Pay vs Place

Gateshead vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £57,500 (40%) more in Leeds than in Gateshead. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.2× in Gateshead.

Gateshead, terraced
£145,000
Income typically needed: £29,000
Median full-time pay: £34,199
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Gateshead Leeds
Buying a home 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 Gateshead (£34,199), while a typical terraced house costs 40% more (£202,500 against £145,000). Set against local pay, Gateshead is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.2× annual pay in Gateshead and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 28% of pay in Gateshead and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Gateshead is the 16th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Gateshead is the 89th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Gateshead would need about £56,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £57,000 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 87.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Gateshead and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 31% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.6 per 1,000 in Gateshead against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Gateshead Leeds
Median full-time pay £34,199 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 4.2× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 118% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 28% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Gateshead Leeds Difference
Detached £304,995 £430,000 +41% in Leeds
Semi-detached £175,000 £262,000 +50% in Leeds
Terraced £145,000 £202,500 +40% in Leeds
Flat £103,000 £150,000 +46% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Gateshead Leeds Difference
Detached £1,101 £1,507 +37% in Leeds
Semi-detached £842 £1,226 +46% in Leeds
Terraced £812 £1,157 +42% in Leeds
Flat £707 £905 +28% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 87.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Gateshead and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 31% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Gateshead Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 87.8 114.6 +31% in Leeds
Violence against the person 30.6 44.9 +47% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.4 4.4 +27% in Leeds
Robbery 1.5 2.2 +42% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.6 13.0 +98% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 5.0 7.0 +41% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.6 1.3 +130% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 10.1 8.5 -16% 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.

Gateshead: 141Leeds: 181
House prices in Gateshead and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Gateshead now 141, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Gateshead and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Gateshead now 141, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearGatesheadLeeds
2005100100
2006108107
2007116114
2008113110
200910298
2010102103
201199101
20129899
2013100100
2014104106
2015104111
2016108119
2017110125
2018113130
2019113134
2020114139
2021123151
2022131165
2023135168
2024134171
2025138177
12 months to July 2026141181

In 2005 the average home cost £109,128 in Gateshead and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £153,654 and £244,464: Gateshead is up 41% 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.

Gateshead: 4.4 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Gateshead and LeedsGateshead now 4.4, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Gateshead and LeedsGateshead now 4.4, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearGatesheadLeeds
20055.4 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20104.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20154.5 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20204.7 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20254.4 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.4 years of pay in Gateshead and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 4.4 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Leeds over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Gateshead: 150Leeds: 151
Rents in Gateshead and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Gateshead now 150, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Gateshead and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Gateshead now 150, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearGatesheadLeeds
2015100100
201610198
2017102102
2018103104
2019104107
2020105112
2021108114
2022113125
2023120136
2024130145
2025141146
August 2026150151

In 2015 the average rent was £537 a month in Gateshead and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £804 and £1,145: up 50% in Gateshead 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 Gateshead to Leeds

Earning in Gateshead Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £42,000 £42,500
£40,000 £56,000 £57,000
£50,000 £70,000 £71,000
£60,000 £84,000 £85,500

Moving from Leeds to Gateshead

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Gateshead Equivalent to rent in Gateshead
£30,000 £21,500 £21,000
£40,000 £28,500 £28,000
£50,000 £36,000 £35,000
£60,000 £43,000 £42,000
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 Gateshead figures · All Leeds figures