Pay vs Place

Horsham vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £162,500 (80%) more in Horsham than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Horsham: it takes 8.4× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Horsham, terraced
£365,000
Income typically needed: £73,000
Median full-time pay: £43,487
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Horsham Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive 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 16% lower than in Horsham (£43,487), while a typical terraced house costs 45% less (£202,500 against £365,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.4× annual pay in Horsham and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Horsham and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Horsham, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Horsham is the 56th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Horsham is the 78th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Horsham would need about £22,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £31,500 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 44.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Horsham and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.6 times the rate in Horsham. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.2 per 1,000 in Horsham against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Horsham Leeds
Median full-time pay £43,487 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 8.4× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 60% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 41% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Horsham Leeds Difference
Detached £668,000 £430,000 -36% in Leeds
Semi-detached £445,000 £262,000 -41% in Leeds
Terraced £365,000 £202,500 -45% in Leeds
Flat £229,000 £150,000 -34% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Horsham Leeds Difference
Detached £2,105 £1,507 -28% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,636 £1,226 -25% in Leeds
Terraced £1,479 £1,157 -22% in Leeds
Flat £1,159 £905 -22% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 44.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Horsham and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.6 times the rate in Horsham.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Horsham Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 44.4 114.6 +158% in Leeds
Violence against the person 16.2 44.9 +178% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.0 4.4 +122% in Leeds
Robbery 0.5 2.2 +384% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.2 13.0 +303% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 2.0 7.0 +254% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.2 1.3 +545% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 4.7 8.5 +82% 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.

Horsham: 186Leeds: 181
House prices in Horsham and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Horsham now 186, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Horsham and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Horsham now 186, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearHorshamLeeds
2005100100
2006105107
2007117114
2008116110
200910398
2010114103
2011114101
201211699
2013121100
2014131106
2015141111
2016153119
2017160125
2018161130
2019159134
2020159139
2021164151
2022178165
2023179168
2024176171
2025184177
12 months to July 2026186181

In 2005 the average home cost £238,882 in Horsham and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £443,182 and £244,464: Horsham is up 86% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Horsham, 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.

Horsham: 10.1 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Horsham and LeedsHorsham now 10.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Horsham and LeedsHorsham now 10.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearHorshamLeeds
20058.8 years of pay6.1 years of pay
2010–5.7 years of pay
2015–5.7 years of pay
202011.1 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202510.1 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.8 years of pay in Horsham and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 10.1 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Horsham over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Horsham: 156Leeds: 151
Rents in Horsham and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Horsham now 156, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Horsham and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Horsham now 156, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearHorshamLeeds
2015100100
201610498
2017108102
2018111104
2019112107
2020114112
2021116114
2022123125
2023129136
2024141145
2025150146
August 2026156151

In 2015 the average rent was £943 a month in Horsham and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,474 and £1,145: up 56% in Horsham and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Horsham.

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 Horsham to Leeds

Earning in Horsham Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £16,500 £23,500
£40,000 £22,000 £31,500
£50,000 £27,500 £39,000
£60,000 £33,500 £47,000

Moving from Leeds to Horsham

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Horsham Equivalent to rent in Horsham
£30,000 £54,000 £38,500
£40,000 £72,000 £51,000
£50,000 £90,000 £64,000
£60,000 £108,000 £76,500
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 Horsham figures · All Leeds figures