Pay vs Place

Crawley vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £145,000 (72%) more in Crawley than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Crawley: it takes 8.9× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Crawley, terraced
£347,500
Income typically needed: £69,500
Median full-time pay: £39,237
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Crawley Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Expensive
Recorded crime Above 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 6% lower than in Crawley (£39,237), while a typical terraced house costs 42% less (£202,500 against £347,500). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.9× annual pay in Crawley and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 45% of pay in Crawley and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Crawley, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Crawley is the 90th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Crawley is the 45th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Crawley would need about £23,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £31,500 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 109.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Crawley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 5% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.2 per 1,000 in Crawley against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Crawley Leeds
Median full-time pay £39,237 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 8.9× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 56% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 45% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Crawley Leeds Difference
Detached £590,000 £430,000 -27% in Leeds
Semi-detached £410,000 £262,000 -36% in Leeds
Terraced £347,500 £202,500 -42% in Leeds
Flat £211,500 £150,000 -29% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Crawley Leeds Difference
Detached £2,162 £1,507 -30% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,624 £1,226 -25% in Leeds
Terraced £1,474 £1,157 -22% in Leeds
Flat £1,225 £905 -26% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 109.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Crawley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 5% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Crawley Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 109.2 114.6 +5% in Leeds
Violence against the person 37.7 44.9 +19% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.0 4.4 +10% in Leeds
Robbery 1.6 2.2 +34% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.2 13.0 +206% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 4.1 7.0 +69% in Leeds
Theft from the person 1.1 1.3 +21% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.3 8.5 +16% 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.

Crawley: 197Leeds: 181
House prices in Crawley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Crawley now 197, Leeds now 181.5010015020020052010201520202025House prices in Crawley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Crawley now 197, Leeds now 181.5010015020020102020
Show the figures
YearCrawleyLeeds
2005100100
2006103107
2007113114
2008110110
20099798
2010105103
2011103101
201210599
2013112100
2014126106
2015141111
2016155119
2017161125
2018164130
2019163134
2020165139
2021169151
2022183165
2023187168
2024183171
2025194177
12 months to July 2026197181

In 2005 the average home cost £170,121 in Crawley and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £334,888 and £244,464: Crawley is up 97% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Crawley, 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.

Crawley: 8.4 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Crawley and LeedsCrawley now 8.4, 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 Crawley and LeedsCrawley now 8.4, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCrawleyLeeds
20057.1 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20158.4 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20208.9 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20258.4 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Crawley and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 8.4 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Crawley over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Crawley: 151Leeds: 151
Rents in Crawley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Crawley now 151, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Crawley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Crawley now 151, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearCrawleyLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017108102
2018109104
2019111107
2020113112
2021113114
2022118125
2023125136
2024137145
2025146146
August 2026151151

In 2015 the average rent was £984 a month in Crawley and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,488 and £1,145: up 51% in Crawley 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 Crawley to Leeds

Earning in Crawley Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £17,500 £23,500
£40,000 £23,500 £31,500
£50,000 £29,000 £39,000
£60,000 £35,000 £47,000

Moving from Leeds to Crawley

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Crawley Equivalent to rent in Crawley
£30,000 £51,500 £38,000
£40,000 £68,500 £51,000
£50,000 £86,000 £63,500
£60,000 £103,000 £76,500
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 Crawley figures · All Leeds figures