Leeds vs Test Valley: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £92,500 (46%) more in Test Valley than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Test Valley: it takes 7.3× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.
At a glance
| Leeds | Test Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Test Valley (£40,576) is 11% higher than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 46% more (£295,000 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 7.3× in Test Valley. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 37% in Test Valley. Buying is harder in Test Valley; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Test Valley is the 96th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and Test Valley is the 115th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £58,500 in Test Valley to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £43,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Test Valley 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 52.2 in Test Valley, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in Test Valley. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 13.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 4.6 in Test Valley.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Leeds | Test Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,716 | £40,576 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.5× | 7.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 91% | 69% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Leeds | Test Valley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £430,000 | £564,500 | +31% in Test Valley |
| Semi-detached | £262,000 | £355,000 | +35% in Test Valley |
| Terraced | £202,500 | £295,000 | +46% in Test Valley |
| Flat | £150,000 | £190,000 | +27% in Test Valley |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Leeds | Test Valley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,507 | £1,739 | +15% in Test Valley |
| Semi-detached | £1,226 | £1,369 | +12% in Test Valley |
| Terraced | £1,157 | £1,257 | +9% in Test Valley |
| Flat | £905 | £985 | +9% in Test Valley |
Crime
Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 52.2 in Test Valley, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in Test Valley.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Leeds | Test Valley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.6 | 52.2 | -54% in Test Valley |
| Violence against the person | 44.9 | 21.7 | -52% in Test Valley |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 2.4 | -46% in Test Valley |
| Robbery | 2.2 | 0.4 | -82% in Test Valley |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 13.0 | 4.6 | -64% in Test Valley |
| Vehicle offences | 7.0 | 2.8 | -60% in Test Valley |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -88% in Test Valley |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.5 | 4.4 | -48% in Test Valley |
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 | Test Valley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 105 |
| 2007 | 114 | 117 |
| 2008 | 110 | 114 |
| 2009 | 98 | 102 |
| 2010 | 103 | 113 |
| 2011 | 101 | 111 |
| 2012 | 99 | 111 |
| 2013 | 100 | 113 |
| 2014 | 106 | 121 |
| 2015 | 111 | 132 |
| 2016 | 119 | 141 |
| 2017 | 125 | 151 |
| 2018 | 130 | 154 |
| 2019 | 134 | 154 |
| 2020 | 139 | 159 |
| 2021 | 151 | 166 |
| 2022 | 165 | 185 |
| 2023 | 168 | 190 |
| 2024 | 171 | 184 |
| 2025 | 177 | 186 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 181 | 185 |
In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £201,013 in Test Valley. Now it is £244,464 and £372,261: Leeds is up 81% and Test Valley is up 85%.
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 | Test Valley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 7.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.7 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.7 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.2 years of pay | 9.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Leeds and 7.9 years in Test Valley. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 9.2 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Test Valley 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 | Test Valley |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 98 | 104 |
| 2017 | 102 | 107 |
| 2018 | 104 | 109 |
| 2019 | 107 | 110 |
| 2020 | 112 | 112 |
| 2021 | 114 | 116 |
| 2022 | 125 | 121 |
| 2023 | 136 | 126 |
| 2024 | 145 | 133 |
| 2025 | 146 | 139 |
| August 2026 | 151 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £832 in Test Valley. Now it is £1,145 and £1,235: up 51% in Leeds and up 48% in Test Valley.
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 Test Valley
| Earning in Leeds | Equivalent to buy in Test Valley | Equivalent to rent in Test Valley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £43,500 | £32,500 |
| £40,000 | £58,500 | £43,500 |
| £50,000 | £73,000 | £54,500 |
| £60,000 | £87,500 | £65,000 |
Moving from Test Valley to Leeds
| Earning in Test Valley | Equivalent to buy in Leeds | Equivalent to rent in Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,500 | £27,500 |
| £40,000 | £27,500 | £37,000 |
| £50,000 | £34,500 | £46,000 |
| £60,000 | £41,000 | £55,000 |