Pay vs Place

Dacorum vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £212,500 (105%) more in Dacorum than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Dacorum: it takes 9.3× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Dacorum, terraced
£415,000
Income typically needed: £83,000
Median full-time pay: £44,485
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Dacorum 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 Dacorum (£44,485), while a typical terraced house costs 51% less (£202,500 against £415,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 9.3× annual pay in Dacorum and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Dacorum and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Dacorum, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Dacorum is the 50th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Dacorum is the 60th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Dacorum would need about £19,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £30,500 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 65.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dacorum and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 74% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.4 per 1,000 in Dacorum against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Dacorum Leeds
Median full-time pay £44,485 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 9.3× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 54% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 41% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Dacorum Leeds Difference
Detached £795,000 £430,000 -46% in Leeds
Semi-detached £540,000 £262,000 -51% in Leeds
Terraced £415,000 £202,500 -51% in Leeds
Flat £255,000 £150,000 -41% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Dacorum Leeds Difference
Detached £2,195 £1,507 -31% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,737 £1,226 -29% in Leeds
Terraced £1,527 £1,157 -24% in Leeds
Flat £1,251 £905 -28% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 65.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dacorum and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 74% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Dacorum Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 65.9 114.6 +74% in Leeds
Violence against the person 25.7 44.9 +74% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.7 4.4 +64% in Leeds
Robbery 0.8 2.2 +176% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.4 13.0 +102% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 4.8 7.0 +46% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.6 1.3 +122% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 5.7 8.5 +50% 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.

Dacorum: 213Leeds: 181
House prices in Dacorum and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Dacorum now 213, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Dacorum and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Dacorum now 213, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearDacorumLeeds
2005100100
2006105107
2007116114
2008116110
200910498
2010115103
2011115101
201211899
2013121100
2014135106
2015151111
2016172119
2017180125
2018180130
2019178134
2020181139
2021192151
2022203165
2023205168
2024204171
2025212177
12 months to July 2026213181

In 2005 the average home cost £214,986 in Dacorum and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £457,149 and £244,464: Dacorum is up 113% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Dacorum, 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.

Dacorum: 10.2 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Dacorum and LeedsDacorum now 10.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Dacorum and LeedsDacorum now 10.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearDacorumLeeds
20057.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20108.4 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201510.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202011.1 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202510.2 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Dacorum and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 10.2 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Dacorum over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Dacorum: 149Leeds: 151
Rents in Dacorum and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Dacorum now 149, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Dacorum and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Dacorum now 149, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearDacorumLeeds
2015100100
201610598
2017110102
2018113104
2019113107
2020114112
2021117114
2022122125
2023129136
2024136145
2025146146
August 2026149151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,068 a month in Dacorum and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,594 and £1,145: up 49% in Dacorum 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 Dacorum to Leeds

Earning in Dacorum Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £14,500 £22,500
£40,000 £19,500 £30,500
£50,000 £24,500 £38,000
£60,000 £29,500 £45,500

Moving from Leeds to Dacorum

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Dacorum Equivalent to rent in Dacorum
£30,000 £61,500 £39,500
£40,000 £82,000 £53,000
£50,000 £102,500 £66,000
£60,000 £123,000 £79,000
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 Dacorum figures · All Leeds figures