London, England Yorkshire and The Humber, England

London vs Leeds

Renting in London costs £1,003/month more than Leeds.

Average rent
London
£2,148/mo
Leeds Lower
£1,145/mo
£1,003 difference
Average earnings
London Higher
£40,350/yr
Leeds
£31,679/yr
£8,671 difference
Average house price
London
£575,840
Leeds
£245,000
£330,840 (135%)

Rent comparison

Overall
London £2,148/mo
Leeds £1,145/mo
London +£1,003/mo
1 Bed
London £1,654/mo
Leeds £782/mo
London +£872/mo
2 Bed
London £2,071/mo
Leeds £975/mo
London +£1,096/mo
3 Bed
London £2,424/mo
Leeds £1,138/mo
London +£1,286/mo
4+ Bed
London £3,277/mo
Leeds £1,690/mo
London +£1,587/mo

Overall, renting in Leeds is £1,003/month cheaper than London - that's £12,036/year.

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)

Earnings comparison

London - average
£40,350/yr
Leeds - average
£31,679/yr

Residents of London earn £8,671/year more than those in Leeds.

Affordability insight
London 64%of gross earnings on rent
Leeds 43%of gross earnings on rent

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

House prices comparison

Average
London £575,840
Leeds £245,000
London +£330,840
Detached
London £1,542,200
Leeds £425,000
London +£1,117,200
Semi-detached
London £1,291,347
Leeds £260,000
London +£1,031,347
Terraced
London £871,623
Leeds £197,250
London +£674,373
Flat
London £441,780
Leeds £150,000
London +£291,780

House prices in London are £330,840 (135%) higher than in Leeds.

Over the last 10 years, house prices in London have risen by 19.4%, compared to 55.1% in Leeds.

Source: ONS / HM Land Registry

Council tax comparison

London - Band D
£2,090/yr
Leeds - Band D
£2,284/yr

You would pay £194/year more in council tax (Band D) living in Leeds than in London.

Band London Leeds Difference
Band A £1,393 £1,522 Leeds +£129/yr
Band B £1,626 £1,776 Leeds +£150/yr
Band C £1,858 £2,030 Leeds +£172/yr
Band D Benchmark £2,090 £2,284 Leeds +£194/yr
Band E £2,555 £2,791 Leeds +£236/yr
Band F £3,019 £3,299 Leeds +£280/yr
Band G £3,483 £3,806 Leeds +£323/yr
Band H £4,180 £4,567 Leeds +£387/yr

Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government

Band D is used as the standard benchmark for comparing council tax across areas. Other bands are set as fixed proportions of the Band D amount.

Energy comparison

Measure London Leeds
Annual £1,723 £1,723
Monthly £144 £144
Energy region London Yorkshire

Energy estimates are based on the Ofgem price cap, which is set nationally. Regional variation is small; we show the same headline figure across regions for transparency.

Source: Ofgem Energy Price Cap, Q4 2026

Water comparison

Measure London Leeds
Annual £666 £636
Monthly £56 £53
Water company Thames Water Yorkshire Water

Water in London costs about £30/year more than in Leeds.

Source: Water UK / Discover Water, 2026-27

Water company boundaries don't always align cleanly with local authority boundaries; the company shown here is the most common provider in each area.

Crime comparison

London
Data not available
Leeds
1,153 /10k
#283 of 303
Overall crime rate
London N/A
Leeds 1,153 /10k
Violence & sexual
London N/A
Leeds 495 /10k
Burglary
London N/A
Leeds 72 /10k
Theft
London N/A
Leeds 322 /10k
Criminal damage
London N/A
Leeds 85 /10k
Drug offences
London N/A
Leeds 40 /10k
Public order
London N/A
Leeds 96 /10k

Crime data is not available for London.

Source: Home Office / Scottish Government recorded crime

Recording practices vary between police forces. Crime rates reflect reported and recorded crime only.

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