Pay vs Place

Greenwich vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £297,500 (147%) more in Greenwich than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Greenwich: it takes 11.0× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Greenwich, terraced
£500,000
Income typically needed: £100,000
Median full-time pay: £45,274
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Greenwich Leeds
Buying a home 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 19% lower than in Greenwich (£45,274), while a typical terraced house costs 59% less (£202,500 against £500,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 11.0× annual pay in Greenwich and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 60% of pay in Greenwich and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Greenwich, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Greenwich is the 53rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Greenwich is the 21st most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Greenwich would need about £16,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £20,500 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 90.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Greenwich and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 27% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 30.2 per 1,000 in Greenwich against 44.9 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Greenwich Leeds
Median full-time pay £45,274 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 11.0× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 45% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 60% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Greenwich Leeds Difference
Semi-detached £585,000 £262,000 -55% in Leeds
Terraced £500,000 £202,500 -60% in Leeds
Flat £375,000 £150,000 -60% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Greenwich Leeds Difference
Semi-detached £2,465 £1,226 -50% in Leeds
Terraced £2,250 £1,157 -49% in Leeds
Flat £1,831 £905 -51% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 90.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Greenwich and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 27% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Greenwich Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 90.3 114.6 +27% in Leeds
Violence against the person 30.2 44.9 +49% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.1 4.4 +41% in Leeds
Robbery 2.8 2.2 -23% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.1 13.0 +42% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 7.9 7.0 -11% in Leeds
Theft from the person 2.6 1.3 -51% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 6.3 8.5 +34% 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.

Greenwich: 225Leeds: 181
House prices in Greenwich and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Greenwich now 225, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Greenwich and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Greenwich now 225, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearGreenwichLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007117114
2008118110
200910798
2010117103
2011117101
201212199
2013129100
2014152106
2015169111
2016190119
2017200125
2018198130
2019200134
2020202139
2021213151
2022228165
2023221168
2024229171
2025225177
12 months to July 2026225181

In 2005 the average home cost £207,325 in Greenwich and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £467,111 and £244,464: Greenwich is up 125% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Greenwich, 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.

Greenwich: 10.3 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Greenwich and LeedsGreenwich now 10.3, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Greenwich and LeedsGreenwich now 10.3, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearGreenwichLeeds
20057.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20107.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201511.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202011.4 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202510.3 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Greenwich and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 10.3 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Greenwich over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Greenwich: 155Leeds: 151
Rents in Greenwich and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Greenwich now 155, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Greenwich and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Greenwich now 155, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearGreenwichLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017107102
2018110104
2019110107
2020113112
2021112114
2022115125
2023123136
2024140145
2025146146
August 2026155151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,286 a month in Greenwich and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,995 and £1,145: up 55% in Greenwich 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 Greenwich to Leeds

Earning in Greenwich Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £12,000 £15,500
£40,000 £16,000 £20,500
£50,000 £20,500 £25,500
£60,000 £24,500 £31,000

Moving from Leeds to Greenwich

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Greenwich Equivalent to rent in Greenwich
£30,000 £74,000 £58,500
£40,000 £99,000 £78,000
£50,000 £123,500 £97,000
£60,000 £148,000 £116,500
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 Greenwich figures · All Leeds figures