Pay vs Place

Fenland vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £33,500 (20%) more in Leeds than in Fenland. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.9× in Fenland.

Fenland, terraced
£169,000
Income typically needed: £34,000
Median full-time pay: £34,170
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Fenland Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly affordable 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 7% higher than in Fenland (£34,170), while a typical terraced house costs 20% more (£202,500 against £169,000). Set against local pay, Fenland is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.9× annual pay in Fenland and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 29% of pay in Fenland and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Fenland is the 110th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Fenland is the 116th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Fenland would need about £48,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £55,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Leeds would leave you worse 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 74.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Fenland and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 53% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.2 per 1,000 in Fenland against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Fenland Leeds
Median full-time pay £34,170 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 4.9× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 101% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 29% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Fenland Leeds Difference
Detached £299,250 £430,000 +44% in Leeds
Semi-detached £210,000 £262,000 +25% in Leeds
Terraced £169,000 £202,500 +20% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Fenland Leeds Difference
Detached £1,107 £1,507 +36% in Leeds
Semi-detached £928 £1,226 +32% in Leeds
Terraced £838 £1,157 +38% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 74.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Fenland and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 53% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Fenland Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 74.8 114.6 +53% in Leeds
Violence against the person 32.9 44.9 +36% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.8 4.4 +15% in Leeds
Robbery 0.5 2.2 +384% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.2 13.0 +211% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 2.7 7.0 +157% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.3 1.3 +269% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.8 8.5 +9% 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.

Fenland: 169Leeds: 181
House prices in Fenland and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Fenland now 169, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Fenland and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Fenland now 169, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearFenlandLeeds
2005100100
2006103107
2007111114
2008106110
20099498
201096103
201195101
20129699
201396100
2014104106
2015113111
2016123119
2017132125
2018139130
2019140134
2020143139
2021154151
2022174165
2023173168
2024166171
2025167177
12 months to July 2026169181

In 2005 the average home cost £132,129 in Fenland and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £223,958 and £244,464: Fenland is up 69% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, 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.

Fenland: 6.5 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Fenland and LeedsFenland now 6.5, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Fenland and LeedsFenland now 6.5, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearFenlandLeeds
20056.3 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20105.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20156.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20206.6 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.3 years of pay in Fenland and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 6.5 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.

Fenland: 158Leeds: 151
Rents in Fenland and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Fenland now 158, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Fenland and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Fenland now 158, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearFenlandLeeds
2015100100
201610398
2017107102
2018110104
2019114107
2020116112
2021120114
2022127125
2023135136
2024143145
2025152146
August 2026158151

In 2015 the average rent was £532 a month in Fenland and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £842 and £1,145: up 58% in Fenland and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Fenland.

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 Fenland to Leeds

Earning in Fenland Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £36,000 £41,500
£40,000 £48,000 £55,000
£50,000 £60,000 £69,000
£60,000 £72,000 £83,000

Moving from Leeds to Fenland

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Fenland Equivalent to rent in Fenland
£30,000 £25,000 £21,500
£40,000 £33,500 £29,000
£50,000 £41,500 £36,000
£60,000 £50,000 £43,500
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 Fenland figures · All Leeds figures