Pay vs Place

Doncaster vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £75,500 (59%) more in Leeds than in Doncaster. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 3.6× in Doncaster.

Doncaster, terraced
£127,000
Income typically needed: £25,500
Median full-time pay: £34,967
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Doncaster Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Affordable 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 5% higher than in Doncaster (£34,967), while a typical terraced house costs 59% more (£202,500 against £127,000). Set against local pay, Doncaster is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 3.6× annual pay in Doncaster and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 24% of pay in Doncaster and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Doncaster is the 28th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Doncaster is the 28th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Doncaster would need about £64,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £66,500 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 117.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Doncaster and 114.6 in Leeds: about the same. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 11.8 per 1,000 in Doncaster against 8.5 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Doncaster Leeds
Median full-time pay £34,967 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 3.6× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 138% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 24% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Doncaster Leeds Difference
Detached £284,500 £430,000 +51% in Leeds
Semi-detached £170,000 £262,000 +54% in Leeds
Terraced £127,000 £202,500 +59% in Leeds
Flat £107,500 £150,000 +40% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Doncaster Leeds Difference
Detached £925 £1,507 +63% in Leeds
Semi-detached £749 £1,226 +64% in Leeds
Terraced £697 £1,157 +66% in Leeds
Flat £551 £905 +64% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 117.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Doncaster and 114.6 in Leeds: about the same.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Doncaster Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 117.2 114.6 -2% in Leeds
Violence against the person 43.5 44.9 +3% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.2 4.4 +4% in Leeds
Robbery 1.9 2.2 +17% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 10.8 13.0 +20% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 9.6 7.0 -28% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.6 1.3 +115% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 11.8 8.5 -28% 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.

Doncaster: 166Leeds: 181
House prices in Doncaster and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Doncaster now 166, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Doncaster and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Doncaster now 166, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearDoncasterLeeds
2005100100
2006108107
2007114114
2008110110
20099998
2010102103
201199101
20129899
201398100
2014101106
2015103111
2016109119
2017111125
2018112130
2019116134
2020121139
2021136151
2022149165
2023151168
2024154171
2025161177
12 months to July 2026166181

In 2005 the average home cost £103,612 in Doncaster and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £171,501 and £244,464: Doncaster is up 66% 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.

Doncaster: 4.8 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Doncaster and LeedsDoncaster now 4.8, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Doncaster and LeedsDoncaster now 4.8, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearDoncasterLeeds
20055.2 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20104.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20154.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20204.3 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20254.8 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.2 years of pay in Doncaster and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 4.8 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.

Doncaster: 144Leeds: 151
Rents in Doncaster and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Doncaster now 144, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Doncaster and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Doncaster now 144, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearDoncasterLeeds
2015100100
201610298
2017104102
2018104104
2019106107
2020109112
2021112114
2022116125
2023122136
2024129145
2025137146
August 2026144151

In 2015 the average rent was £481 a month in Doncaster and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £694 and £1,145: up 44% in Doncaster 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 Doncaster to Leeds

Earning in Doncaster Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £48,000 £50,000
£40,000 £64,000 £66,500
£50,000 £79,500 £83,000
£60,000 £95,500 £99,500

Moving from Leeds to Doncaster

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Doncaster Equivalent to rent in Doncaster
£30,000 £19,000 £18,000
£40,000 £25,000 £24,000
£50,000 £31,500 £30,000
£60,000 £37,500 £36,000
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 Doncaster figures · All Leeds figures