Pay vs Place

Croydon vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £235,500 (116%) more in Croydon than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Croydon: it takes 9.9× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Croydon, terraced
£438,000
Income typically needed: £87,500
Median full-time pay: £44,326
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Croydon Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very 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 17% lower than in Croydon (£44,326), while a typical terraced house costs 54% less (£202,500 against £438,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 9.9× annual pay in Croydon and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 49% of pay in Croydon and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Croydon, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Croydon is the 69th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Croydon is the 62nd most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Croydon would need about £18,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £26,000 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 80.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Croydon and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 43% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 27.4 per 1,000 in Croydon against 44.9 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Croydon Leeds
Median full-time pay £44,326 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 9.9× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 51% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 49% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Croydon Leeds Difference
Detached £713,000 £430,000 -40% in Leeds
Semi-detached £545,000 £262,000 -52% in Leeds
Terraced £438,000 £202,500 -54% in Leeds
Flat £275,000 £150,000 -45% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Croydon Leeds Difference
Detached £2,623 £1,507 -43% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,999 £1,226 -39% in Leeds
Terraced £1,797 £1,157 -36% in Leeds
Flat £1,437 £905 -37% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 80.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Croydon and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 43% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Croydon Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 80.4 114.6 +43% in Leeds
Violence against the person 27.4 44.9 +63% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.0 4.4 +45% in Leeds
Robbery 2.7 2.2 -19% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 8.2 13.0 +58% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 8.1 7.0 -14% in Leeds
Theft from the person 1.8 1.3 -28% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 6.1 8.5 +38% 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.

Croydon: 190Leeds: 181
House prices in Croydon and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Croydon now 190, Leeds now 181.5010015020020052010201520202025House prices in Croydon and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Croydon now 190, Leeds now 181.5010015020020102020
Show the figures
YearCroydonLeeds
2005100100
2006104107
2007114114
2008115110
200910098
2010107103
2011105101
201210999
2013115100
2014134106
2015150111
2016174119
2017182125
2018181130
2019179134
2020183139
2021190151
2022200165
2023197168
2024192171
2025193177
12 months to July 2026190181

In 2005 the average home cost £207,244 in Croydon and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £394,758 and £244,464: Croydon is up 90% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Croydon, 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.

Croydon: 9.0 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Croydon and LeedsCroydon now 9.0, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Croydon and LeedsCroydon now 9.0, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCroydonLeeds
20057.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20107.4 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20159.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202010.1 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20259.0 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Croydon and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 9.0 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Croydon over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Croydon: 149Leeds: 151
Rents in Croydon and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Croydon now 149, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Croydon and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Croydon now 149, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearCroydonLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017106102
2018108104
2019108107
2020111112
2021114114
2022117125
2023121136
2024134145
2025143146
August 2026149151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,063 a month in Croydon and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,582 and £1,145: up 49% in Croydon 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 Croydon to Leeds

Earning in Croydon Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £14,000 £19,500
£40,000 £18,500 £26,000
£50,000 £23,000 £32,000
£60,000 £27,500 £38,500

Moving from Leeds to Croydon

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Croydon Equivalent to rent in Croydon
£30,000 £65,000 £46,500
£40,000 £86,500 £62,000
£50,000 £108,000 £77,500
£60,000 £130,000 £93,000
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 Croydon figures · All Leeds figures