Pay vs Place

Dover vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £43,436 (21%) more in Dover than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Dover: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Dover, terraced
£245,936
Income typically needed: £49,000
Median full-time pay: £40,142
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Dover Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly 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 9% lower than in Dover (£40,142), while a typical terraced house costs 18% less (£202,500 against £245,936). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 6.1× annual pay in Dover and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 31% of pay in Dover and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Dover, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Dover is around the middle of 316 areas (185th most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Dover is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive) and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Dover would need about £33,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £45,000 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 76.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dover and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 50% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.0 per 1,000 in Dover against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Dover Leeds
Median full-time pay £40,142 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 6.1× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 82% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 31% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Dover Leeds Difference
Detached £425,000 £430,000 +1% in Leeds
Semi-detached £300,000 £262,000 -13% in Leeds
Terraced £245,936 £202,500 -18% in Leeds
Flat £160,000 £150,000 -6% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Dover Leeds Difference
Detached £1,383 £1,507 +9% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,144 £1,226 +7% in Leeds
Terraced £1,032 £1,157 +12% in Leeds
Flat £837 £905 +8% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 76.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dover and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 50% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Dover Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 76.4 114.6 +50% in Leeds
Violence against the person 34.4 44.9 +31% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.4 4.4 +27% in Leeds
Robbery 0.7 2.2 +211% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.0 13.0 +327% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 3.0 7.0 +136% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.3 1.3 +279% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 9.0 8.5 -5% 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.

Dover: 178Leeds: 181
House prices in Dover and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Dover now 178, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Dover and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Dover now 178, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearDoverLeeds
2005100100
2006105107
2007114114
2008111110
20099998
2010108103
2011104101
201210499
2013108100
2014118106
2015125111
2016137119
2017147125
2018156130
2019158134
2020162139
2021173151
2022191165
2023194168
2024178171
2025177177
12 months to July 2026178181

In 2005 the average home cost £156,547 in Dover and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £278,371 and £244,464: Dover is up 78% and Leeds is up 81%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Dover: 6.9 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Dover and LeedsDover now 6.9, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Dover and LeedsDover now 6.9, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearDoverLeeds
20057.2 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
2015–5.7 years of pay
20207.3 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20256.9 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.2 years of pay in Dover and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 6.9 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.

Dover: 169Leeds: 151
Rents in Dover and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Dover now 169, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Dover and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Dover now 169, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearDoverLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017109102
2018111104
2019116107
2020119112
2021124114
2022127125
2023134136
2024144145
2025154146
August 2026169151

In 2015 the average rent was £603 a month in Dover and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,021 and £1,145: up 69% in Dover and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Dover.

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 Dover to Leeds

Earning in Dover Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £24,500 £33,500
£40,000 £33,000 £45,000
£50,000 £41,000 £56,000
£60,000 £49,500 £67,500

Moving from Leeds to Dover

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Dover Equivalent to rent in Dover
£30,000 £36,500 £27,000
£40,000 £48,500 £35,500
£50,000 £60,500 £44,500
£60,000 £73,000 £53,500
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 Dover figures · All Leeds figures