Pay vs Place

Ipswich vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £2,500 (1%) more in Ipswich than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.

Ipswich, terraced
£205,000
Income typically needed: £41,000
Median full-time pay: £36,660
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Ipswich Leeds
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly affordable 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 the same than in Ipswich (£36,660), while a typical terraced house costs 1% less (£202,500 against £205,000).

Buying a terraced house takes 5.6× annual pay in Ipswich and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 32% of pay in Ipswich and 38% in Leeds. Renting is harder in Leeds; buying is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Ipswich is the 96th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Ipswich is around the middle of 316 areas (162nd most expensive) and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Ipswich would need about £39,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £48,000 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 90.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ipswich and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 27% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.6 per 1,000 in Ipswich against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Ipswich Leeds
Median full-time pay £36,660 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 5.6× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 89% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 32% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Ipswich Leeds Difference
Detached £380,000 £430,000 +13% in Leeds
Semi-detached £260,500 £262,000 +1% in Leeds
Terraced £205,000 £202,500 -1% in Leeds
Flat £125,000 £150,000 +20% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Ipswich Leeds Difference
Detached £1,294 £1,507 +16% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,056 £1,226 +16% in Leeds
Terraced £965 £1,157 +20% in Leeds
Flat £872 £905 +4% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 90.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ipswich and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 27% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Ipswich Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 90.5 114.6 +27% in Leeds
Violence against the person 34.6 44.9 +30% in Leeds
Sexual offences 4.7 4.4 -7% in Leeds
Robbery 0.8 2.2 +183% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.6 13.0 +259% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 4.8 7.0 +46% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.6 1.3 +105% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 8.0 8.5 +6% 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.

Ipswich: 170Leeds: 181
House prices in Ipswich and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ipswich now 170, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Ipswich and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ipswich now 170, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearIpswichLeeds
2005100100
2006106107
2007115114
2008109110
20099498
2010102103
201199101
201210299
2013103100
2014113106
2015120111
2016133119
2017144125
2018149130
2019149134
2020149139
2021160151
2022176165
2023176168
2024169171
2025172177
12 months to July 2026170181

In 2005 the average home cost £129,403 in Ipswich and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £219,372 and £244,464: Ipswich is up 70% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, 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.

Ipswich: 6.1 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ipswich and LeedsIpswich now 6.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ipswich and LeedsIpswich now 6.1, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearIpswichLeeds
2005–6.1 years of pay
20105.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20156.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20207.0 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20256.1 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 5.6 years of pay in Ipswich and 5.7 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 6.1 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.

Ipswich: 168Leeds: 151
Rents in Ipswich and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ipswich now 168, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Ipswich and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ipswich now 168, Leeds now 151.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearIpswichLeeds
2015100100
201610698
2017112102
2018115104
2019118107
2020120112
2021121114
2022129125
2023135136
2024151145
2025162146
August 2026168151

In 2015 the average rent was £591 a month in Ipswich and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £995 and £1,145: up 68% in Ipswich and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Ipswich.

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 Ipswich to Leeds

Earning in Ipswich Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £29,500 £36,000
£40,000 £39,500 £48,000
£50,000 £49,500 £60,000
£60,000 £59,500 £72,000

Moving from Leeds to Ipswich

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Ipswich Equivalent to rent in Ipswich
£30,000 £30,500 £25,000
£40,000 £40,500 £33,500
£50,000 £50,500 £41,500
£60,000 £60,500 £50,000
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 Ipswich figures · All Leeds figures