Pay vs Place

Darlington vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £82,500 (69%) more in Leeds than in Darlington. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 3.3× in Darlington.

Darlington, terraced
£120,000
Income typically needed: £24,000
Median full-time pay: £36,166
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Darlington Leeds
Buying a home Affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home 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 2% higher than in Darlington (£36,166), while a typical terraced house costs 69% more (£202,500 against £120,000). Set against local pay, Darlington is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 3.3× annual pay in Darlington and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 23% of pay in Darlington and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Darlington is the 13th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Darlington is the 16th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Darlington would need about £67,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £67,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Leeds would leave you worse 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 91.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Darlington and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 26% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 7.2 per 1,000 in Darlington against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Darlington Leeds
Median full-time pay £36,166 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 3.3× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 151% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 23% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Darlington Leeds Difference
Detached £295,000 £430,000 +46% in Leeds
Semi-detached £170,000 £262,000 +54% in Leeds
Terraced £120,000 £202,500 +69% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Darlington Leeds Difference
Detached £1,010 £1,507 +49% in Leeds
Semi-detached £750 £1,226 +63% in Leeds
Terraced £689 £1,157 +68% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 91.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Darlington and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 26% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Darlington Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 91.0 114.6 +26% in Leeds
Violence against the person 35.0 44.9 +28% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.0 4.4 +8% in Leeds
Robbery 0.7 2.2 +195% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 7.2 13.0 +80% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 4.3 7.0 +61% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.3 1.3 +291% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 12.3 8.5 -31% 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.

Darlington: 138Leeds: 181
House prices in Darlington and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Darlington now 138, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Darlington and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Darlington now 138, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearDarlingtonLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007113114
2008111110
200910198
2010104103
2011100101
20129799
201398100
2014101106
2015100111
2016104119
2017109125
2018107130
2019107134
2020107139
2021118151
2022128165
2023130168
2024130171
2025136177
12 months to July 2026138181

In 2005 the average home cost £113,773 in Darlington and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £157,401 and £244,464: Darlington is up 38% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, 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.

Darlington: 4.3 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Darlington and LeedsDarlington now 4.3, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Darlington and LeedsDarlington now 4.3, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearDarlingtonLeeds
20056.1 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20105.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20154.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20204.5 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20254.3 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Darlington and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 4.3 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.

Darlington: 146Leeds: 151
Rents in Darlington and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Darlington now 146, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Darlington and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Darlington now 146, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearDarlingtonLeeds
2015100100
201610198
2017102102
2018103104
2019104107
2020104112
2021107114
2022111125
2023116136
2024124145
2025136146
August 2026146151

In 2015 the average rent was £472 a month in Darlington and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £689 and £1,145: up 46% in Darlington and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster 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 Darlington to Leeds

Earning in Darlington Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £50,500 £50,500
£40,000 £67,500 £67,000
£50,000 £84,500 £84,000
£60,000 £101,500 £101,000

Moving from Leeds to Darlington

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Darlington Equivalent to rent in Darlington
£30,000 £18,000 £18,000
£40,000 £23,500 £24,000
£50,000 £29,500 £30,000
£60,000 £35,500 £35,500
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 Darlington figures · All Leeds figures