Leeds vs Slough: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £197,500 (98%) more in Slough than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Slough: it takes 10.4× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| Leeds | Slough | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above 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 Slough (£38,483) is 5% higher than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 98% more (£400,000 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 10.4× in Slough. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 49% in Slough. Both are harder in Slough, 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 Slough is the 44th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and Slough is the 31st most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £79,000 in Slough to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £54,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Slough 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 88.3 in Slough, so recorded crime per resident is 23% lower in Slough. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 13.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 7.1 in Slough.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Leeds | Slough |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,716 | £38,483 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.5× | 10.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 91% | 48% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 49% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Leeds | Slough | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £262,000 | £483,000 | +84% in Slough |
| Terraced | £202,500 | £400,000 | +98% in Slough |
| Flat | £150,000 | £220,000 | +47% in Slough |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Leeds | Slough | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £1,226 | £1,766 | +44% in Slough |
| Terraced | £1,157 | £1,572 | +36% in Slough |
| Flat | £905 | £1,255 | +39% in Slough |
Crime
Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 88.3 in Slough, so recorded crime per resident is 23% lower in Slough.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Leeds | Slough | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.6 | 88.3 | -23% in Slough |
| Violence against the person | 44.9 | 34.1 | -24% in Slough |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 3.1 | -30% in Slough |
| Robbery | 2.2 | 1.6 | -29% in Slough |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 13.0 | 7.1 | -46% in Slough |
| Vehicle offences | 7.0 | 9.7 | +39% in Slough |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 1.1 | -16% in Slough |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.5 | 7.0 | -17% in Slough |
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 | Slough |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 105 |
| 2007 | 114 | 114 |
| 2008 | 110 | 111 |
| 2009 | 98 | 100 |
| 2010 | 103 | 107 |
| 2011 | 101 | 106 |
| 2012 | 99 | 108 |
| 2013 | 100 | 115 |
| 2014 | 106 | 126 |
| 2015 | 111 | 145 |
| 2016 | 119 | 172 |
| 2017 | 125 | 177 |
| 2018 | 130 | 181 |
| 2019 | 134 | 175 |
| 2020 | 139 | 174 |
| 2021 | 151 | 182 |
| 2022 | 165 | 192 |
| 2023 | 168 | 194 |
| 2024 | 171 | 196 |
| 2025 | 177 | 199 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 181 | 197 |
In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £173,605 in Slough. Now it is £244,464 and £341,484: Leeds is up 81% and Slough is up 97%. Prices have risen faster in Slough, 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 | Slough |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.7 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.7 years of pay | 8.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.2 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Leeds and 7.6 years in Slough. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 9.0 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Slough 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 | Slough |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 98 | 106 |
| 2017 | 102 | 110 |
| 2018 | 104 | 112 |
| 2019 | 107 | 115 |
| 2020 | 112 | 116 |
| 2021 | 114 | 118 |
| 2022 | 125 | 122 |
| 2023 | 136 | 129 |
| 2024 | 145 | 142 |
| 2025 | 146 | 159 |
| August 2026 | 151 | 163 |
In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £958 in Slough. Now it is £1,145 and £1,565: up 51% in Leeds and up 63% in Slough. Rents have risen faster in Slough.
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 Slough
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in Slough | Equivalent to rent in Slough |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £59,500 | £41,000 |
| £40,000 | £79,000 | £54,500 |
| £50,000 | £99,000 | £68,000 |
| £60,000 | £118,500 | £81,500 |
Moving from Slough to Leeds
| Earning in Slough | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £15,000 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £20,500 | £29,500 |
| £50,000 | £25,500 | £37,000 |
| £60,000 | £30,500 | £44,000 |