Pay vs Place

Leeds vs Reading: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £142,500 (70%) more in Reading than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Reading: it takes 8.5× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716
Reading, terraced
£345,000
Income typically needed: £69,000
Median full-time pay: £40,700

At a glance

Leeds Reading
Buying a home Fairly affordable Expensive
Renting a home Expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime Above 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 Reading (£40,700) is 11% higher than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 70% more (£345,000 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 Reading. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 47% in Reading. Both are harder in Reading, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Reading is the 118th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and Reading is the 38th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £68,000 in Reading to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £55,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Reading 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 98.0 in Reading, so recorded crime per resident is 15% lower in Reading. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 13.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 5.8 in Reading.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Leeds Reading
Median full-time pay £36,716 £40,700
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% 47%

Buying, by property type

Type Leeds Reading Difference
Detached £430,000 £615,000 +43% in Reading
Semi-detached £262,000 £428,500 +64% in Reading
Terraced £202,500 £345,000 +70% in Reading
Flat £150,000 £225,000 +50% in Reading

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Leeds Reading Difference
Detached £1,507 £2,172 +44% in Reading
Semi-detached £1,226 £1,755 +43% in Reading
Terraced £1,157 £1,607 +39% in Reading
Flat £905 £1,272 +41% in Reading

Crime

Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 98.0 in Reading, so recorded crime per resident is 15% lower in Reading.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Leeds Reading Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 114.6 98.0 -15% in Reading
Violence against the person 44.9 33.6 -25% in Reading
Sexual offences 4.4 4.0 -8% in Reading
Robbery 2.2 1.7 -21% in Reading
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 13.0 5.8 -56% in Reading
Vehicle offences 7.0 5.4 -23% in Reading
Theft from the person 1.3 1.5 +16% in Reading
Criminal damage and arson 8.5 6.5 -23% in Reading

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.

Leeds: 181Reading: 193
House prices in Leeds and Reading since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Leeds now 181, Reading now 193.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Leeds and Reading since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Leeds now 181, Reading now 193.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearLeedsReading
2005100100
2006107104
2007114117
2008110112
200998101
2010103109
2011101109
201299112
2013100117
2014106130
2015111146
2016119168
2017125173
2018130170
2019134164
2020139162
2021151171
2022165187
2023168188
2024171188
2025177193
12 months to July 2026181193

In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £183,968 in Reading. Now it is £244,464 and £354,278: Leeds is up 81% and Reading is up 93%. Prices have risen faster in Reading, 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.

Leeds: 6.5 years of payReading: 8.7 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Leeds and ReadingLeeds now 6.5, Reading now 8.7 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Leeds and ReadingLeeds now 6.5, Reading now 8.7 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearLeedsReading
20056.1 years of pay7.3 years of pay
20105.7 years of pay6.8 years of pay
20155.7 years of pay9.2 years of pay
20206.2 years of pay9.0 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay8.7 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Leeds and 7.3 years in Reading. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.7 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Reading over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Leeds: 151Reading: 150
Rents in Leeds and Reading since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Leeds now 151, Reading now 150.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Leeds and Reading since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Leeds now 151, Reading now 150.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearLeedsReading
2015100100
201698106
2017102108
2018104109
2019107112
2020112113
2021114112
2022125115
2023136122
2024145136
2025146148
August 2026151150

In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £1,049 in Reading. Now it is £1,145 and £1,574: up 51% in Leeds and up 50% in Reading.

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 Reading

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Reading Equivalent to rent in Reading
£30,000 £51,000 £41,500
£40,000 £68,000 £55,500
£50,000 £85,000 £69,500
£60,000 £102,000 £83,500

Moving from Reading to Leeds

Earning in Reading Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £17,500 £21,500
£40,000 £23,500 £29,000
£50,000 £29,500 £36,000
£60,000 £35,000 £43,000
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 Leeds figures · All Reading figures