Pay vs Place

Kirklees vs York: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £110,000 (67%) more in York than in Kirklees. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in York: it takes 6.8× median annual pay, against 4.6× in Kirklees.

Kirklees, terraced
£165,000
Income typically needed: £33,000
Median full-time pay: £35,867
York, terraced
£275,000
Income typically needed: £55,000
Median full-time pay: £40,496

At a glance

Kirklees York
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly affordable Expensive
Recorded crime About average About 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 York (£40,496) is 13% higher than in Kirklees (£35,867), while a typical terraced house costs 67% more (£275,000 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 6.8× in York. Renting one takes 25% of pay in Kirklees and 35% in York. Both are harder in York, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Kirklees is the 64th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and York is around the middle of 316 areas (170th most expensive). For renting against pay, Kirklees is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas and York is the 126th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Kirklees would need about £66,500 in York to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £65,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to York 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 65.7 in York, so recorded crime per resident is 25% lower in York. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 8.3 per 1,000 in Kirklees against 4.1 in York.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Kirklees York
Median full-time pay £35,867 £40,496
House price ÷ pay 4.6× 6.8×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 109% 74%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 25% 35%

Buying, by property type

Type Kirklees York Difference
Detached £375,000 £435,000 +16% in York
Semi-detached £225,000 £304,500 +35% in York
Terraced £165,000 £275,000 +67% in York
Flat £110,000 £192,000 +75% in York

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Kirklees York Difference
Detached £1,104 £1,561 +41% in York
Semi-detached £847 £1,287 +52% in York
Terraced £734 £1,191 +62% in York
Flat £666 £1,010 +52% in York

Crime

Police recorded 87.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Kirklees and 65.7 in York, so recorded crime per resident is 25% lower in York.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Kirklees York Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 87.6 65.7 -25% in York
Violence against the person 38.8 24.3 -38% in York
Sexual offences 3.8 3.0 -21% in York
Robbery 0.8 0.9 +12% in York
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 8.3 4.1 -50% in York
Vehicle offences 4.6 2.4 -48% in York
Theft from the person 0.5 0.4 -25% in York
Criminal damage and arson 6.9 6.5 -5% in York

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: 174York: 183
House prices in Kirklees and York since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Kirklees now 174, York now 183.10012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Kirklees and York since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Kirklees now 174, York now 183.10012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearKirkleesYork
2005100100
2006109105
2007117115
2008115109
2009103101
2010105107
2011102107
2012101109
2013100111
2014105119
2015109127
2016114135
2017117141
2018122144
2019123148
2020128151
2021142165
2022155180
2023158182
2024161184
2025170181
12 months to July 2026174183

In 2005 the average home cost £117,552 in Kirklees and £168,002 in York. Now it is £204,095 and £307,747: Kirklees is up 74% and York is up 83%. Prices have risen faster in York, 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 payYork: 7.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Kirklees and YorkKirklees now 5.6, York now 7.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Kirklees and YorkKirklees now 5.6, York now 7.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearKirkleesYork
20055.3 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20105.1 years of pay7.3 years of pay
20155.1 years of pay8.4 years of pay
20205.2 years of pay8.4 years of pay
20255.6 years of pay7.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.3 years of pay in Kirklees and 7.0 years in York. In 2025 it was 5.6 years and 7.5 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Kirklees: 156York: 153
Rents in Kirklees and York since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Kirklees now 156, York now 153.100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Kirklees and York since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Kirklees now 156, York now 153.100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearKirkleesYork
2015100100
2016102104
2017104106
2018107108
2019109112
2020111110
2021113113
2022118117
2023127126
2024136139
2025139143
August 2026156153

In 2015 the average rent was £502 a month in Kirklees and £786 in York. Now it is £782 and £1,199: up 56% in Kirklees and up 53% in York.

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 York

Earning in Kirklees Equivalent to buy in York Equivalent to rent in York
£30,000 £50,000 £48,500
£40,000 £66,500 £65,000
£50,000 £83,500 £81,000
£60,000 £100,000 £97,500

Moving from York to Kirklees

Earning in York Equivalent to buy in Kirklees Equivalent to rent in Kirklees
£30,000 £18,000 £18,500
£40,000 £24,000 £24,500
£50,000 £30,000 £31,000
£60,000 £36,000 £37,000
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 York figures