Pay vs Place

Kirklees vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £37,500 (23%) more in Leeds than in Kirklees. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.6× in Kirklees.

Kirklees, terraced
£165,000
Income typically needed: £33,000
Median full-time pay: £35,867
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Kirklees 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 2% higher than in Kirklees (£35,867), while a typical terraced house costs 23% more (£202,500 against £165,000). Set against local pay, Kirklees is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.6× annual pay in Kirklees and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 25% of pay in Kirklees and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Kirklees is the 64th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Kirklees is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Kirklees would need about £49,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £63,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Leeds would leave you worse 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 87.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Kirklees and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 31% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 8.3 per 1,000 in Kirklees against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Kirklees Leeds
Median full-time pay £35,867 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 4.6× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 109% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 25% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Kirklees Leeds Difference
Detached £375,000 £430,000 +15% in Leeds
Semi-detached £225,000 £262,000 +16% in Leeds
Terraced £165,000 £202,500 +23% in Leeds
Flat £110,000 £150,000 +36% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Kirklees Leeds Difference
Detached £1,104 £1,507 +37% in Leeds
Semi-detached £847 £1,226 +45% in Leeds
Terraced £734 £1,157 +58% in Leeds
Flat £666 £905 +36% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 87.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Kirklees and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 31% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Kirklees Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 87.6 114.6 +31% in Leeds
Violence against the person 38.8 44.9 +16% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.8 4.4 +14% in Leeds
Robbery 0.8 2.2 +163% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 8.3 13.0 +57% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 4.6 7.0 +51% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.5 1.3 +143% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 6.9 8.5 +23% 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.

Kirklees: 174Leeds: 181
House prices in Kirklees and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Kirklees now 174, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Kirklees and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Kirklees now 174, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearKirkleesLeeds
2005100100
2006109107
2007117114
2008115110
200910398
2010105103
2011102101
201210199
2013100100
2014105106
2015109111
2016114119
2017117125
2018122130
2019123134
2020128139
2021142151
2022155165
2023158168
2024161171
2025170177
12 months to July 2026174181

In 2005 the average home cost £117,552 in Kirklees and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £204,095 and £244,464: Kirklees is up 74% 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.

Kirklees: 5.6 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Kirklees and LeedsKirklees now 5.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Kirklees and LeedsKirklees now 5.6, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearKirkleesLeeds
20055.3 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20105.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20155.1 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20205.2 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20255.6 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.3 years of pay in Kirklees and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 5.6 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.

Kirklees: 156Leeds: 151
Rents in Kirklees and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Kirklees now 156, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Kirklees and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Kirklees now 156, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearKirkleesLeeds
2015100100
201610298
2017104102
2018107104
2019109107
2020111112
2021113114
2022118125
2023127136
2024136145
2025139146
August 2026156151

In 2015 the average rent was £502 a month in Kirklees and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £782 and £1,145: up 56% in Kirklees and up 51% 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 Kirklees to Leeds

Earning in Kirklees Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £37,000 £47,500
£40,000 £49,000 £63,000
£50,000 £61,500 £79,000
£60,000 £73,500 £94,500

Moving from Leeds to Kirklees

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Kirklees Equivalent to rent in Kirklees
£30,000 £24,500 £19,000
£40,000 £32,500 £25,500
£50,000 £40,500 £31,500
£60,000 £49,000 £38,000
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 Kirklees figures · All Leeds figures