Pay vs Place

Leeds vs Woking: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £212,500 (105%) more in Woking than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Woking: it takes 9.5× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716
Woking, terraced
£415,000
Income typically needed: £83,000
Median full-time pay: £43,719

At a glance

Leeds Woking
Buying a home Fairly affordable Expensive
Renting a home Expensive Very expensive
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 Woking (£43,719) is 19% higher than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 105% more (£415,000 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 9.5× in Woking. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 41% in Woking. Both are harder in Woking, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Woking is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and Woking is the 52nd most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £82,000 in Woking to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £51,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Woking 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 62.3 in Woking, so recorded crime per resident is 46% lower in Woking. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 13.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 4.1 in Woking.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Leeds Woking
Median full-time pay £36,716 £43,719
House price ÷ pay 5.5× 9.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 91% 53%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 38% 41%

Buying, by property type

Type Leeds Woking Difference
Detached £430,000 £787,500 +83% in Woking
Semi-detached £262,000 £482,000 +84% in Woking
Terraced £202,500 £415,000 +105% in Woking
Flat £150,000 £250,000 +67% in Woking

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Leeds Woking Difference
Detached £1,507 £2,508 +66% in Woking
Semi-detached £1,226 £1,762 +44% in Woking
Terraced £1,157 £1,491 +29% in Woking
Flat £905 £1,292 +43% in Woking

Crime

Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 62.3 in Woking, so recorded crime per resident is 46% lower in Woking.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Leeds Woking Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 114.6 62.3 -46% in Woking
Violence against the person 44.9 24.8 -45% in Woking
Sexual offences 4.4 2.3 -46% in Woking
Robbery 2.2 0.7 -70% in Woking
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 13.0 4.1 -68% in Woking
Vehicle offences 7.0 2.6 -62% in Woking
Theft from the person 1.3 0.3 -73% in Woking
Criminal damage and arson 8.5 5.7 -33% in Woking

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: 181Woking: 189
House prices in Leeds and Woking since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Leeds now 181, Woking now 189.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Leeds and Woking since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Leeds now 181, Woking now 189.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearLeedsWoking
2005100100
2006107104
2007114118
2008110118
200998104
2010103114
2011101116
201299121
2013100125
2014106141
2015111155
2016119170
2017125173
2018130175
2019134175
2020139176
2021151183
2022165196
2023168197
2024171194
2025177192
12 months to July 2026181189

In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £231,726 in Woking. Now it is £244,464 and £438,721: Leeds is up 81% and Woking is up 89%. Prices have risen faster in Woking, 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.

Leeds: 6.5 years of payWoking: 10.2 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Leeds and WokingLeeds now 6.5, Woking now 10.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Leeds and WokingLeeds now 6.5, Woking now 10.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearLeedsWoking
20056.1 years of pay–
20105.7 years of pay9.2 years of pay
20155.7 years of pay11.6 years of pay
20206.2 years of pay10.1 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay10.2 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 5.7 years of pay in Leeds and 9.2 years in Woking. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 10.2 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Leeds: 151Woking: 128
Rents in Leeds and Woking since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Leeds now 151, Woking now 128.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Leeds and Woking since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Leeds now 151, Woking now 128.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearLeedsWoking
2015100100
201698104
2017102105
2018104103
2019107102
2020112103
2021114104
2022125107
2023136115
2024145124
2025146130
August 2026151128

In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £1,264 in Woking. Now it is £1,145 and £1,620: up 51% in Leeds and up 28% in Woking. 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 Woking

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Woking Equivalent to rent in Woking
£30,000 £61,500 £38,500
£40,000 £82,000 £51,500
£50,000 £102,500 £64,500
£60,000 £123,000 £77,500

Moving from Woking to Leeds

Earning in Woking Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £14,500 £23,500
£40,000 £19,500 £31,000
£50,000 £24,500 £39,000
£60,000 £29,500 £46,500
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 Woking figures