GeoReality

United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare

Leeds vs York

Leeds (Yorkshire and The Humber, England · ~799k people) · York (Yorkshire and The Humber, England · ~211k people)

Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Leeds leads on 2, York on 4, 1 effectively tied. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.

Head to head

Median pay

ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025

Leeds

£37,596/yr

Worse than 70% of UK LAs

York

£39,863/yr

Better than 55% of UK LAs

York

York: 6% higher median pay.

House price

ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025

Leeds

£245,000

Better than 62% of UK LAs

York

£305,000

Worse than 57% of UK LAs

Leeds

Leeds: 24% lower median price.

Monthly rent

ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03

Leeds

£1,130/mo

Worse than 60% of UK LAs

York

£1,173/mo

Worse than 63% of UK LAs

Leeds

Leeds: 4% lower median rent.

Council tax (Band D)

MHCLG · 2026-27

Leeds

£2,284/yr

Better than 83% of UK LAs

York

£2,287/yr

Better than 83% of UK LAs

Effectively tied

Effectively tied — under 2% apart.

Recorded crime

ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025

Leeds

116.1/1k

Worse than 94% of UK LAs

York

66.9/1k

Better than 58% of UK LAs

York

York: 74% lower recorded-crime rate.

Deprivation (IMD)

MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019

Leeds

27.3

Worse than 82% of UK LAs

York

11.7

Better than 85% of UK LAs

York

York: lower average deprivation score (11.7 vs 27.3).

Schools (Ofsted)

Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot

Leeds

94.2%

Better than 65% of UK LAs

York

98.3%

Better than 92% of UK LAs

York

York: 4.1 percentage points more pupils in Good/Outstanding schools.

What local pay actually covers

Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.

Leeds

Rent takes 36% of median gross monthly pay

A median home costs 6.5× median annual pay

York

Rent takes 35% of median gross monthly pay

A median home costs 7.7× median annual pay

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