Pay vs Place

Epping Forest vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £272,500 (135%) more in Epping Forest than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Epping Forest: it takes 10.4× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Epping Forest, terraced
£475,000
Income typically needed: £95,000
Median full-time pay: £45,618
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Epping Forest Leeds
Buying a home Very 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 20% lower than in Epping Forest (£45,618), while a typical terraced house costs 57% less (£202,500 against £475,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 10.4× annual pay in Epping Forest and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 48% of pay in Epping Forest and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Epping Forest, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Epping Forest is the 25th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Epping Forest is the 33rd most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Epping Forest would need about £17,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £25,500 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 63.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Epping Forest and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 81% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 1.8 per 1,000 in Epping Forest against 4.4 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Epping Forest Leeds
Median full-time pay £45,618 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 10.4× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 48% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 48% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Epping Forest Leeds Difference
Detached £845,000 £430,000 -49% in Leeds
Semi-detached £570,000 £262,000 -54% in Leeds
Terraced £475,000 £202,500 -57% in Leeds
Flat £310,000 £150,000 -52% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Epping Forest Leeds Difference
Detached £2,563 £1,507 -41% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,970 £1,226 -38% in Leeds
Terraced £1,820 £1,157 -36% in Leeds
Flat £1,436 £905 -37% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 63.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Epping Forest and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 81% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Epping Forest Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 63.3 114.6 +81% in Leeds
Violence against the person 24.6 44.9 +83% in Leeds
Sexual offences 1.8 4.4 +147% in Leeds
Robbery 0.8 2.2 +179% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.4 13.0 +104% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 7.2 7.0 -3% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.5 1.3 +174% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 5.6 8.5 +51% 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.

Epping Forest: 203Leeds: 181
House prices in Epping Forest and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Epping Forest now 203, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Epping Forest and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Epping Forest now 203, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearEpping ForestLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007116114
2008120110
200910698
2010118103
2011118101
201212199
2013126100
2014140106
2015154111
2016174119
2017183125
2018185130
2019183134
2020186139
2021190151
2022204165
2023203168
2024203171
2025202177
12 months to July 2026203181

In 2005 the average home cost £261,039 in Epping Forest and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £530,962 and £244,464: Epping Forest is up 103% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Epping Forest, 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.

Epping Forest: 11.6 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Epping Forest and LeedsEpping Forest now 11.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Epping Forest and LeedsEpping Forest now 11.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearEpping ForestLeeds
20058.7 years of pay6.1 years of pay
201010.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201511.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202013.2 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202511.6 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.7 years of pay in Epping Forest and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 11.6 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Epping Forest over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Epping Forest: 159Leeds: 151
Rents in Epping Forest and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Epping Forest now 159, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Epping Forest and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Epping Forest now 159, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearEpping ForestLeeds
2015100100
201610798
2017113102
2018117104
2019119107
2020121112
2021122114
2022125125
2023130136
2024138145
2025150146
August 2026159151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,160 a month in Epping Forest and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,844 and £1,145: up 59% in Epping Forest and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Epping Forest.

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 Epping Forest to Leeds

Earning in Epping Forest Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £13,000 £19,000
£40,000 £17,000 £25,500
£50,000 £21,500 £32,000
£60,000 £25,500 £38,000

Moving from Leeds to Epping Forest

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Epping Forest Equivalent to rent in Epping Forest
£30,000 £70,500 £47,000
£40,000 £94,000 £63,000
£50,000 £117,500 £78,500
£60,000 £140,500 £94,500
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 Epping Forest figures · All Leeds figures