Pay vs Place

Leeds vs Wokingham: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £182,500 (90%) more in Wokingham than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Wokingham: it takes 7.4× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716
Wokingham, terraced
£385,000
Income typically needed: £77,000
Median full-time pay: £52,222

At a glance

Leeds Wokingham
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 Wokingham (£52,222) is 42% higher than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 90% more (£385,000 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 7.4× in Wokingham. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 32% in Wokingham. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Wokingham, 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 Wokingham is the 81st most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and Wokingham is around the middle of 316 areas (150th most expensive).

Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £76,000 in Wokingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £48,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Wokingham 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 39.2 in Wokingham, so recorded crime per resident is 66% lower in Wokingham. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 13.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 2.9 in Wokingham.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Leeds Wokingham
Median full-time pay £36,716 £52,222
House price ÷ pay 5.5× 7.4×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 91% 68%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 38% 32%

Buying, by property type

Type Leeds Wokingham Difference
Detached £430,000 £670,000 +56% in Wokingham
Semi-detached £262,000 £482,000 +84% in Wokingham
Terraced £202,500 £385,000 +90% in Wokingham
Flat £150,000 £260,000 +73% in Wokingham

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Leeds Wokingham Difference
Detached £1,507 £2,120 +41% in Wokingham
Semi-detached £1,226 £1,679 +37% in Wokingham
Terraced £1,157 £1,401 +21% in Wokingham
Flat £905 £1,206 +33% in Wokingham

Crime

Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 39.2 in Wokingham, so recorded crime per resident is 66% lower in Wokingham.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Leeds Wokingham Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 114.6 39.2 -66% in Wokingham
Violence against the person 44.9 14.9 -67% in Wokingham
Sexual offences 4.4 1.6 -62% in Wokingham
Robbery 2.2 0.4 -82% in Wokingham
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 13.0 2.9 -78% in Wokingham
Vehicle offences 7.0 2.2 -68% in Wokingham
Theft from the person 1.3 0.2 -87% in Wokingham
Criminal damage and arson 8.5 3.5 -59% in Wokingham

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: 181Wokingham: 203
House prices in Leeds and Wokingham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Leeds now 181, Wokingham now 203.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Leeds and Wokingham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Leeds now 181, Wokingham now 203.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearLeedsWokingham
2005100100
2006107105
2007114117
2008110115
200998104
2010103113
2011101114
201299115
2013100120
2014106135
2015111151
2016119168
2017125170
2018130171
2019134166
2020139171
2021151177
2022165191
2023168197
2024171195
2025177205
12 months to July 2026181203

In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £245,648 in Wokingham. Now it is £244,464 and £498,516: Leeds is up 81% and Wokingham is up 103%. Prices have risen faster in Wokingham, 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 payWokingham: 9.6 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Leeds and WokinghamLeeds now 6.5, Wokingham now 9.6 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Leeds and WokinghamLeeds now 6.5, Wokingham now 9.6 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearLeedsWokingham
20056.1 years of pay7.6 years of pay
20105.7 years of pay7.8 years of pay
20155.7 years of pay9.9 years of pay
20206.2 years of pay11.0 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay9.6 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Leeds and 7.6 years in Wokingham. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 9.6 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Wokingham over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Leeds: 151Wokingham: 139
Rents in Leeds and Wokingham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Leeds now 151, Wokingham now 139.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Leeds and Wokingham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Leeds now 151, Wokingham now 139.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearLeedsWokingham
2015100100
201698102
2017102105
2018104103
2019107104
2020112103
2021114104
2022125106
2023136112
2024145126
2025146137
August 2026151139

In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £1,057 in Wokingham. Now it is £1,145 and £1,466: up 51% in Leeds and up 39% in Wokingham. 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 Wokingham

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Wokingham Equivalent to rent in Wokingham
£30,000 £57,000 £36,500
£40,000 £76,000 £48,500
£50,000 £95,000 £60,500
£60,000 £114,000 £72,500

Moving from Wokingham to Leeds

Earning in Wokingham Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £16,000 £25,000
£40,000 £21,000 £33,000
£50,000 £26,500 £41,500
£60,000 £31,500 £49,500
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 Wokingham figures