Leeds vs South Cambridgeshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £122,500 (60%) more in South Cambridgeshire than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in South Cambridgeshire: it takes 6.6× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| Leeds | South Cambridgeshire | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 South Cambridgeshire (£48,916) is 33% higher than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 60% more (£325,000 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 6.6× in South Cambridgeshire. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 34% in South Cambridgeshire. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in South Cambridgeshire, 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 South Cambridgeshire is the 108th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and South Cambridgeshire is around the middle of 316 areas (137th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £64,000 in South Cambridgeshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £48,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Cambridgeshire 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 46.9 in South Cambridgeshire, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in South Cambridgeshire. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 44.9 per 1,000 in Leeds against 16.9 in South Cambridgeshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Leeds | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,716 | £48,916 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.5× | 6.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 91% | 75% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Leeds | South Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £430,000 | £597,500 | +39% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Semi-detached | £262,000 | £396,250 | +51% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Terraced | £202,500 | £325,000 | +60% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Flat | £150,000 | £216,500 | +44% in South Cambridgeshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Leeds | South Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,507 | £1,928 | +28% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,226 | £1,469 | +20% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Terraced | £1,157 | £1,400 | +21% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Flat | £905 | £1,171 | +29% in South Cambridgeshire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 46.9 in South Cambridgeshire, so recorded crime per resident is 59% lower in South Cambridgeshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Leeds | South Cambridgeshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.6 | 46.9 | -59% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Violence against the person | 44.9 | 16.9 | -62% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 1.8 | -58% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Robbery | 2.2 | 0.3 | -84% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 13.0 | 6.0 | -54% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Vehicle offences | 7.0 | 3.6 | -48% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -88% in South Cambridgeshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.5 | 5.0 | -41% in South Cambridgeshire |
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 | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 110 |
| 2007 | 114 | 119 |
| 2008 | 110 | 117 |
| 2009 | 98 | 105 |
| 2010 | 103 | 116 |
| 2011 | 101 | 117 |
| 2012 | 99 | 121 |
| 2013 | 100 | 125 |
| 2014 | 106 | 135 |
| 2015 | 111 | 152 |
| 2016 | 119 | 165 |
| 2017 | 125 | 174 |
| 2018 | 130 | 177 |
| 2019 | 134 | 174 |
| 2020 | 139 | 176 |
| 2021 | 151 | 181 |
| 2022 | 165 | 194 |
| 2023 | 168 | 198 |
| 2024 | 171 | 197 |
| 2025 | 177 | 200 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 181 | 202 |
In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £215,853 in South Cambridgeshire. Now it is £244,464 and £435,383: Leeds is up 81% and South Cambridgeshire is up 102%. Prices have risen faster in South Cambridgeshire, 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 | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 8.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.7 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.7 years of pay | 10.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.2 years of pay | 9.8 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 8.1 years in South Cambridgeshire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.8 years.
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 | South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 98 | 103 |
| 2017 | 102 | 110 |
| 2018 | 104 | 113 |
| 2019 | 107 | 115 |
| 2020 | 112 | 116 |
| 2021 | 114 | 121 |
| 2022 | 125 | 128 |
| 2023 | 136 | 137 |
| 2024 | 145 | 147 |
| 2025 | 146 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 151 | 162 |
In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £870 in South Cambridgeshire. Now it is £1,145 and £1,408: up 51% in Leeds and up 62% in South Cambridgeshire. Rents have risen faster in South Cambridgeshire.
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 South Cambridgeshire
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in South Cambridgeshire | Equivalent to rent in South Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £48,000 | £36,500 |
| £40,000 | £64,000 | £48,500 |
| £50,000 | £80,000 | £60,500 |
| £60,000 | £96,500 | £72,500 |
Moving from South Cambridgeshire to Leeds
| Earning in South Cambridgeshire | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £18,500 | £25,000 |
| £40,000 | £25,000 | £33,000 |
| £50,000 | £31,000 | £41,500 |
| £60,000 | £37,500 | £49,500 |