Harborough vs Leeds: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £45,500 (22%) more in Harborough than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Harborough: it takes 5.8× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| Harborough | Leeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 13% lower than in Harborough (£42,423), while a typical terraced house costs 18% less (£202,500 against £248,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 5.8× annual pay in Harborough and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 26% of pay in Harborough and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Harborough, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Harborough is around the middle of 316 areas (156th most expensive) to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Harborough is the 79th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Harborough would need about £32,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £50,000 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 44.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Harborough and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.6 times the rate in Harborough. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 15.8 per 1,000 in Harborough against 44.9 in Leeds.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Harborough | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £42,423 | £36,716 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.8× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 86% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 26% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Harborough | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £440,000 | £430,000 | -2% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £289,995 | £262,000 | -10% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £248,000 | £202,500 | -18% in Leeds |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Harborough | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,289 | £1,507 | +17% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £1,020 | £1,226 | +20% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £929 | £1,157 | +25% in Leeds |
Crime
Police recorded 44.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Harborough and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.6 times the rate in Harborough.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Harborough | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 44.4 | 114.6 | +158% in Leeds |
| Violence against the person | 15.8 | 44.9 | +184% in Leeds |
| Sexual offences | 2.0 | 4.4 | +115% in Leeds |
| Robbery | 0.2 | 2.2 | +990% in Leeds |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.6 | 13.0 | +180% in Leeds |
| Vehicle offences | 2.7 | 7.0 | +155% in Leeds |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 1.3 | +396% in Leeds |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.8 | 8.5 | +76% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Harborough | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 113 | 114 |
| 2008 | 110 | 110 |
| 2009 | 96 | 98 |
| 2010 | 106 | 103 |
| 2011 | 105 | 101 |
| 2012 | 106 | 99 |
| 2013 | 107 | 100 |
| 2014 | 118 | 106 |
| 2015 | 126 | 111 |
| 2016 | 131 | 119 |
| 2017 | 138 | 125 |
| 2018 | 148 | 130 |
| 2019 | 155 | 134 |
| 2020 | 159 | 139 |
| 2021 | 163 | 151 |
| 2022 | 176 | 165 |
| 2023 | 179 | 168 |
| 2024 | 178 | 171 |
| 2025 | 181 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 185 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £182,793 in Harborough and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £337,727 and £244,464: Harborough is up 85% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Harborough | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.2 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.7 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | – | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.9 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.8 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.2 years of pay in Harborough and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 7.8 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Harborough | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 98 |
| 2017 | 108 | 102 |
| 2018 | 112 | 104 |
| 2019 | 114 | 107 |
| 2020 | 116 | 112 |
| 2021 | 118 | 114 |
| 2022 | 122 | 125 |
| 2023 | 127 | 136 |
| 2024 | 142 | 145 |
| 2025 | 152 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 157 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £619 a month in Harborough and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £973 and £1,145: up 57% in Harborough and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Harborough.
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 Harborough to Leeds
| Earning in Harborough | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £24,500 | £37,500 |
| £40,000 | £32,500 | £50,000 |
| £50,000 | £41,000 | £62,500 |
| £60,000 | £49,000 | £74,500 |
Moving from Leeds to Harborough
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in Harborough | Equivalent to rent in Harborough |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,500 | £24,000 |
| £40,000 | £49,000 | £32,000 |
| £50,000 | £61,000 | £40,000 |
| £60,000 | £73,500 | £48,000 |