Pay vs Place

Leeds vs Worthing: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £137,500 (68%) more in Worthing than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Worthing: it takes 9.3× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716
Worthing, terraced
£340,000
Income typically needed: £68,000
Median full-time pay: £36,581

At a glance

Leeds Worthing
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 Worthing (£36,581) is the same than in Leeds (£36,716), while a typical terraced house costs 68% more (£340,000 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 9.3× in Worthing. Renting one takes 38% of pay in Leeds and 45% in Worthing. Both are harder in Worthing, 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 Worthing is the 75th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas and Worthing is the 64th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Leeds would need about £67,000 in Worthing to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £47,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Worthing 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 80.2 in Worthing, so recorded crime per resident is 30% lower in Worthing. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 13.0 per 1,000 in Leeds against 3.1 in Worthing.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Leeds Worthing
Median full-time pay £36,716 £36,581
House price ÷ pay 5.5× 9.3×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 91% 54%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 38% 45%

Buying, by property type

Type Leeds Worthing Difference
Detached £430,000 £525,000 +22% in Worthing
Semi-detached £262,000 £392,375 +50% in Worthing
Terraced £202,500 £340,000 +68% in Worthing
Flat £150,000 £210,000 +40% in Worthing

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Leeds Worthing Difference
Detached £1,507 £1,716 +14% in Worthing
Semi-detached £1,226 £1,449 +18% in Worthing
Terraced £1,157 £1,358 +17% in Worthing
Flat £905 £1,042 +15% in Worthing

Crime

Police recorded 114.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Leeds and 80.2 in Worthing, so recorded crime per resident is 30% lower in Worthing.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Leeds Worthing Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 114.6 80.2 -30% in Worthing
Violence against the person 44.9 28.4 -37% in Worthing
Sexual offences 4.4 3.4 -23% in Worthing
Robbery 2.2 1.2 -45% in Worthing
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 13.0 3.1 -76% in Worthing
Vehicle offences 7.0 3.1 -55% in Worthing
Theft from the person 1.3 0.3 -75% in Worthing
Criminal damage and arson 8.5 6.6 -23% in Worthing

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: 181Worthing: 188
House prices in Leeds and Worthing since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Leeds now 181, Worthing now 188.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Leeds and Worthing since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Leeds now 181, Worthing now 188.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearLeedsWorthing
2005100100
2006107105
2007114117
2008110115
20099899
2010103109
2011101108
201299110
2013100114
2014106126
2015111137
2016119151
2017125158
2018130162
2019134164
2020139163
2021151182
2022165200
2023168201
2024171192
2025177192
12 months to July 2026181188

In 2005 the average home cost £135,425 in Leeds and £162,193 in Worthing. Now it is £244,464 and £304,635: Leeds is up 81% and Worthing is up 88%. Prices have risen faster in Worthing, 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 payWorthing: 8.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Leeds and WorthingLeeds now 6.5, Worthing now 8.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Leeds and WorthingLeeds now 6.5, Worthing now 8.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearLeedsWorthing
20056.1 years of pay–
20105.7 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20155.7 years of pay8.3 years of pay
20206.2 years of pay9.0 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay8.5 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 5.7 years of pay in Leeds and 7.0 years in Worthing. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 8.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Worthing over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Leeds: 151Worthing: 155
Rents in Leeds and Worthing since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Leeds now 151, Worthing now 155.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Leeds and Worthing since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Leeds now 151, Worthing now 155.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearLeedsWorthing
2015100100
201698105
2017102110
2018104113
2019107115
2020112117
2021114120
2022125126
2023136139
2024145149
2025146155
August 2026151155

In 2015 the average rent was £758 a month in Leeds and £836 in Worthing. Now it is £1,145 and £1,297: up 51% in Leeds and up 55% in Worthing.

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 Worthing

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Worthing Equivalent to rent in Worthing
£30,000 £50,500 £35,000
£40,000 £67,000 £47,000
£50,000 £84,000 £58,500
£60,000 £100,500 £70,500

Moving from Worthing to Leeds

Earning in Worthing Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £18,000 £25,500
£40,000 £24,000 £34,000
£50,000 £30,000 £42,500
£60,000 £35,500 £51,000
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 Worthing figures