Leeds vs Staffordshire Moorlands: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £46,500 (30%) more in Leeds than in Staffordshire Moorlands. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Leeds: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.1× in Staffordshire Moorlands.
At a glance
| Leeds | Staffordshire Moorlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | 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 Staffordshire Moorlands (£38,228) is 4% higher than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 23% less (£156,000 against £202,500). Set against local pay, Staffordshire Moorlands 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 4.1× in Staffordshire Moorlands. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 22% in Staffordshire Moorlands. 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 Staffordshire Moorlands is the 61st least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and Staffordshire Moorlands is the 14th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £31,000 in Staffordshire Moorlands to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £24,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Staffordshire Moorlands 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 55.5 in Staffordshire Moorlands, so recorded crime per resident is 52% lower in Staffordshire Moorlands. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 7.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 2.1 in Staffordshire Moorlands.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Leeds | Staffordshire Moorlands |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,716 | £38,228 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.5× | 4.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 91% | 123% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 22% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Leeds | Staffordshire Moorlands | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £430,000 | £337,750 | -21% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Semi-detached | £262,000 | £211,500 | -19% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Terraced | £202,500 | £156,000 | -23% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Leeds | Staffordshire Moorlands | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,507 | £963 | -36% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Semi-detached | £1,226 | £810 | -34% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Terraced | £1,157 | £690 | -40% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
Crime
Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 55.5 in Staffordshire Moorlands, so recorded crime per resident is 52% lower in Staffordshire Moorlands.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Leeds | Staffordshire Moorlands | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.6 | 55.5 | -52% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Violence against the person | 44.9 | 26.3 | -41% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 2.6 | -40% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Robbery | 2.2 | 0.4 | -81% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 13.0 | 4.4 | -66% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Vehicle offences | 7.0 | 2.1 | -70% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -93% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.5 | 5.0 | -41% in Staffordshire Moorlands |
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 | Staffordshire Moorlands |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 108 |
| 2007 | 114 | 114 |
| 2008 | 110 | 110 |
| 2009 | 98 | 101 |
| 2010 | 103 | 105 |
| 2011 | 101 | 104 |
| 2012 | 99 | 102 |
| 2013 | 100 | 103 |
| 2014 | 106 | 107 |
| 2015 | 111 | 112 |
| 2016 | 119 | 116 |
| 2017 | 125 | 124 |
| 2018 | 130 | 127 |
| 2019 | 134 | 133 |
| 2020 | 139 | 138 |
| 2021 | 151 | 149 |
| 2022 | 165 | 161 |
| 2023 | 168 | 161 |
| 2024 | 171 | 164 |
| 2025 | 177 | 168 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 181 | 174 |
In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £128,257 in Staffordshire Moorlands. Now it is £244,464 and £223,279: Leeds is up 81% and Staffordshire Moorlands is up 74%. Prices have risen faster in Leeds, 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 | Staffordshire Moorlands |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.7 years of pay | 5.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.7 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.2 years of pay | – |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Leeds and 5.6 years in Staffordshire Moorlands. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 5.6 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 | Staffordshire Moorlands |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 98 | 102 |
| 2017 | 102 | 104 |
| 2018 | 104 | 107 |
| 2019 | 107 | 109 |
| 2020 | 112 | 111 |
| 2021 | 114 | 116 |
| 2022 | 125 | 126 |
| 2023 | 136 | 126 |
| 2024 | 145 | 133 |
| 2025 | 146 | 144 |
| August 2026 | 151 | 156 |
In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £468 in Staffordshire Moorlands. Now it is £1,145 and £728: up 51% in Leeds and up 56% in Staffordshire Moorlands.
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 Staffordshire Moorlands
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in Staffordshire Moorlands | Equivalent to rent in Staffordshire Moorlands |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,000 | £18,000 |
| £40,000 | £31,000 | £24,000 |
| £50,000 | £38,500 | £30,000 |
| £60,000 | £46,000 | £36,000 |
Moving from Staffordshire Moorlands to Leeds
| Earning in Staffordshire Moorlands | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £39,000 | £50,500 |
| £40,000 | £52,000 | £67,000 |
| £50,000 | £65,000 | £84,000 |
| £60,000 | £78,000 | £100,500 |