Pay vs Place

Huntingdonshire vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £57,500 (28%) more in Huntingdonshire than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Huntingdonshire: it takes 6.8× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Huntingdonshire, terraced
£260,000
Income typically needed: £52,000
Median full-time pay: £38,019
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Huntingdonshire Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home 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 3% lower than in Huntingdonshire (£38,019), while a typical terraced house costs 22% less (£202,500 against £260,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 6.8× annual pay in Huntingdonshire and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 32% of pay in Huntingdonshire and 38% in Leeds. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Huntingdonshire, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Huntingdonshire is the 126th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Huntingdonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (154th most expensive) and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Huntingdonshire would need about £31,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £46,000 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 55.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Huntingdonshire and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.0 times the rate in Huntingdonshire. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.1 per 1,000 in Huntingdonshire against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Huntingdonshire Leeds
Median full-time pay £38,019 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 6.8× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 73% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 32% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Huntingdonshire Leeds Difference
Detached £435,250 £430,000 -1% in Leeds
Semi-detached £300,000 £262,000 -13% in Leeds
Terraced £260,000 £202,500 -22% in Leeds
Flat £170,000 £150,000 -12% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Huntingdonshire Leeds Difference
Detached £1,497 £1,507 +1% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,134 £1,226 +8% in Leeds
Terraced £1,009 £1,157 +15% in Leeds
Flat £857 £905 +6% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 55.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Huntingdonshire and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident in Leeds is 2.0 times the rate in Huntingdonshire.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Huntingdonshire Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 55.9 114.6 +105% in Leeds
Violence against the person 21.9 44.9 +105% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.8 4.4 +56% in Leeds
Robbery 0.3 2.2 +772% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.1 13.0 +216% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 3.5 7.0 +100% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.2 1.3 +579% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 5.8 8.5 +45% 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.

Huntingdonshire: 189Leeds: 181
House prices in Huntingdonshire and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Huntingdonshire now 189, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Huntingdonshire and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Huntingdonshire now 189, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearHuntingdonshireLeeds
2005100100
2006105107
2007114114
2008113110
200910098
2010106103
2011104101
201210699
2013109100
2014119106
2015128111
2016143119
2017154125
2018158130
2019159134
2020158139
2021168151
2022185165
2023188168
2024182171
2025186177
12 months to July 2026189181

In 2005 the average home cost £161,277 in Huntingdonshire and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £304,978 and £244,464: Huntingdonshire is up 89% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Huntingdonshire, 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.

Huntingdonshire: 7.9 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Huntingdonshire and LeedsHuntingdonshire now 7.9, 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 Huntingdonshire and LeedsHuntingdonshire now 7.9, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearHuntingdonshireLeeds
20056.5 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20105.9 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20157.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20208.2 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20257.9 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.5 years of pay in Huntingdonshire and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 7.9 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Huntingdonshire over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Huntingdonshire: 159Leeds: 151
Rents in Huntingdonshire and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Huntingdonshire now 159, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Huntingdonshire and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Huntingdonshire now 159, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearHuntingdonshireLeeds
2015100100
201610698
2017113102
2018117104
2019119107
2020120112
2021123114
2022130125
2023136136
2024144145
2025153146
August 2026159151

In 2015 the average rent was £666 a month in Huntingdonshire and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,057 and £1,145: up 59% in Huntingdonshire and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Huntingdonshire.

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 Huntingdonshire to Leeds

Earning in Huntingdonshire Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £23,500 £34,500
£40,000 £31,000 £46,000
£50,000 £39,000 £57,500
£60,000 £46,500 £69,000

Moving from Leeds to Huntingdonshire

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Huntingdonshire Equivalent to rent in Huntingdonshire
£30,000 £38,500 £26,000
£40,000 £51,500 £35,000
£50,000 £64,000 £43,500
£60,000 £77,000 £52,500
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 Huntingdonshire figures · All Leeds figures