Pay vs Place

Gloucester vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £17,500 (9%) more in Gloucester than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Gloucester: it takes 6.4× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Gloucester, terraced
£220,000
Income typically needed: £44,000
Median full-time pay: £34,617
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Gloucester Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home 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 Gloucester (£34,617), while a typical terraced house costs 8% less (£202,500 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 6.4× annual pay in Gloucester and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 39% of pay in Gloucester and 38% in Leeds. Buying is harder in Gloucester; renting is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Gloucester is around the middle of 316 areas (175th most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Gloucester is the 94th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Gloucester would need about £37,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £41,000 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 107.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Gloucester and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 7% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 7.7 per 1,000 in Gloucester against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Gloucester Leeds
Median full-time pay £34,617 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 6.4× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 79% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 39% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Gloucester Leeds Difference
Detached £386,250 £430,000 +11% in Leeds
Semi-detached £280,000 £262,000 -6% in Leeds
Terraced £220,000 £202,500 -8% in Leeds
Flat £145,000 £150,000 +3% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Gloucester Leeds Difference
Detached £1,565 £1,507 -4% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,216 £1,226 +1% in Leeds
Terraced £1,125 £1,157 +3% in Leeds
Flat £850 £905 +6% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 107.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Gloucester and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 7% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Gloucester Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 107.3 114.6 +7% in Leeds
Violence against the person 44.0 44.9 +2% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.1 4.4 +6% in Leeds
Robbery 2.3 2.2 -4% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 7.7 13.0 +68% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 4.7 7.0 +49% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.8 1.3 +70% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.5 8.5 +13% 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.

Gloucester: 186Leeds: 181
House prices in Gloucester and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Gloucester now 186, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Gloucester and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Gloucester now 186, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearGloucesterLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007117114
2008109110
20099498
2010100103
2011100101
201210099
2013102100
2014110106
2015117111
2016127119
2017134125
2018142130
2019145134
2020148139
2021161151
2022178165
2023182168
2024181171
2025182177
12 months to July 2026186181

In 2005 the average home cost £127,280 in Gloucester and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £236,321 and £244,464: Gloucester is up 86% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Gloucester, 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.

Gloucester: 6.7 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Gloucester and LeedsGloucester now 6.7, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Gloucester and LeedsGloucester now 6.7, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearGloucesterLeeds
20056.3 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20105.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20155.9 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20206.8 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20256.7 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.3 years of pay in Gloucester and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 6.7 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.

Gloucester: 171Leeds: 151
Rents in Gloucester and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Gloucester now 171, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Gloucester and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Gloucester now 171, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearGloucesterLeeds
2015100100
201610398
2017108102
2018110104
2019112107
2020113112
2021118114
2022129125
2023138136
2024144145
2025159146
August 2026171151

In 2015 the average rent was £652 a month in Gloucester and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,116 and £1,145: up 71% in Gloucester and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Gloucester.

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 Gloucester to Leeds

Earning in Gloucester Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £27,500 £31,000
£40,000 £37,000 £41,000
£50,000 £46,000 £51,500
£60,000 £55,000 £61,500

Moving from Leeds to Gloucester

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Gloucester Equivalent to rent in Gloucester
£30,000 £32,500 £29,000
£40,000 £43,500 £39,000
£50,000 £54,500 £48,500
£60,000 £65,000 £58,500
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 Gloucester figures · All Leeds figures