Pay vs Place

Harlow vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £132,500 (65%) more in Harlow than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Harlow: it takes 8.7× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Harlow, terraced
£335,000
Income typically needed: £67,000
Median full-time pay: £38,380
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Harlow 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 4% lower than in Harlow (£38,380), while a typical terraced house costs 40% less (£202,500 against £335,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.7× annual pay in Harlow and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 47% of pay in Harlow and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Harlow, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Harlow is the 98th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Harlow is the 35th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Harlow would need about £24,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £30,500 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 92.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Harlow and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 24% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.1 per 1,000 in Harlow against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Harlow Leeds
Median full-time pay £38,380 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 8.7× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 57% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 47% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Harlow Leeds Difference
Detached £537,000 £430,000 -20% in Leeds
Semi-detached £425,000 £262,000 -38% in Leeds
Terraced £335,000 £202,500 -40% in Leeds
Flat £215,000 £150,000 -30% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Harlow Leeds Difference
Detached £2,182 £1,507 -31% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,684 £1,226 -27% in Leeds
Terraced £1,508 £1,157 -23% in Leeds
Flat £1,127 £905 -20% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 92.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Harlow and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 24% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Harlow Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 92.4 114.6 +24% in Leeds
Violence against the person 36.6 44.9 +23% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.7 4.4 +18% in Leeds
Robbery 1.1 2.2 +100% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.1 13.0 +153% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 5.5 7.0 +27% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.7 1.3 +87% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 7.9 8.5 +7% 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.

Harlow: 192Leeds: 181
House prices in Harlow and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Harlow now 192, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Harlow and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Harlow now 192, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearHarlowLeeds
2005100100
2006105107
2007111114
2008110110
20099998
2010103103
2011105101
201210799
2013110100
2014120106
2015138111
2016160119
2017170125
2018173130
2019172134
2020172139
2021176151
2022191165
2023194168
2024191171
2025189177
12 months to July 2026192181

In 2005 the average home cost £162,541 in Harlow and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £311,939 and £244,464: Harlow is up 92% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Harlow, 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.

Harlow: 8.0 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Harlow and LeedsHarlow now 8.0, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Harlow and LeedsHarlow now 8.0, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearHarlowLeeds
20057.6 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
2015–5.7 years of pay
202010.1 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20258.0 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.6 years of pay in Harlow and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 8.0 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.

Harlow: 168Leeds: 151
Rents in Harlow and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Harlow now 168, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Harlow and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Harlow now 168, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearHarlowLeeds
2015100100
201610698
2017112102
2018116104
2019119107
2020121112
2021126114
2022131125
2023134136
2024146145
2025159146
August 2026168151

In 2015 the average rent was £908 a month in Harlow and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,521 and £1,145: up 68% in Harlow and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Harlow.

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 Harlow to Leeds

Earning in Harlow Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £18,000 £23,000
£40,000 £24,000 £30,500
£50,000 £30,000 £38,500
£60,000 £36,500 £46,000

Moving from Leeds to Harlow

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Harlow Equivalent to rent in Harlow
£30,000 £49,500 £39,000
£40,000 £66,000 £52,000
£50,000 £82,500 £65,000
£60,000 £99,500 £78,000
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 Harlow figures · All Leeds figures