[AndyS]

I commute into Leeds 3 or 4 days a week and have done for 20 years now, although I come in from the Harrogate area. I find it a bind and the traffic is certainly heavier when the schools are in and particularly bad in the winter months. When it snows its a disaster. (In the North its when not if!)

It takes me anything from 35 minutes to an hour dependent on the time of year. My commute is shorter, 15 miles v 25 miles to York but the roads are better from York so it probably evens out. Most of it is dual carriageway. If you go to the North side of York you may find York ring road a problem.

The train is pretty good from York, I think, and monthly/yearly passes can be purchased. Of course it depends on how far your place of work is and house from the station. Parking is expensive in Leeds. I'm lucky as we have parking on site as we have to take the cars in as we need them to go out and about as part of my job.

As to the house prices some of those look quite meaty, having said that I'm not overly familiar with the York market. As to Leeds it depends, which bit your in. The North side is more expensive and probably similar to the ones in the link. There are some nice suburbs in the North. You'll find it cheaper in West and East Leeds. Some areas are quite nice in these parts (particularly the West), others a bit more average. I'm sure you'll be able to judge.

I'd suggest spending some time up here doing the commute and looking round at various areas. Maybe worth renting for 6 months to get a feel for where you like. I live Knaresborough way which is nice and prices are reasonable. You may want to check the likes of Wetherby and Tadcaster out as well. Ilkley has good train links but I think property prices are very high. Also plenty of villages to go at if you don't mind being in the sticks.