Leeds vs Mid Sussex: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £172,500 (85%) more in Mid Sussex than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Mid Sussex: it takes 8.5× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| Leeds | Mid Sussex | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above average | Low |
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 Mid Sussex (£44,352) is 21% higher than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 85% more (£375,000 against £202,500). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 5.5× annual pay in Leeds and 8.5× in Mid Sussex. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 38% in Mid Sussex. Buying is harder in Mid Sussex; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Mid Sussex is the 57th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and Mid Sussex is the 96th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £74,000 in Mid Sussex to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £49,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Mid Sussex 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 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 45.0 in Mid Sussex, so recorded crime per resident is 61% lower in Mid Sussex. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 13.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 4.1 in Mid Sussex.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Leeds | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,716 | £44,352 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.5× | 8.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 91% | 59% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Leeds | Mid Sussex | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £430,000 | £650,000 | +51% in Mid Sussex |
| Semi-detached | £262,000 | £458,000 | +75% in Mid Sussex |
| Terraced | £202,500 | £375,000 | +85% in Mid Sussex |
| Flat | £150,000 | £240,000 | +60% in Mid Sussex |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Leeds | Mid Sussex | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,507 | £2,043 | +36% in Mid Sussex |
| Semi-detached | £1,226 | £1,605 | +31% in Mid Sussex |
| Terraced | £1,157 | £1,412 | +22% in Mid Sussex |
| Flat | £905 | £1,143 | +26% in Mid Sussex |
Crime
Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 45.0 in Mid Sussex, so recorded crime per resident is 61% lower in Mid Sussex.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Leeds | Mid Sussex | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.6 | 45.0 | -61% in Mid Sussex |
| Violence against the person | 44.9 | 17.1 | -62% in Mid Sussex |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 2.2 | -49% in Mid Sussex |
| Robbery | 2.2 | 0.4 | -80% in Mid Sussex |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 13.0 | 4.1 | -69% in Mid Sussex |
| Vehicle offences | 7.0 | 2.4 | -66% in Mid Sussex |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.2 | -84% in Mid Sussex |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.5 | 4.8 | -43% in Mid Sussex |
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 | Leeds | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 103 |
| 2007 | 114 | 114 |
| 2008 | 110 | 115 |
| 2009 | 98 | 100 |
| 2010 | 103 | 112 |
| 2011 | 101 | 110 |
| 2012 | 99 | 112 |
| 2013 | 100 | 116 |
| 2014 | 106 | 128 |
| 2015 | 111 | 138 |
| 2016 | 119 | 152 |
| 2017 | 125 | 156 |
| 2018 | 130 | 159 |
| 2019 | 134 | 158 |
| 2020 | 139 | 160 |
| 2021 | 151 | 165 |
| 2022 | 165 | 181 |
| 2023 | 168 | 182 |
| 2024 | 171 | 181 |
| 2025 | 177 | 186 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 181 | 187 |
In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £232,731 in Mid Sussex. Now it is £244,464 and £435,478: Leeds is up 81% and Mid Sussex is up 87%. Prices have risen faster in Mid Sussex, 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 | Leeds | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.7 years of pay | 8.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.7 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.2 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 9.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Leeds and 8.7 years in Mid Sussex. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 9.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Mid Sussex 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 | Leeds | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 98 | 104 |
| 2017 | 102 | 106 |
| 2018 | 104 | 107 |
| 2019 | 107 | 109 |
| 2020 | 112 | 110 |
| 2021 | 114 | 112 |
| 2022 | 125 | 116 |
| 2023 | 136 | 124 |
| 2024 | 145 | 134 |
| 2025 | 146 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 151 | 147 |
In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £970 in Mid Sussex. Now it is £1,145 and £1,423: up 51% in Leeds and up 47% in Mid Sussex.
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 Leeds to Mid Sussex
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in Mid Sussex | Equivalent to rent in Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £55,500 | £36,500 |
| £40,000 | £74,000 | £49,000 |
| £50,000 | £92,500 | £61,000 |
| £60,000 | £111,000 | £73,000 |
Moving from Mid Sussex to Leeds
| Earning in Mid Sussex | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £16,000 | £24,500 |
| £40,000 | £21,500 | £33,000 |
| £50,000 | £27,000 | £41,000 |
| £60,000 | £32,500 | £49,000 |