East Hertfordshire vs Leeds: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £212,500 (105%) more in East Hertfordshire than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in East Hertfordshire: it takes 8.0× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| East Hertfordshire | Leeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | 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 30% lower than in East Hertfordshire (£52,184), while a typical terraced house costs 51% less (£202,500 against £415,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.0× annual pay in East Hertfordshire and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 33% of pay in East Hertfordshire and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in East Hertfordshire, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.
Across all property types and measured against pay, East Hertfordshire is the 111th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, East Hertfordshire is around the middle of 316 areas (127th most expensive) and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in East Hertfordshire would need about £19,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £32,500 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 51.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Hertfordshire and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.2 times the rate in East Hertfordshire. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.8 per 1,000 in East Hertfordshire against 13.0 in Leeds.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | East Hertfordshire | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £52,184 | £36,716 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.0× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 63% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | East Hertfordshire | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £730,000 | £430,000 | -41% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £490,000 | £262,000 | -47% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £415,000 | £202,500 | -51% in Leeds |
| Flat | £260,000 | £150,000 | -42% in Leeds |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | East Hertfordshire | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,156 | £1,507 | -30% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £1,661 | £1,226 | -26% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £1,423 | £1,157 | -19% in Leeds |
| Flat | £1,255 | £905 | -28% in Leeds |
Crime
Police recorded 51.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Hertfordshire and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.2 times the rate in East Hertfordshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | East Hertfordshire | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 51.6 | 114.6 | +122% in Leeds |
| Violence against the person | 21.9 | 44.9 | +105% in Leeds |
| Sexual offences | 2.0 | 4.4 | +117% in Leeds |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 2.2 | +384% in Leeds |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.8 | 13.0 | +171% in Leeds |
| Vehicle offences | 3.4 | 7.0 | +103% in Leeds |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 1.3 | +215% in Leeds |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.1 | 8.5 | +105% 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 Hertfordshire | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 115 | 114 |
| 2008 | 114 | 110 |
| 2009 | 104 | 98 |
| 2010 | 111 | 103 |
| 2011 | 113 | 101 |
| 2012 | 114 | 99 |
| 2013 | 117 | 100 |
| 2014 | 130 | 106 |
| 2015 | 143 | 111 |
| 2016 | 161 | 119 |
| 2017 | 170 | 125 |
| 2018 | 173 | 130 |
| 2019 | 170 | 134 |
| 2020 | 173 | 139 |
| 2021 | 175 | 151 |
| 2022 | 187 | 165 |
| 2023 | 186 | 168 |
| 2024 | 185 | 171 |
| 2025 | 190 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 194 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £232,893 in East Hertfordshire and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £452,521 and £244,464: East Hertfordshire is up 94% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in East Hertfordshire, 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.
Show the figures
| Year | East Hertfordshire | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.7 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.5 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 10.1 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.0 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.5 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.7 years of pay in East Hertfordshire and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 8.5 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.
Show the figures
| Year | East Hertfordshire | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 98 |
| 2017 | 107 | 102 |
| 2018 | 109 | 104 |
| 2019 | 111 | 107 |
| 2020 | 112 | 112 |
| 2021 | 117 | 114 |
| 2022 | 122 | 125 |
| 2023 | 127 | 136 |
| 2024 | 133 | 145 |
| 2025 | 145 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 152 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,008 a month in East Hertfordshire and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,533 and £1,145: up 52% in East Hertfordshire 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 East Hertfordshire to Leeds
| Earning in East Hertfordshire | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £14,500 | £24,500 |
| £40,000 | £19,500 | £32,500 |
| £50,000 | £24,500 | £40,500 |
| £60,000 | £29,500 | £49,000 |
Moving from Leeds to East Hertfordshire
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in East Hertfordshire | Equivalent to rent in East Hertfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £61,500 | £37,000 |
| £40,000 | £82,000 | £49,000 |
| £50,000 | £102,500 | £61,500 |
| £60,000 | £123,000 | £74,000 |