Pay vs Place

Eastbourne vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £72,500 (36%) more in Eastbourne than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Eastbourne: it takes 7.4× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Eastbourne, terraced
£275,000
Income typically needed: £55,000
Median full-time pay: £37,236
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Eastbourne Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Expensive Expensive
Recorded crime Above 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 1% lower than in Eastbourne (£37,236), while a typical terraced house costs 26% less (£202,500 against £275,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 7.4× annual pay in Eastbourne and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Eastbourne and 38% in Leeds. Buying is harder in Eastbourne; renting is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Eastbourne is around the middle of 316 areas (172nd most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Eastbourne is the 104th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Eastbourne would need about £29,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £39,500 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 110.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Eastbourne and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 4% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.5 per 1,000 in Eastbourne against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Eastbourne Leeds
Median full-time pay £37,236 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 7.4× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 68% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 38% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Eastbourne Leeds Difference
Detached £418,000 £430,000 +3% in Leeds
Semi-detached £313,750 £262,000 -16% in Leeds
Terraced £275,000 £202,500 -26% in Leeds
Flat £190,000 £150,000 -21% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Eastbourne Leeds Difference
Detached £1,478 £1,507 +2% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,295 £1,226 -5% in Leeds
Terraced £1,175 £1,157 -2% in Leeds
Flat £1,016 £905 -11% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 110.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Eastbourne and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 4% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Eastbourne Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 110.3 114.6 +4% in Leeds
Violence against the person 38.2 44.9 +18% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.3 4.4 +3% in Leeds
Robbery 1.9 2.2 +15% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.5 13.0 +191% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 3.3 7.0 +109% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.7 1.3 +87% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 9.1 8.5 -7% 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.

Eastbourne: 174Leeds: 181
House prices in Eastbourne and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Eastbourne now 174, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Eastbourne and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Eastbourne now 174, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearEastbourneLeeds
2005100100
2006103107
2007113114
2008112110
20099998
2010108103
2011104101
201210599
2013107100
2014118106
2015126111
2016137119
2017145125
2018149130
2019151134
2020151139
2021169151
2022190165
2023188168
2024181171
2025176177
12 months to July 2026174181

In 2005 the average home cost £146,809 in Eastbourne and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £254,743 and £244,464: Eastbourne is up 74% 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.

Eastbourne: 6.9 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Eastbourne and LeedsEastbourne now 6.9, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Eastbourne and LeedsEastbourne now 6.9, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearEastbourneLeeds
20056.5 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20156.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20207.0 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20256.9 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.5 years of pay in Eastbourne and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 6.9 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.

Eastbourne: 151Leeds: 151
Rents in Eastbourne and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Eastbourne now 151, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Eastbourne and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Eastbourne now 151, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearEastbourneLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017108102
2018109104
2019113107
2020117112
2021121114
2022127125
2023135136
2024143145
2025149146
August 2026151151

In 2015 the average rent was £774 a month in Eastbourne and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,169 and £1,145: up 51% in Eastbourne 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 Eastbourne to Leeds

Earning in Eastbourne Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £22,000 £29,500
£40,000 £29,500 £39,500
£50,000 £37,000 £49,000
£60,000 £44,000 £59,000

Moving from Leeds to Eastbourne

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Eastbourne Equivalent to rent in Eastbourne
£30,000 £40,500 £30,500
£40,000 £54,500 £40,500
£50,000 £68,000 £51,000
£60,000 £81,500 £61,000
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 Eastbourne figures · All Leeds figures