Pick by campus first, then by rent. Choose Woodhouse or Hyde Park if you walk to the University of Leeds or Leeds Beckett City Campus, Headingley if you are at Beckett's Headingley Campus, and Burley if the lowest rent matters and a 28-minute walk is fine. Rents differ by only £11 a week on Unipol's averages, so a daily bus can wipe out the saving.
The decision rule
Answer two questions: where is your campus, and how many days a week would you take the bus?
The savings are small enough to count. A round trip on a University Single costs £4. Compared with Woodhouse, Headingley saves £8 a week, so it stops being cheaper once you bus on more than two days. Burley saves £11, so the break-even is just under three days. If you will walk or cycle, those savings stay in your pocket.
| If this is you | Live here | Why |
|---|---|---|
| University of Leeds or Leeds Arts, short walk matters most | Woodhouse | Shortest walks here, highest rent at £140 |
| University of Leeds or Beckett City Campus, want a saving | Hyde Park | 4 to 5 minutes further than Woodhouse, £5 a week less |
| Leeds Beckett Headingley Campus | Headingley | 17-minute walk, against 38 or more from Hyde Park and Woodhouse |
| Lowest rent, happy to walk or cycle | Burley | £129 with bills and £103 without, the lowest here |
| Want shops and bars on the doorstep and do not mind a bus | Headingley | Unipol notes plenty of shops, bars and restaurants |
Rents: Unipol's area averages
Unipol's figures are per person per week, for adverts on its own site.
The gaps are narrower than most students expect. Without bills, Hyde Park and Headingley match at £108. They exclude one and two bed properties and purpose-built student accommodation, and are weighted by adverts, so treat them as a guide rather than a quote for one house. The with-bills figures add £24 to £30, though Unipol's samples may differ, so compare what each bills package includes.
Average rent, per person per week
Source: Unipol, Where to live in Leeds, read November 2026. Bills means at least electricity, gas if present, water and internet.
Walking distance to each campus
We routed walks from a central postcode in each area using OpenStreetMap, then timed them at 4.8 km an hour.
Your street will change these numbers, especially in Headingley, which stretches well along Otley Road. Our Headingley time matches Unipol's figure of about 35 minutes to campus. Starting points: LS6 1NY for Hyde Park, LS6 3HN for Headingley, LS4 2NT for Burley and LS6 2RD for Woodhouse.
| From | University of Leeds (Parkinson) | Beckett City Campus | Beckett Headingley Campus | Leeds Arts University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodhouse | 1.2 km, 15 min | 1.5 km, 19 min | 3.3 km, 42 min | 1.5 km, 19 min |
| Hyde Park | 1.5 km, 19 min | 1.9 km, 24 min | 3.0 km, 38 min | 2.2 km, 28 min |
| Burley | 2.3 km, 28 min | 2.8 km, 35 min | 2.2 km, 28 min | 3.0 km, 37 min |
| Headingley | 2.8 km, 34 min | 3.2 km, 39 min | 1.3 km, 17 min | 3.2 km, 40 min |
Buses and trains
First Bus sells a £2 University Single on the routes students use most.
First lists the ticket on services 19 and 19A, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28 and 56, and says it suits trips from Hyde Park or Headingley. Leeds Beckett also says the fare runs on many buses through Headingley, Burley and Hyde Park. First says service 24 is a 24-hour route. Check the exact stop in the First Bus app, as works on Woodhouse Lane and Headingley Lane have caused diversions.
Unipol puts Headingley about 10 minutes by bus from campus and says Hyde Park buses reach the city centre in 5 to 10 minutes. Leeds Beckett says trains run from Headingley and Burley to Leeds every 30 minutes. Beckett runs a free term-time shuttle between its two campuses, which helps if your course uses both. Check Beckett's timetable.
| University of Leeds student, five days on campus | Rent with bills | Bus cost | Weekly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodhouse, walking | £140 | £0 | £140 |
| Hyde Park, walking | £135 | £0 | £135 |
| Headingley, walking | £132 | £0 | £132 |
| Burley, walking | £129 | £0 | £129 |
| Headingley, bus every day | £132 | £20 | £152 |
| Burley, bus every day | £129 | £20 | £149 |
Recorded crime near each area
We counted street-level records from data.police.uk, for the 12 months to August 2026, within 350 metres of each starting point.
Do not read this as a safety ranking. The counts are not rates, so they do not allow for how many people live in or visit each circle. Busy streets record more: Headingley's 92 shoplifting records reflect its shops. Police locations are also approximate. What we would take from it is practical: get decent locks wherever you live, and ask agents about alarms and window locks, because burglary and vehicle crime appear in all four.
