Pay vs Place

Knowsley vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £54,500 (37%) more in Leeds than in Knowsley. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 3.9× in Knowsley.

Knowsley, terraced
£148,000
Income typically needed: £29,500
Median full-time pay: £37,543
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Knowsley 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% lower than in Knowsley (£37,543), while a typical terraced house costs 37% more (£202,500 against £148,000). Set against local pay, Knowsley is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 3.9× annual pay in Knowsley and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 28% of pay in Knowsley and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Knowsley is the 30th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Knowsley is the 76th least expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Knowsley would need about £54,500 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £53,000 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 81.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Knowsley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 40% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 2.9 per 1,000 in Knowsley against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Knowsley Leeds
Median full-time pay £37,543 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 3.9× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 127% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 28% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Knowsley Leeds Difference
Detached £310,000 £430,000 +39% in Leeds
Semi-detached £205,000 £262,000 +28% in Leeds
Terraced £148,000 £202,500 +37% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Knowsley Leeds Difference
Detached £1,281 £1,507 +18% in Leeds
Semi-detached £931 £1,226 +32% in Leeds
Terraced £874 £1,157 +32% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 81.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Knowsley and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 40% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Knowsley Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 81.8 114.6 +40% in Leeds
Violence against the person 35.4 44.9 +27% in Leeds
Sexual offences 2.5 4.4 +71% in Leeds
Robbery 0.6 2.2 +257% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 2.9 13.0 +344% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 2.0 7.0 +242% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.1 1.3 +760% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 9.2 8.5 -8% 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.

Knowsley: 167Leeds: 181
House prices in Knowsley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Knowsley now 167, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Knowsley and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Knowsley now 167, Leeds now 181.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearKnowsleyLeeds
2005100100
2006107107
2007113114
2008111110
20099598
201097103
201193101
20129399
201392100
201495106
201597111
2016101119
2017108125
2018111130
2019113134
2020117139
2021131151
2022146165
2023153168
2024156171
2025165177
12 months to July 2026167181

In 2005 the average home cost £113,753 in Knowsley and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £190,109 and £244,464: Knowsley is up 67% 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.

Knowsley: 5.0 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Knowsley and LeedsKnowsley now 5.0, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Knowsley and LeedsKnowsley now 5.0, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearKnowsleyLeeds
20055.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20104.7 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20154.6 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20204.7 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20255.0 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.9 years of pay in Knowsley and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 5.0 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Leeds over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Knowsley: 158Leeds: 151
Rents in Knowsley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Knowsley now 158, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Knowsley and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Knowsley now 158, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearKnowsleyLeeds
2015100100
201610198
2017103102
2018104104
2019105107
2020105112
2021109114
2022113125
2023121136
2024135145
2025143146
August 2026158151

In 2015 the average rent was £542 a month in Knowsley and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £858 and £1,145: up 58% in Knowsley and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Knowsley.

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 Knowsley to Leeds

Earning in Knowsley Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £41,000 £39,500
£40,000 £54,500 £53,000
£50,000 £68,500 £66,000
£60,000 £82,000 £79,500

Moving from Leeds to Knowsley

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Knowsley Equivalent to rent in Knowsley
£30,000 £22,000 £22,500
£40,000 £29,000 £30,000
£50,000 £36,500 £38,000
£60,000 £44,000 £45,500
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 Knowsley figures · All Leeds figures