Leeds vs South Holland: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £46,500 (30%) more in Leeds than in South Holland. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.8× in South Holland.
At a glance
| Leeds | South Holland | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| 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 South Holland (£32,336) is 12% lower than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 23% less (£156,000 against £202,500). Set against local pay, South Holland 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 4.8× in South Holland. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 28% in South Holland. Both are harder in Leeds, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and South Holland is around the middle of 316 areas (181st most expensive). For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and South Holland is the 101st least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £31,000 in South Holland to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £26,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Holland would leave you better 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 60.5 in South Holland, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in South Holland. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 13.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 5.1 in South Holland.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Leeds | South Holland |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,716 | £32,336 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.5× | 4.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 91% | 104% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 28% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Leeds | South Holland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £430,000 | £290,000 | -33% in South Holland |
| Semi-detached | £262,000 | £185,000 | -29% in South Holland |
| Terraced | £202,500 | £156,000 | -23% in South Holland |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Leeds | South Holland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,507 | £962 | -36% in South Holland |
| Semi-detached | £1,226 | £836 | -32% in South Holland |
| Terraced | £1,157 | £756 | -35% in South Holland |
Crime
Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 60.5 in South Holland, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in South Holland.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Leeds | South Holland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.6 | 60.5 | -47% in South Holland |
| Violence against the person | 44.9 | 27.2 | -39% in South Holland |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 2.9 | -34% in South Holland |
| Robbery | 2.2 | 0.4 | -83% in South Holland |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 13.0 | 5.1 | -60% in South Holland |
| Vehicle offences | 7.0 | 3.3 | -52% in South Holland |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.0 | -97% in South Holland |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.5 | 6.6 | -22% in South Holland |
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 Holland |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 107 |
| 2007 | 114 | 113 |
| 2008 | 110 | 108 |
| 2009 | 98 | 91 |
| 2010 | 103 | 101 |
| 2011 | 101 | 96 |
| 2012 | 99 | 96 |
| 2013 | 100 | 97 |
| 2014 | 106 | 104 |
| 2015 | 111 | 111 |
| 2016 | 119 | 120 |
| 2017 | 125 | 128 |
| 2018 | 130 | 134 |
| 2019 | 134 | 135 |
| 2020 | 139 | 136 |
| 2021 | 151 | 148 |
| 2022 | 165 | 166 |
| 2023 | 168 | 165 |
| 2024 | 171 | 159 |
| 2025 | 177 | 160 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 181 | 163 |
In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £138,541 in South Holland. Now it is £244,464 and £225,671: Leeds is up 81% and South Holland is up 63%. 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 | South Holland |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.7 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.7 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.2 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 6.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Leeds and 6.8 years in South Holland. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.9 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 Holland |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 98 | 103 |
| 2017 | 102 | 107 |
| 2018 | 104 | 111 |
| 2019 | 107 | 113 |
| 2020 | 112 | 114 |
| 2021 | 114 | 118 |
| 2022 | 125 | 124 |
| 2023 | 136 | 127 |
| 2024 | 145 | 134 |
| 2025 | 146 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 151 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £522 in South Holland. Now it is £1,145 and £775: up 51% in Leeds and up 48% in South Holland.
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 Holland
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in South Holland | Equivalent to rent in South Holland |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,000 | £19,500 |
| £40,000 | £31,000 | £26,000 |
| £50,000 | £38,500 | £32,500 |
| £60,000 | £46,000 | £39,000 |
Moving from South Holland to Leeds
| Earning in South Holland | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £39,000 | £46,000 |
| £40,000 | £52,000 | £61,000 |
| £50,000 | £65,000 | £76,500 |
| £60,000 | £78,000 | £92,000 |