East Devon vs Leeds: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £56,495 (28%) more in East Devon than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in East Devon: it takes 6.5× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| East Devon | Leeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 8% lower than in East Devon (£40,087), while a typical terraced house costs 22% less (£202,500 against £258,995). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.5× annual pay in East Devon and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 29% of pay in East Devon and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in East Devon, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.
Across all property types and measured against pay, East Devon is around the middle of 316 areas (141st most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, East Devon is the 105th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in East Devon would need about £31,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £47,500 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 45.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Devon and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.5 times the rate in East Devon. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 2.2 per 1,000 in East Devon against 13.0 in Leeds.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | East Devon | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £40,087 | £36,716 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.5× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 77% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 29% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | East Devon | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £475,000 | £430,000 | -9% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £307,500 | £262,000 | -15% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £258,995 | £202,500 | -22% in Leeds |
| Flat | £186,250 | £150,000 | -19% in Leeds |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | East Devon | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,303 | £1,507 | +16% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £1,035 | £1,226 | +18% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £971 | £1,157 | +19% in Leeds |
| Flat | £773 | £905 | +17% in Leeds |
Crime
Police recorded 45.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Devon and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.5 times the rate in East Devon.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | East Devon | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 45.6 | 114.6 | +151% in Leeds |
| Violence against the person | 22.0 | 44.9 | +104% in Leeds |
| Sexual offences | 2.5 | 4.4 | +73% in Leeds |
| Robbery | 0.2 | 2.2 | +808% in Leeds |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 2.2 | 13.0 | +484% in Leeds |
| Vehicle offences | 1.3 | 7.0 | +453% in Leeds |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.3 | +514% in Leeds |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.4 | 8.5 | +58% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | East Devon | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 107 |
| 2007 | 114 | 114 |
| 2008 | 113 | 110 |
| 2009 | 104 | 98 |
| 2010 | 112 | 103 |
| 2011 | 111 | 101 |
| 2012 | 111 | 99 |
| 2013 | 112 | 100 |
| 2014 | 116 | 106 |
| 2015 | 120 | 111 |
| 2016 | 124 | 119 |
| 2017 | 131 | 125 |
| 2018 | 138 | 130 |
| 2019 | 141 | 134 |
| 2020 | 142 | 139 |
| 2021 | 150 | 151 |
| 2022 | 164 | 165 |
| 2023 | 169 | 168 |
| 2024 | 166 | 171 |
| 2025 | 168 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 169 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £202,112 in East Devon and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £341,189 and £244,464: East Devon is up 69% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, 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.
Show the figures
| Year | East Devon | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 9.9 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 10.0 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 9.5 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.7 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.5 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 9.9 years of pay in East Devon and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 8.5 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.
Show the figures
| Year | East Devon | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 98 |
| 2017 | 102 | 102 |
| 2018 | 104 | 104 |
| 2019 | 105 | 107 |
| 2020 | 111 | 112 |
| 2021 | 116 | 114 |
| 2022 | 116 | 125 |
| 2023 | 121 | 136 |
| 2024 | 130 | 145 |
| 2025 | 134 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 143 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £677 a month in East Devon and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £968 and £1,145: up 43% in East Devon 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 East Devon to Leeds
| Earning in East Devon | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,500 | £35,500 |
| £40,000 | £31,500 | £47,500 |
| £50,000 | £39,000 | £59,500 |
| £60,000 | £47,000 | £71,500 |
Moving from Leeds to East Devon
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in East Devon | Equivalent to rent in East Devon |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £38,500 | £25,000 |
| £40,000 | £51,000 | £33,500 |
| £50,000 | £64,000 | £42,000 |
| £60,000 | £76,500 | £50,500 |