East Suffolk vs Leeds: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £5,250 (3%) more in East Suffolk than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| East Suffolk | Leeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | 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 the same than in East Suffolk (£36,793), while a typical terraced house costs 3% less (£202,500 against £207,750).
Buying a terraced house takes 5.6× annual pay in East Suffolk and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 28% of pay in East Suffolk and 38% in Leeds. Renting is harder in Leeds; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, East Suffolk is around the middle of 316 areas (155th most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, East Suffolk is the 77th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in East Suffolk would need about £39,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £55,000 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 49.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Suffolk and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.3 times the rate in East Suffolk. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.7 per 1,000 in East Suffolk against 13.0 in Leeds.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | East Suffolk | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,793 | £36,716 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.6× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 89% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 28% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | East Suffolk | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £386,000 | £430,000 | +11% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £266,500 | £262,000 | -2% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £207,750 | £202,500 | -3% in Leeds |
| Flat | £160,000 | £150,000 | -6% in Leeds |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | East Suffolk | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,121 | £1,507 | +34% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £920 | £1,226 | +33% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £844 | £1,157 | +37% in Leeds |
| Flat | £651 | £905 | +39% in Leeds |
Crime
Police recorded 49.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Suffolk and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.3 times the rate in East Suffolk.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | East Suffolk | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 49.4 | 114.6 | +132% in Leeds |
| Violence against the person | 20.4 | 44.9 | +120% in Leeds |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 4.4 | +36% in Leeds |
| Robbery | 0.2 | 2.2 | +990% in Leeds |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.7 | 13.0 | +254% in Leeds |
| Vehicle offences | 2.1 | 7.0 | +224% in Leeds |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 1.3 | +361% in Leeds |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 8.5 | +45% 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 Suffolk | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 115 | 114 |
| 2008 | 113 | 110 |
| 2009 | 103 | 98 |
| 2010 | 112 | 103 |
| 2011 | 110 | 101 |
| 2012 | 111 | 99 |
| 2013 | 113 | 100 |
| 2014 | 120 | 106 |
| 2015 | 128 | 111 |
| 2016 | 137 | 119 |
| 2017 | 146 | 125 |
| 2018 | 152 | 130 |
| 2019 | 153 | 134 |
| 2020 | 158 | 139 |
| 2021 | 168 | 151 |
| 2022 | 187 | 165 |
| 2023 | 187 | 168 |
| 2024 | 184 | 171 |
| 2025 | 180 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 181 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £155,801 in East Suffolk and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £281,317 and £244,464: East Suffolk is up 81% and Leeds is up 81%.
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 Suffolk | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 98 |
| 2017 | 105 | 102 |
| 2018 | 107 | 104 |
| 2019 | 108 | 107 |
| 2020 | 110 | 112 |
| 2021 | 112 | 114 |
| 2022 | 118 | 125 |
| 2023 | 124 | 136 |
| 2024 | 135 | 145 |
| 2025 | 146 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 154 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £547 a month in East Suffolk and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £842 and £1,145: up 54% in East Suffolk 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 Suffolk to Leeds
| Earning in East Suffolk | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,000 | £41,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £55,000 |
| £50,000 | £48,500 | £68,500 |
| £60,000 | £58,500 | £82,500 |
Moving from Leeds to East Suffolk
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in East Suffolk | Equivalent to rent in East Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,000 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £29,000 |
| £50,000 | £51,500 | £36,500 |
| £60,000 | £61,500 | £44,000 |