Leeds vs North Devon: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £17,500 (9%) more in North Devon than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in North Devon: it takes 6.7× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| Leeds | North Devon | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| 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 North Devon (£32,682) is 11% lower than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 9% more (£220,000 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 6.7× in North Devon. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 31% in North Devon. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in North Devon, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Leeds.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and North Devon is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and North Devon is around the middle of 316 areas (184th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £43,500 in North Devon to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £29,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to North Devon 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 55.3 in North Devon, so recorded crime per resident is 52% lower in North Devon. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 7.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 1.1 in North Devon.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Leeds | North Devon |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,716 | £32,682 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.5× | 6.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 91% | 74% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 31% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Leeds | North Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £430,000 | £375,000 | -13% in North Devon |
| Semi-detached | £262,000 | £276,000 | +5% in North Devon |
| Terraced | £202,500 | £220,000 | +9% in North Devon |
| Flat | £150,000 | £160,000 | +7% in North Devon |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Leeds | North Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,507 | £1,124 | -25% in North Devon |
| Semi-detached | £1,226 | £915 | -25% in North Devon |
| Terraced | £1,157 | £857 | -26% in North Devon |
| Flat | £905 | £667 | -26% in North Devon |
Crime
Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 55.3 in North Devon, so recorded crime per resident is 52% lower in North Devon.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Leeds | North Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.6 | 55.3 | -52% in North Devon |
| Violence against the person | 44.9 | 24.6 | -45% in North Devon |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 3.3 | -25% in North Devon |
| Robbery | 2.2 | 0.4 | -82% in North Devon |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 13.0 | 2.4 | -81% in North Devon |
| Vehicle offences | 7.0 | 1.1 | -84% in North Devon |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.3 | -75% in North Devon |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.5 | 5.8 | -32% in North Devon |
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 | North Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 104 |
| 2007 | 114 | 111 |
| 2008 | 110 | 107 |
| 2009 | 98 | 98 |
| 2010 | 103 | 104 |
| 2011 | 101 | 103 |
| 2012 | 99 | 103 |
| 2013 | 100 | 100 |
| 2014 | 106 | 108 |
| 2015 | 111 | 113 |
| 2016 | 119 | 116 |
| 2017 | 125 | 120 |
| 2018 | 130 | 120 |
| 2019 | 134 | 130 |
| 2020 | 139 | 132 |
| 2021 | 151 | 142 |
| 2022 | 165 | 162 |
| 2023 | 168 | 164 |
| 2024 | 171 | 156 |
| 2025 | 177 | 159 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 181 | 157 |
In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £181,587 in North Devon. Now it is £244,464 and £285,012: Leeds is up 81% and North Devon is up 57%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
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 | North Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 11.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.7 years of pay | 9.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.7 years of pay | 9.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.2 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 8.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Leeds and 11.0 years in North Devon. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.8 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Leeds | North Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 98 | 101 |
| 2017 | 102 | 101 |
| 2018 | 104 | 104 |
| 2019 | 107 | 106 |
| 2020 | 112 | 108 |
| 2021 | 114 | 112 |
| 2022 | 125 | 117 |
| 2023 | 136 | 124 |
| 2024 | 145 | 132 |
| 2025 | 146 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 151 | 142 |
In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £597 in North Devon. Now it is £1,145 and £846: up 51% in Leeds and up 42% in North Devon. 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 Leeds to North Devon
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in North Devon | Equivalent to rent in North Devon |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,500 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £43,500 | £29,500 |
| £50,000 | £54,500 | £37,000 |
| £60,000 | £65,000 | £44,500 |
Moving from North Devon to Leeds
| Earning in North Devon | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,500 | £40,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,000 | £54,000 |
| £50,000 | £46,000 | £67,500 |
| £60,000 | £55,000 | £81,000 |