East Riding of Yorkshire vs Wakefield: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £8,000 (5%) more in East Riding of Yorkshire than in Wakefield. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| East Riding of Yorkshire | Wakefield | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Wakefield (£34,400) is 8% lower than in East Riding of Yorkshire (£37,595), while a typical terraced house costs 5% less (£155,000 against £163,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 4.3× annual pay in East Riding of Yorkshire and 4.5× in Wakefield. Renting one takes 22% of pay in East Riding of Yorkshire and 27% in Wakefield. Renting is harder in Wakefield; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, East Riding of Yorkshire is the 60th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Wakefield is the 58th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, East Riding of Yorkshire is the 17th least expensive of 316 areas and Wakefield is the 88th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in East Riding of Yorkshire would need about £38,000 in Wakefield to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £44,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Wakefield 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 51.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Riding of Yorkshire and 105.8 in Wakefield, so recorded crime per resident in Wakefield is 2.1 times the rate in East Riding of Yorkshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.9 per 1,000 in East Riding of Yorkshire against 6.3 in Wakefield.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | East Riding of Yorkshire | Wakefield |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,595 | £34,400 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.3× | 4.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 115% | 111% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 22% | 27% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | East Riding of Yorkshire | Wakefield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £332,500 | £335,000 | +1% in Wakefield |
| Semi-detached | £205,000 | £205,000 | 0% in Wakefield |
| Terraced | £163,000 | £155,000 | -5% in Wakefield |
| Flat | £100,000 | £105,000 | +5% in Wakefield |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | East Riding of Yorkshire | Wakefield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,029 | £1,105 | +7% in Wakefield |
| Semi-detached | £773 | £868 | +12% in Wakefield |
| Terraced | £701 | £784 | +12% in Wakefield |
| Flat | £573 | £664 | +16% in Wakefield |
Crime
Police recorded 51.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Riding of Yorkshire and 105.8 in Wakefield, so recorded crime per resident in Wakefield is 2.1 times the rate in East Riding of Yorkshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | East Riding of Yorkshire | Wakefield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 51.4 | 105.8 | +106% in Wakefield |
| Violence against the person | 23.0 | 47.7 | +107% in Wakefield |
| Sexual offences | 2.1 | 4.4 | +105% in Wakefield |
| Robbery | 0.2 | 1.1 | +375% in Wakefield |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.0 | 7.5 | +87% in Wakefield |
| Vehicle offences | 1.9 | 6.3 | +230% in Wakefield |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 0.6 | +367% in Wakefield |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.8 | 8.2 | +70% in Wakefield |
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 Riding of Yorkshire | Wakefield |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 108 |
| 2007 | 113 | 116 |
| 2008 | 112 | 111 |
| 2009 | 100 | 102 |
| 2010 | 104 | 102 |
| 2011 | 102 | 98 |
| 2012 | 101 | 97 |
| 2013 | 102 | 97 |
| 2014 | 105 | 101 |
| 2015 | 110 | 104 |
| 2016 | 115 | 109 |
| 2017 | 121 | 114 |
| 2018 | 124 | 118 |
| 2019 | 127 | 121 |
| 2020 | 130 | 125 |
| 2021 | 142 | 141 |
| 2022 | 153 | 155 |
| 2023 | 156 | 158 |
| 2024 | 155 | 160 |
| 2025 | 160 | 165 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 162 | 169 |
In 2005 the average home cost £134,763 in East Riding of Yorkshire and £116,811 in Wakefield. Now it is £218,265 and £197,147: East Riding of Yorkshire is up 62% and Wakefield is up 69%. Prices have risen faster in Wakefield, 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 Riding of Yorkshire | Wakefield |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.6 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.1 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.6 years of pay | 5.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.5 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.6 years of pay in East Riding of Yorkshire and 5.7 years in Wakefield. In 2025 it was 5.8 years and 5.6 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 Riding of Yorkshire | Wakefield |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 101 |
| 2017 | 105 | 102 |
| 2018 | 105 | 103 |
| 2019 | 107 | 104 |
| 2020 | 109 | 108 |
| 2021 | 113 | 112 |
| 2022 | 116 | 119 |
| 2023 | 121 | 128 |
| 2024 | 129 | 136 |
| 2025 | 136 | 139 |
| August 2026 | 143 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £505 a month in East Riding of Yorkshire and £546 in Wakefield. Now it is £724 and £806: up 43% in East Riding of Yorkshire and up 48% in Wakefield.
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 Riding of Yorkshire to Wakefield
| Earning in East Riding of Yorkshire | Equivalent to buy in Wakefield | Equivalent to rent in Wakefield |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,500 | £33,500 |
| £40,000 | £38,000 | £44,500 |
| £50,000 | £47,500 | £56,000 |
| £60,000 | £57,000 | £67,000 |
Moving from Wakefield to East Riding of Yorkshire
| Earning in Wakefield | Equivalent to buy in East Riding of Yorkshire | Equivalent to rent in East Riding of Yorkshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,500 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,000 | £36,000 |
| £50,000 | £52,500 | £44,500 |
| £60,000 | £63,000 | £53,500 |
All East Riding of Yorkshire figures · All Wakefield figures