Kingston upon Thames vs Leeds: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £387,500 (191%) more in Kingston upon Thames than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Kingston upon Thames: it takes 12.6× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| Kingston upon Thames | Leeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very 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 22% lower than in Kingston upon Thames (£46,871), while a typical terraced house costs 66% less (£202,500 against £590,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 12.6× annual pay in Kingston upon Thames and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 55% of pay in Kingston upon Thames and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Kingston upon Thames, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Kingston upon Thames is the 20th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Kingston upon Thames is the 39th most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Kingston upon Thames would need about £13,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £21,500 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 66.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Kingston upon Thames and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 72% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 20.8 per 1,000 in Kingston upon Thames against 44.9 in Leeds.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Kingston upon Thames | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £46,871 | £36,716 |
| House price ÷ pay | 12.6× | 5.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 40% | 91% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 55% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Kingston upon Thames | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,062,500 | £430,000 | -60% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £760,000 | £262,000 | -66% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £590,000 | £202,500 | -66% in Leeds |
| Flat | £372,000 | £150,000 | -60% in Leeds |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Kingston upon Thames | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,682 | £1,507 | -44% in Leeds |
| Semi-detached | £2,359 | £1,226 | -48% in Leeds |
| Terraced | £2,144 | £1,157 | -46% in Leeds |
| Flat | £1,604 | £905 | -44% in Leeds |
Crime
Police recorded 66.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Kingston upon Thames and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 72% higher in Leeds.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Kingston upon Thames | Leeds | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 66.8 | 114.6 | +72% in Leeds |
| Violence against the person | 20.8 | 44.9 | +116% in Leeds |
| Sexual offences | 2.4 | 4.4 | +81% in Leeds |
| Robbery | 1.4 | 2.2 | +56% in Leeds |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.7 | 13.0 | +94% in Leeds |
| Vehicle offences | 5.9 | 7.0 | +17% in Leeds |
| Theft from the person | 2.2 | 1.3 | -42% in Leeds |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.7 | 8.5 | +79% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Kingston upon Thames | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 107 |
| 2007 | 122 | 114 |
| 2008 | 124 | 110 |
| 2009 | 106 | 98 |
| 2010 | 121 | 103 |
| 2011 | 124 | 101 |
| 2012 | 129 | 99 |
| 2013 | 138 | 100 |
| 2014 | 162 | 106 |
| 2015 | 174 | 111 |
| 2016 | 192 | 119 |
| 2017 | 196 | 125 |
| 2018 | 198 | 130 |
| 2019 | 194 | 134 |
| 2020 | 195 | 139 |
| 2021 | 203 | 151 |
| 2022 | 220 | 165 |
| 2023 | 221 | 168 |
| 2024 | 216 | 171 |
| 2025 | 217 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 218 | 181 |
In 2005 the average home cost £264,536 in Kingston upon Thames and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £576,146 and £244,464: Kingston upon Thames is up 118% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Kingston upon Thames, 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Kingston upon Thames | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 9.2 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 9.5 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 12.5 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2020 | 12.5 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 12.3 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 9.2 years of pay in Kingston upon Thames and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 12.3 years and 6.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Kingston upon Thames over that time.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Kingston upon Thames | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 98 |
| 2017 | 105 | 102 |
| 2018 | 104 | 104 |
| 2019 | 104 | 107 |
| 2020 | 104 | 112 |
| 2021 | 107 | 114 |
| 2022 | 110 | 125 |
| 2023 | 116 | 136 |
| 2024 | 125 | 145 |
| 2025 | 134 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 135 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,337 a month in Kingston upon Thames and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,811 and £1,145: up 35% in Kingston upon Thames 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 Kingston upon Thames to Leeds
| Earning in Kingston upon Thames | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £10,500 | £16,000 |
| £40,000 | £13,500 | £21,500 |
| £50,000 | £17,000 | £27,000 |
| £60,000 | £20,500 | £32,500 |
Moving from Leeds to Kingston upon Thames
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in Kingston upon Thames | Equivalent to rent in Kingston upon Thames |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £87,500 | £55,500 |
| £40,000 | £116,500 | £74,000 |
| £50,000 | £145,500 | £92,500 |
| £60,000 | £175,000 | £111,000 |