Pay vs Place

Havering vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £232,500 (115%) more in Havering than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Havering: it takes 9.4× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Havering, terraced
£435,000
Income typically needed: £87,000
Median full-time pay: £46,045
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Havering 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 20% lower than in Havering (£46,045), while a typical terraced house costs 53% less (£202,500 against £435,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 9.4× annual pay in Havering and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 47% of pay in Havering and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Havering, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Havering is the 59th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Havering is the 74th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Havering would need about £18,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £25,500 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 68.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Havering and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 68% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.1 per 1,000 in Havering against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Havering Leeds
Median full-time pay £46,045 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 9.4× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 53% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 47% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Havering Leeds Difference
Detached £700,000 £430,000 -39% in Leeds
Semi-detached £510,000 £262,000 -49% in Leeds
Terraced £435,000 £202,500 -53% in Leeds
Flat £265,000 £150,000 -43% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Havering Leeds Difference
Detached £2,402 £1,507 -37% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,930 £1,226 -36% in Leeds
Terraced £1,803 £1,157 -36% in Leeds
Flat £1,423 £905 -36% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 68.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Havering and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 68% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Havering Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 68.3 114.6 +68% in Leeds
Violence against the person 22.4 44.9 +100% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.1 4.4 +111% in Leeds
Robbery 2.3 2.2 -5% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.1 13.0 +114% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 7.3 7.0 -5% in Leeds
Theft from the person 1.4 1.3 -9% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 5.0 8.5 +72% 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.

Havering: 216Leeds: 181
House prices in Havering and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Havering now 216, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Havering and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Havering now 216, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearHaveringLeeds
2005100100
2006104107
2007114114
2008113110
200910198
2010108103
2011108101
201210999
2013111100
2014127106
2015143111
2016168119
2017177125
2018181130
2019179134
2020181139
2021188151
2022203165
2023205168
2024203171
2025213177
12 months to July 2026216181

In 2005 the average home cost £206,988 in Havering and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £446,766 and £244,464: Havering is up 116% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Havering, 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.

Havering: 9.6 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Havering and LeedsHavering now 9.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Havering and LeedsHavering now 9.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearHaveringLeeds
20057.1 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20107.3 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20159.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202010.4 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20259.6 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Havering and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 9.6 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Havering over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Havering: 165Leeds: 151
Rents in Havering and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Havering now 165, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Havering and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Havering now 165, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearHaveringLeeds
2015100100
201610798
2017112102
2018117104
2019119107
2020121112
2021123114
2022126125
2023133136
2024146145
2025160146
August 2026165151

In 2015 the average rent was £948 a month in Havering and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,565 and £1,145: up 65% in Havering and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Havering.

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 Havering to Leeds

Earning in Havering Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £14,000 £19,500
£40,000 £18,500 £25,500
£50,000 £23,500 £32,000
£60,000 £28,000 £38,500

Moving from Leeds to Havering

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Havering Equivalent to rent in Havering
£30,000 £64,500 £47,000
£40,000 £86,000 £62,500
£50,000 £107,500 £78,000
£60,000 £129,000 £93,500
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 Havering figures · All Leeds figures