Pay vs Place

Herefordshire vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £12,500 (6%) more in Herefordshire than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Herefordshire: it takes 6.2× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Herefordshire, terraced
£215,000
Income typically needed: £43,000
Median full-time pay: £34,730
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Herefordshire Leeds
Buying a home Expensive 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 6% higher than in Herefordshire (£34,730), while a typical terraced house costs 6% less (£202,500 against £215,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 6.2× annual pay in Herefordshire and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 27% of pay in Herefordshire and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Herefordshire, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Herefordshire is the 123rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Herefordshire is the 93rd least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Herefordshire would need about £37,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £59,500 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 50.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Herefordshire and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.3 times the rate in Herefordshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.3 per 1,000 in Herefordshire against 7.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Herefordshire Leeds
Median full-time pay £34,730 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 6.2× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 81% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 27% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Herefordshire Leeds Difference
Detached £410,000 £430,000 +5% in Leeds
Semi-detached £270,000 £262,000 -3% in Leeds
Terraced £215,000 £202,500 -6% in Leeds
Flat £130,000 £150,000 +15% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Herefordshire Leeds Difference
Detached £1,132 £1,507 +33% in Leeds
Semi-detached £909 £1,226 +35% in Leeds
Terraced £781 £1,157 +48% in Leeds
Flat £654 £905 +38% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 50.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Herefordshire and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.3 times the rate in Herefordshire.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Herefordshire Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 50.4 114.6 +128% in Leeds
Violence against the person 21.0 44.9 +113% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.0 4.4 +48% in Leeds
Robbery 0.3 2.2 +772% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.4 13.0 +283% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 1.3 7.0 +436% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.2 1.3 +579% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 5.2 8.5 +62% 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.

Herefordshire: 168Leeds: 181
House prices in Herefordshire and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Herefordshire now 168, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Herefordshire and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Herefordshire now 168, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearHerefordshireLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007114114
2008110110
200910198
2010107103
2011105101
201210599
2013106100
2014110106
2015115111
2016119119
2017123125
2018131130
2019130134
2020136139
2021144151
2022161165
2023164168
2024164171
2025166177
12 months to July 2026168181

In 2005 the average home cost £170,535 in Herefordshire and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £287,237 and £244,464: Herefordshire is up 68% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, so the gap between the two has narrowed.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

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

Herefordshire: 8.2 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Herefordshire and LeedsHerefordshire now 8.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Herefordshire and LeedsHerefordshire now 8.2, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearHerefordshireLeeds
20058.7 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20108.9 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20158.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20208.2 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20258.2 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.7 years of pay in Herefordshire and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 8.2 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Leeds over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Herefordshire: 144Leeds: 151
Rents in Herefordshire and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Herefordshire now 144, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Herefordshire and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Herefordshire now 144, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearHerefordshireLeeds
2015100100
201610298
2017105102
2018107104
2019109107
2020111112
2021112114
2022117125
2023123136
2024130145
2025139146
August 2026144151

In 2015 the average rent was £572 a month in Herefordshire and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £821 and £1,145: up 44% in Herefordshire 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 Herefordshire to Leeds

Earning in Herefordshire Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £28,500 £44,500
£40,000 £37,500 £59,500
£50,000 £47,000 £74,000
£60,000 £56,500 £89,000

Moving from Leeds to Herefordshire

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Herefordshire Equivalent to rent in Herefordshire
£30,000 £32,000 £20,500
£40,000 £42,500 £27,000
£50,000 £53,000 £34,000
£60,000 £63,500 £40,500
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 Herefordshire figures · All Leeds figures