Pay vs Place

Exeter vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £76,600 (38%) more in Exeter than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Exeter: it takes 8.1× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Exeter, terraced
£279,100
Income typically needed: £56,000
Median full-time pay: £34,514
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Exeter Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very 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 6% higher than in Exeter (£34,514), while a typical terraced house costs 27% less (£202,500 against £279,100). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.1× annual pay in Exeter and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 47% of pay in Exeter and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Exeter, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Exeter is the 107th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Exeter is the 42nd most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Exeter would need about £29,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £34,000 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 96.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Exeter and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 19% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.2 per 1,000 in Exeter against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Exeter Leeds
Median full-time pay £34,514 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 8.1× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 62% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 47% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Exeter Leeds Difference
Detached £475,000 £430,000 -9% in Leeds
Semi-detached £330,000 £262,000 -21% in Leeds
Terraced £279,100 £202,500 -27% in Leeds
Flat £175,500 £150,000 -15% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Exeter Leeds Difference
Detached £1,711 £1,507 -12% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,386 £1,226 -12% in Leeds
Terraced £1,352 £1,157 -14% in Leeds
Flat £1,046 £905 -13% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 96.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Exeter and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 19% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Exeter Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 96.1 114.6 +19% in Leeds
Violence against the person 40.1 44.9 +12% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.9 4.4 -11% in Leeds
Robbery 0.9 2.2 +129% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.2 13.0 +207% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 2.3 7.0 +199% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.8 1.3 +57% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 8.6 8.5 -1% 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.

Exeter: 174Leeds: 181
House prices in Exeter and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Exeter now 174, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Exeter and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Exeter now 174, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearExeterLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007115114
2008112110
200910598
2010113103
2011112101
201211499
2013114100
2014121106
2015129111
2016134119
2017140125
2018146130
2019148134
2020150139
2021158151
2022176165
2023180168
2024174171
2025176177
12 months to July 2026174181

In 2005 the average home cost £164,744 in Exeter and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £287,003 and £244,464: Exeter 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.

Exeter: 8.4 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Exeter and LeedsExeter now 8.4, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Exeter and LeedsExeter now 8.4, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearExeterLeeds
20058.2 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20108.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20158.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20208.0 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20258.4 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.2 years of pay in Exeter and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 8.4 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.

Exeter: 151Leeds: 151
Rents in Exeter and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Exeter now 151, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Exeter and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Exeter now 151, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearExeterLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017105102
2018107104
2019111107
2020115112
2021117114
2022122125
2023131136
2024140145
2025150146
August 2026151151

In 2015 the average rent was £870 a month in Exeter and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,318 and £1,145: up 51% in Exeter 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 Exeter to Leeds

Earning in Exeter Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £22,000 £25,500
£40,000 £29,000 £34,000
£50,000 £36,500 £43,000
£60,000 £43,500 £51,500

Moving from Leeds to Exeter

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Exeter Equivalent to rent in Exeter
£30,000 £41,500 £35,000
£40,000 £55,000 £46,500
£50,000 £69,000 £58,500
£60,000 £82,500 £70,000
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 Exeter figures · All Leeds figures