Burley's and Woodhouse's circles recorded far fewer incidents than Hyde Park's or Headingley's. Burley still had more vehicle crime than Woodhouse or Hyde Park, which matters if you bring a car. A single point cannot speak for a whole neighbourhood, so also check your actual street on police.uk.
| Area (350 m circle) | All records | Violence and sexual offences | Burglary | Vehicle crime | Anti-social behaviour | Bicycle theft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyde Park | 709 | 272 | 37 | 36 | 70 | 10 |
| Headingley | 608 | 181 | 44 | 63 | 44 | 11 |
| Woodhouse | 302 | 128 | 17 | 22 | 35 | 5 |
| Burley | 270 | 74 | 27 | 51 | 20 | 8 |
What each area is like
Hyde Park
The middle option, and our default for University of Leeds students sharing a house. A short walk from campus, with independent shops, takeaways and the Brudenell Social Club, as Unipol describes it. £135 with bills.
Headingley
Unipol describes a strong community feel, with plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. It suits Beckett Headingley Campus students best on our walking times. City campus students should budget for buses.
Burley
Popular with students and young professionals, with Burley Park and its station. Unipol lists it among areas balancing affordability and closeness to campus. LS4 2NT sits in Kirkstall ward rather than Headingley & Hyde Park.
Woodhouse
Next to the University of Leeds and Woodhouse Moor, with Hyde Park Corner's cafes and shops. Unipol says it suits students who prefer not to rely on transport. It has the highest average rent here.
Student letting agencies in Hyde Park and Headingley
These cover the areas people search for, based on what each agent says on its own site. We have not rated them here.
Compare several, then use our full Leeds agency guide for ratings and more options. Ask each agent whether it is in the Unipol Code. Also ask when you would sign, because a house signed more than six months before move-in cannot use Ground 4A next summer.
LV Properties
Says it serves Headingley, Woodhouse and Hyde Park. Its search also lists Burley.
LV PropertiesTarget Properties
Says it has let student homes in Hyde Park, Headingley and Burley for 20 years.
Target Propertiesof the 500 UK students in our 2026 Student Experience Survey had hit at least one housing issue. Housemates (34%), the property itself (32%) and Wi-Fi (29%) came up most.
Keep planning
FAQs
Is Hyde Park or Headingley better for Leeds students?
Hyde Park is better for University of Leeds and Beckett City Campus students who want to walk, at about 19 and 24 minutes from our central point. Headingley suits Beckett Headingley Campus students, or anyone wanting its shops and bars. Unipol's rents differ by just £3 a week with bills, so location should decide it.
Which Leeds student area is cheapest?
Burley, on Unipol's figures, at £129 per person per week with bills and £103 without. Headingley is £132, Hyde Park £135 and Woodhouse £140 with bills. These averages exclude one and two bed lets and purpose-built accommodation. A daily bus costing £20 a week can more than cancel the saving.
How far is Headingley from the University of Leeds?
From our central Headingley postcode it is about 2.8 km, or 34 minutes on foot. Unipol gives about 35 minutes' walk or 10 minutes by bus. Your own street could change this by several minutes, particularly further along Otley Road. Check the route from the actual house before you commit.
Is Hyde Park Leeds safe for students?
Our 350-metre count for the year to August 2026 shows 709 police records near LS6 1NY, the highest of the four points, but this is a raw count in a busy area rather than a rate. We would not rule the area out on that basis. Use good locks and check your actual street on police.uk.
Which letting agency should I use for Hyde Park or Headingley?
Start with agents that say they cover your area, such as Apex Homes, LS6 Rentals, LV Properties and Target Properties, plus Unipol's listings. Then compare the same house type, bills and signing date, and ask about Unipol Code membership. Our full Leeds agencies guide adds more detail. We have not ranked them in this comparison.
When should I start looking for a Leeds student house?
Unipol says it is common for students to start looking in October or November for a tenancy starting the following July, August or September. For a shared house in England, a landlord who wants Ground 4A must sign you within six months of move-in, so you may reserve with a holding deposit first.
Is Burley too far from campus?
Not if you are happy with a 28-minute walk to the University of Leeds or Beckett Headingley Campus from our point. Beckett City Campus is about 35 minutes. Burley Park station and local buses help, though taking a bus every day costs £20 a week on the student single fare. It suits walkers and cyclists best.
Sources and official resources
- Unipol: where to live in Leeds Area rents and transport notes
- Unipol: house hunting and the Act Signing dates and holding deposits
- First Bus University Single £2 fare and eligible routes
- Leeds Beckett public transport Shuttle bus and station walking times
- Leeds Beckett: travelling in Leeds Student fare areas and train frequency
- data.police.uk street-level crime Official source for our crime counts
- police.uk Check your own street
- OpenStreetMap Map data behind our walking routes
- Postcodes.io Coordinates and ward lookup
Provide student accommodation?
Put your rooms in front of students choosing where to live. Talk to us about clearly labelled partner placements and campaigns.
How we built this guide: facts come from the sources listed above, checked November 2026. It is general information rather than legal or financial advice, and rules and prices change, so confirm with the provider or an adviser before you commit. How we compare student accommodation.