Pay vs Place

Enfield vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £287,500 (142%) more in Enfield than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Enfield: it takes 11.2× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Enfield, terraced
£490,000
Income typically needed: £98,000
Median full-time pay: £43,888
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Enfield Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Expensive
Recorded crime About 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 16% lower than in Enfield (£43,888), while a typical terraced house costs 59% less (£202,500 against £490,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 11.2× annual pay in Enfield and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 56% of pay in Enfield and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Enfield, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Enfield is the 38th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Enfield is the 25th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Enfield would need about £16,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £22,500 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 85.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Enfield and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 34% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 25.9 per 1,000 in Enfield against 44.9 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Enfield Leeds
Median full-time pay £43,888 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 11.2× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 45% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 56% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Enfield Leeds Difference
Detached £900,000 £430,000 -52% in Leeds
Semi-detached £680,000 £262,000 -61% in Leeds
Terraced £490,000 £202,500 -59% in Leeds
Flat £320,000 £150,000 -53% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Enfield Leeds Difference
Detached £2,570 £1,507 -41% in Leeds
Semi-detached £2,430 £1,226 -50% in Leeds
Terraced £2,039 £1,157 -43% in Leeds
Flat £1,656 £905 -45% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 85.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Enfield and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 34% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Enfield Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 85.2 114.6 +34% in Leeds
Violence against the person 25.9 44.9 +73% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.8 4.4 +56% in Leeds
Robbery 3.1 2.2 -29% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 12.4 13.0 +5% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 10.4 7.0 -33% in Leeds
Theft from the person 3.7 1.3 -65% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 5.8 8.5 +48% 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.

Enfield: 208Leeds: 181
House prices in Enfield and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Enfield now 208, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Enfield and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Enfield now 208, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearEnfieldLeeds
2005100100
2006103107
2007115114
2008116110
200910498
2010114103
2011114101
201211799
2013123100
2014139106
2015158111
2016181119
2017186125
2018187130
2019185134
2020187139
2021199151
2022210165
2023207168
2024205171
2025209177
12 months to July 2026208181

In 2005 the average home cost £225,748 in Enfield and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £470,339 and £244,464: Enfield is up 108% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Enfield, 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.

Enfield: 10.7 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Enfield and LeedsEnfield now 10.7, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Enfield and LeedsEnfield now 10.7, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearEnfieldLeeds
20058.8 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20108.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201511.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202012.7 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202510.7 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.8 years of pay in Enfield and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 10.7 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Enfield over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Enfield: 152Leeds: 151
Rents in Enfield and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Enfield now 152, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Enfield and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Enfield now 152, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearEnfieldLeeds
2015100100
201610598
2017109102
2018109104
2019109107
2020109112
2021111114
2022114125
2023121136
2024131145
2025143146
August 2026152151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,200 a month in Enfield and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,827 and £1,145: up 52% in Enfield 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 Enfield to Leeds

Earning in Enfield Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £12,500 £17,000
£40,000 £16,500 £22,500
£50,000 £20,500 £28,500
£60,000 £25,000 £34,000

Moving from Leeds to Enfield

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Enfield Equivalent to rent in Enfield
£30,000 £72,500 £53,000
£40,000 £97,000 £70,500
£50,000 £121,000 £88,000
£60,000 £145,000 £105,500
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 Enfield figures · All Leeds figures