCoventryLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007111114
2008106110
20099698
2010101103
201199101
20129999
2013104100
2014110106
2015117111
2016127119
2017138125
2018147130
2019150134
2020152139
2021163151
2022177165
2023177168
2024179171
2025182177
12 months to July 2026183181

In 2005 the average home cost £120,711 in Coventry and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £220,880 and £244,464: Coventry is up 83% 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.

Coventry: 5.8 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Coventry and LeedsCoventry now 5.8, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Coventry and LeedsCoventry now 5.8, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCoventryLeeds
20055.3 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20105.3 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20155.3 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20206.2 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20255.8 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.3 years of pay in Coventry and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 5.8 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.

Coventry: 162Leeds: 151
Rents in Coventry and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Coventry now 162, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Coventry and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Coventry now 162, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearCoventryLeeds
2015100100
201610698
2017110102
2018115104
2019118107
2020120112
2021124114
2022129125
2023138136
2024151145
2025159146
August 2026162151

In 2015 the average rent was £629 a month in Coventry and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,020 and £1,145: up 62% in Coventry and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Coventry.

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 Coventry to Leeds

Earning in Coventry Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £28,500 £33,500
£40,000 £37,500 £44,500
£50,000 £47,000 £55,500
£60,000 £56,500 £66,500

Moving from Leeds to Coventry

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Coventry Equivalent to rent in Coventry
£30,000 £32,000 £27,000
£40,000 £42,500 £36,000
£50,000 £53,000 £45,000
£60,000 £63,500 £54,000
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 Coventry figures · All Leeds figures