Pay vs Place

Dudley vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £7,500 (4%) more in Dudley than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Dudley: it takes 5.9× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Dudley, terraced
£210,000
Income typically needed: £42,000
Median full-time pay: £35,486
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Dudley 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 3% higher than in Dudley (£35,486), while a typical terraced house costs 4% less (£202,500 against £210,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 5.9× annual pay in Dudley and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 29% of pay in Dudley and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Dudley, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Dudley is the 111th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Dudley is the 107th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Dudley would need about £38,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £53,000 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 74.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dudley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 54% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 7.7 per 1,000 in Dudley against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Dudley Leeds
Median full-time pay £35,486 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 5.9× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 84% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 29% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Dudley Leeds Difference
Detached £360,000 £430,000 +19% in Leeds
Semi-detached £243,500 £262,000 +8% in Leeds
Terraced £210,000 £202,500 -4% in Leeds
Flat £132,500 £150,000 +13% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Dudley Leeds Difference
Detached £1,084 £1,507 +39% in Leeds
Semi-detached £913 £1,226 +34% in Leeds
Terraced £870 £1,157 +33% in Leeds
Flat £681 £905 +33% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 74.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dudley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 54% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Dudley Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 74.5 114.6 +54% in Leeds
Violence against the person 30.6 44.9 +47% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.8 4.4 +56% in Leeds
Robbery 1.0 2.2 +112% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 7.7 13.0 +70% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 6.9 7.0 +0% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.3 1.3 +316% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 6.4 8.5 +33% 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.

Dudley: 188Leeds: 181
House prices in Dudley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Dudley now 188, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Dudley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Dudley now 188, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearDudleyLeeds
2005100100
2006105107
2007111114
2008108110
200910098
2010104103
2011100101
201210099
2013101100
2014106106
2015110111
2016117119
2017124125
2018131130
2019136134
2020140139
2021156151
2022171165
2023177168
2024178171
2025184177
12 months to July 2026188181

In 2005 the average home cost £122,392 in Dudley and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £229,956 and £244,464: Dudley is up 88% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Dudley, so the gap between the two has narrowed.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

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

Dudley: 6.3 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Dudley and LeedsDudley now 6.3, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Dudley and LeedsDudley now 6.3, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearDudleyLeeds
20056.1 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20105.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20155.3 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20205.5 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20256.3 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Dudley and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 6.3 years and 6.5 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Dudley: 155Leeds: 151
Rents in Dudley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Dudley now 155, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Dudley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Dudley now 155, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearDudleyLeeds
2015100100
201610198
2017103102
2018105104
2019108107
2020111112
2021117114
2022124125
2023132136
2024139145
2025147146
August 2026155151

In 2015 the average rent was £553 a month in Dudley and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £858 and £1,145: up 55% in Dudley 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 Dudley to Leeds

Earning in Dudley Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £29,000 £40,000
£40,000 £38,500 £53,000
£50,000 £48,000 £66,500
£60,000 £58,000 £80,000

Moving from Leeds to Dudley

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Dudley Equivalent to rent in Dudley
£30,000 £31,000 £22,500
£40,000 £41,500 £30,000
£50,000 £52,000 £37,500
£60,000 £62,000 £45,000
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 Dudley figures · All Leeds figures