Pay vs Place

Elmbridge vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £347,500 (172%) more in Elmbridge than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Elmbridge: it takes 10.6× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Elmbridge, terraced
£550,000
Income typically needed: £110,000
Median full-time pay: £51,924
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Elmbridge Leeds
Buying a home Very expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very 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 29% lower than in Elmbridge (£51,924), while a typical terraced house costs 63% less (£202,500 against £550,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 10.6× annual pay in Elmbridge and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Elmbridge and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Elmbridge, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Elmbridge is the 12th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Elmbridge is the 55th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Elmbridge would need about £14,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £24,500 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 51.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Elmbridge and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.2 times the rate in Elmbridge. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.8 per 1,000 in Elmbridge against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Elmbridge Leeds
Median full-time pay £51,924 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 10.6× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 47% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 44% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Elmbridge Leeds Difference
Detached £1,300,000 £430,000 -67% in Leeds
Semi-detached £740,000 £262,000 -65% in Leeds
Terraced £550,000 £202,500 -63% in Leeds
Flat £352,625 £150,000 -57% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Elmbridge Leeds Difference
Detached £2,731 £1,507 -45% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,955 £1,226 -37% in Leeds
Terraced £1,899 £1,157 -39% in Leeds
Flat £1,495 £905 -39% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 51.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Elmbridge and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.2 times the rate in Elmbridge.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Elmbridge Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 51.5 114.6 +122% in Leeds
Violence against the person 19.4 44.9 +131% in Leeds
Sexual offences 1.8 4.4 +138% in Leeds
Robbery 0.5 2.2 +345% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.8 13.0 +170% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 4.1 7.0 +71% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.4 1.3 +193% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 4.5 8.5 +90% 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.

Elmbridge: 217Leeds: 181
House prices in Elmbridge and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Elmbridge now 217, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Elmbridge and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Elmbridge now 217, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearElmbridgeLeeds
2005100100
2006108107
2007124114
2008122110
200910998
2010126103
2011125101
201213499
2013142100
2014160106
2015174111
2016188119
2017187125
2018185130
2019187134
2020190139
2021201151
2022216165
2023215168
2024213171
2025218177
12 months to July 2026217181

In 2005 the average home cost £337,244 in Elmbridge and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £732,332 and £244,464: Elmbridge is up 117% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Elmbridge, 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.

Elmbridge: 14.2 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Elmbridge and LeedsElmbridge now 14.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Elmbridge and LeedsElmbridge now 14.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearElmbridgeLeeds
20059.6 years of pay6.1 years of pay
201012.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201515.3 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202015.4 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202514.2 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 9.6 years of pay in Elmbridge and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 14.2 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Elmbridge over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Elmbridge: 129Leeds: 151
Rents in Elmbridge and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Elmbridge now 129, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Elmbridge and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Elmbridge now 129, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearElmbridgeLeeds
2015100100
201610398
2017104102
2018103104
2019105107
2020103112
2021106114
2022108125
2023113136
2024123145
2025127146
August 2026129151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,465 a month in Elmbridge and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,891 and £1,145: up 29% in Elmbridge and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster 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 Elmbridge to Leeds

Earning in Elmbridge Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £11,000 £18,500
£40,000 £14,500 £24,500
£50,000 £18,500 £30,500
£60,000 £22,000 £36,500

Moving from Leeds to Elmbridge

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Elmbridge Equivalent to rent in Elmbridge
£30,000 £81,500 £49,000
£40,000 £108,500 £65,500
£50,000 £136,000 £82,000
£60,000 £163,000 £98,500
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 Elmbridge figures · All Leeds figures