Pay vs Place

Leeds vs Torbay: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £17,500 (9%) more in Torbay than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Torbay: it takes 6.6× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716
Torbay, terraced
£220,000
Income typically needed: £44,000
Median full-time pay: £33,493

At a glance

Leeds Torbay
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Expensive Fairly affordable
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 Torbay (£33,493) is 9% lower than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 9% more (£220,000 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 Torbay. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 34% in Torbay. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Torbay, 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 Torbay is around the middle of 316 areas (178th most expensive). For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and Torbay is around the middle of 316 areas (157th most expensive).

Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £43,500 in Torbay to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £32,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Torbay 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 93.4 in Torbay, so recorded crime per resident is 19% lower in Torbay. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 13.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 3.9 in Torbay.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Leeds Torbay
Median full-time pay £36,716 £33,493
House price ÷ pay 5.5× 6.6×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 91% 76%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 38% 34%

Buying, by property type

Type Leeds Torbay Difference
Detached £430,000 £385,000 -10% in Torbay
Semi-detached £262,000 £271,500 +4% in Torbay
Terraced £202,500 £220,000 +9% in Torbay
Flat £150,000 £142,500 -5% in Torbay

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Leeds Torbay Difference
Detached £1,507 £1,216 -19% in Torbay
Semi-detached £1,226 £995 -19% in Torbay
Terraced £1,157 £938 -19% in Torbay
Flat £905 £713 -21% in Torbay

Crime

Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 93.4 in Torbay, so recorded crime per resident is 19% lower in Torbay.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Leeds Torbay Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 114.6 93.4 -19% in Torbay
Violence against the person 44.9 44.1 -2% in Torbay
Sexual offences 4.4 4.5 +3% in Torbay
Robbery 2.2 0.7 -69% in Torbay
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 13.0 3.9 -70% in Torbay
Vehicle offences 7.0 2.7 -62% in Torbay
Theft from the person 1.3 0.8 -39% in Torbay
Criminal damage and arson 8.5 9.2 +8% in Torbay

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.

Leeds: 181Torbay: 151
House prices in Leeds and Torbay since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Leeds now 181, Torbay now 151.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Leeds and Torbay since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Leeds now 181, Torbay now 151.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearLeedsTorbay
2005100100
2006107105
2007114112
2008110109
20099897
2010103102
201110199
20129999
2013100100
2014106104
2015111109
2016119115
2017125120
2018130124
2019134124
2020139128
2021151142
2022165162
2023168163
2024171157
2025177153
12 months to July 2026181151

In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £149,306 in Torbay. Now it is £244,464 and £225,769: Leeds is up 81% and Torbay is up 51%. 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.

Leeds: 6.5 years of payTorbay: 6.8 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Leeds and TorbayLeeds now 6.5, Torbay now 6.8 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Leeds and TorbayLeeds now 6.5, Torbay now 6.8 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearLeedsTorbay
20056.1 years of pay8.0 years of pay
20105.7 years of pay7.8 years of pay
20155.7 years of pay7.3 years of pay
20206.2 years of pay7.1 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay6.8 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Leeds and 8.0 years in Torbay. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.8 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Leeds over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Leeds: 151Torbay: 140
Rents in Leeds and Torbay since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Leeds now 151, Torbay now 140.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Leeds and Torbay since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Leeds now 151, Torbay now 140.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearLeedsTorbay
2015100100
201698100
2017102102
2018104104
2019107106
2020112109
2021114113
2022125118
2023136122
2024145127
2025146133
August 2026151140

In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £657 in Torbay. Now it is £1,145 and £920: up 51% in Leeds and up 40% in Torbay. Rents have risen faster in Leeds.

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 Torbay

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Torbay Equivalent to rent in Torbay
£30,000 £32,500 £24,500
£40,000 £43,500 £32,500
£50,000 £54,500 £40,500
£60,000 £65,000 £48,500

Moving from Torbay to Leeds

Earning in Torbay Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £27,500 £37,000
£40,000 £37,000 £49,500
£50,000 £46,000 £61,500
£60,000 £55,000 £74,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Leeds figures · All Torbay figures