Pay vs Place

Eastleigh vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £87,500 (43%) more in Eastleigh than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Eastleigh: it takes 6.8× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Eastleigh, terraced
£290,000
Income typically needed: £58,000
Median full-time pay: £42,461
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Eastleigh 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 14% lower than in Eastleigh (£42,461), while a typical terraced house costs 30% less (£202,500 against £290,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 6.8× annual pay in Eastleigh and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 34% of pay in Eastleigh and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Eastleigh, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Eastleigh is around the middle of 316 areas (138th most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Eastleigh is around the middle of 316 areas (141st most expensive) and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Eastleigh would need about £28,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,000 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 55.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Eastleigh and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.1 times the rate in Eastleigh. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.2 per 1,000 in Eastleigh against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Eastleigh Leeds
Median full-time pay £42,461 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 6.8× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 73% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 34% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Eastleigh Leeds Difference
Detached £485,000 £430,000 -11% in Leeds
Semi-detached £347,500 £262,000 -25% in Leeds
Terraced £290,000 £202,500 -30% in Leeds
Flat £181,000 £150,000 -17% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Eastleigh Leeds Difference
Detached £1,638 £1,507 -8% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,335 £1,226 -8% in Leeds
Terraced £1,213 £1,157 -5% in Leeds
Flat £1,020 £905 -11% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 55.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Eastleigh and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.1 times the rate in Eastleigh.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Eastleigh Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 55.0 114.6 +108% in Leeds
Violence against the person 24.1 44.9 +86% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.6 4.4 +67% in Leeds
Robbery 0.4 2.2 +395% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.2 13.0 +310% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 2.9 7.0 +141% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.2 1.3 +461% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 4.5 8.5 +91% 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.

Eastleigh: 172Leeds: 181
House prices in Eastleigh and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Eastleigh now 172, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Eastleigh and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Eastleigh now 172, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearEastleighLeeds
2005100100
2006104107
2007113114
2008109110
20099898
2010108103
2011108101
201210999
2013110100
2014120106
2015129111
2016140119
2017148125
2018151130
2019152134
2020153139
2021163151
2022178165
2023179168
2024176171
2025172177
12 months to July 2026172181

In 2005 the average home cost £178,714 in Eastleigh and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £307,612 and £244,464: Eastleigh is up 72% 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.

Eastleigh: 7.2 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Eastleigh and LeedsEastleigh now 7.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Eastleigh and LeedsEastleigh now 7.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearEastleighLeeds
20057.3 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20107.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20157.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20207.8 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20257.2 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.3 years of pay in Eastleigh and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 7.2 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.

Eastleigh: 149Leeds: 151
Rents in Eastleigh and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Eastleigh now 149, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Eastleigh and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Eastleigh now 149, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearEastleighLeeds
2015100100
201610398
2017106102
2018108104
2019109107
2020111112
2021114114
2022118125
2023126136
2024136145
2025143146
August 2026149151

In 2015 the average rent was £817 a month in Eastleigh and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,214 and £1,145: up 49% in Eastleigh 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 Eastleigh to Leeds

Earning in Eastleigh Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £21,000 £28,500
£40,000 £28,000 £38,000
£50,000 £35,000 £47,500
£60,000 £42,000 £57,000

Moving from Leeds to Eastleigh

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Eastleigh Equivalent to rent in Eastleigh
£30,000 £43,000 £31,500
£40,000 £57,500 £42,000
£50,000 £71,500 £52,500
£60,000 £86,000 £63,000
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 Eastleigh figures · All Leeds figures