Pay vs Place

Halton vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £57,500 (40%) more in Leeds than in Halton. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.1× in Halton.

Halton, terraced
£145,000
Income typically needed: £29,000
Median full-time pay: £35,187
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Halton 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 4% higher than in Halton (£35,187), while a typical terraced house costs 40% more (£202,500 against £145,000). Set against local pay, Halton is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.1× annual pay in Halton and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 26% of pay in Halton and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Halton is the 41st least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Halton is the 43rd least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Halton would need about £56,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £61,500 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 84.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Halton and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 35% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.5 per 1,000 in Halton against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Halton Leeds
Median full-time pay £35,187 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 4.1× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 121% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 26% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Halton Leeds Difference
Detached £346,000 £430,000 +24% in Leeds
Semi-detached £210,000 £262,000 +25% in Leeds
Terraced £145,000 £202,500 +40% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Halton Leeds Difference
Detached £1,066 £1,507 +41% in Leeds
Semi-detached £813 £1,226 +51% in Leeds
Terraced £751 £1,157 +54% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 84.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Halton and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 35% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Halton Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 84.7 114.6 +35% in Leeds
Violence against the person 38.4 44.9 +17% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.4 4.4 +0% in Leeds
Robbery 0.8 2.2 +191% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.5 13.0 +189% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 2.7 7.0 +160% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.5 1.3 +180% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 6.6 8.5 +29% 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.

Halton: 180Leeds: 181
House prices in Halton and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Halton now 180, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Halton and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Halton now 180, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearHaltonLeeds
2005100100
2006107107
2007114114
2008111110
20099898
2010100103
201197101
20129599
201396100
2014100106
2015103111
2016109119
2017113125
2018115130
2019120134
2020123139
2021139151
2022154165
2023156168
2024161171
2025173177
12 months to July 2026180181

In 2005 the average home cost £108,487 in Halton and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £194,907 and £244,464: Halton is up 80% and Leeds is up 81%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Halton: 5.3 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Halton and LeedsHalton now 5.3, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Halton and LeedsHalton now 5.3, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearHaltonLeeds
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
20204.4 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20255.3 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.4 years of pay in Halton and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 5.3 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.

Halton: 142Leeds: 151
Rents in Halton and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Halton now 142, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Halton and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Halton now 142, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearHaltonLeeds
2015100100
201610198
2017101102
2018102104
2019103107
2020104112
2021106114
2022110125
2023117136
2024126145
2025132146
August 2026142151

In 2015 the average rent was £529 a month in Halton and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £749 and £1,145: up 42% in Halton and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster 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 Halton to Leeds

Earning in Halton Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £42,000 £46,000
£40,000 £56,000 £61,500
£50,000 £70,000 £77,000
£60,000 £84,000 £92,500

Moving from Leeds to Halton

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Halton Equivalent to rent in Halton
£30,000 £21,500 £19,500
£40,000 £28,500 £26,000
£50,000 £36,000 £32,500
£60,000 £43,000 £39,000
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 Halton figures · All Leeds figures