Moving to Chichester: Pros, Cons and the Best Areas to Live
A cathedral city between the harbour and the South Downs: recorded crime well below the national rate, Good and Outstanding secondary schools, direct trains to London, and homes that cost well above the West Sussex average.
Is Chichester a nice place to live? On the official figures, yes. It is a cathedral city of about 32,000 people between Chichester Harbour and the South Downs. Recorded crime across the district is well below the England and Wales rate. One state secondary is Outstanding, direct trains run to London, Portsmouth and Southampton, and Excellent-rated beaches are about 10 km away. The thing to weigh up is cost: the district’s average house price is about £54,900 above the West Sussex average, and homes cost 11.8 times residents’ median full-time pay.
Chichester at a glance
Recorded crime: 60.0 per 1,000, district, year to June 2026; England and Wales 84.6
Average house price: £428,364, district, August 2026; West Sussex £373,470
Average private rent: £1,340 a month, district, September 2026; England £1,466
London Victoria by train: about 1h 36m, direct, twice an hour off-peak
The pros
Worth weighing up
- Homes at 11.8 times local full-time pay (England 7.6)
- Congestion at the A27 bypass junctions, with no upgrade in the current national roads programme
- A hospital rated Requires improvement overall, though Outstanding for caring
Many official statistics cover Chichester district, which also takes in Midhurst, Selsey and the Witterings, so where we could we give the city (its five wards) separately. Figures are from official sources, or our own calculations from them where stated, checked in October and November 2026.
The city: cathedral, Roman walls and culture
Chichester Cathedral is Grade I listed. Historic England dates Bishop Ralph de Luffa’s pillars and arches of the nave and choir to 1091-1123, and notes the tower and spire were rebuilt after they fell in 1861. The city walls are both a scheduled monument and Grade I listed:
“Erected probably before end of C2 AD. Bastions added by mid C4 AD. Traces of Roman work remain both at base of existing wall and in earth ramparts.”
Historic England, list entry for the city walls
The city skyline
The Festival Theatre (first season 1962) is Grade II* listed and run by a registered charity. Pallant House Gallery opened in 1982, and the district council’s Novium Museum, with free general admission, is built over the remains of the Roman bath house. The district council lists six city parks, including Priory Park inside the walls.
The calendar
- October 2026 800 years since 1226. The city council marked it with a lantern parade and a proclamation at the Market Cross.
- 12 June to 18 July 2027 Festival of Chichester.
- 15 to 18 July 2027 Festival of Speed. At Goodwood, just north of the city.
- 17 to 19 September 2027 Goodwood Revival.
The River Lavant normally flows only in winter and runs through two culverts under the city; the Environment Agency runs a flood warning area for it in the city centre.
The harbour, the Downs and the beaches
Chichester Harbour, west of the city, was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1964 and is now one of England’s National Landscapes. It covers about 73 square kilometres with 35 miles of coastline, and its conservancy calls it the largest natural estuary in South East England. About 69% of the district’s land lies in the South Downs National Park (our measurement), though the city itself is outside it.
Harbour, city and Downs
Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve, about 5 km from the station, has ancient yews, some over 500 years old, according to Natural England. The Centurion Way, a 9 km path along the old railway line, runs from the city through Lavant to West Dean.
Harbour water quality
The harbour is not a designated bathing water, and the conservancy reports storm overflows in heavy rain and summer weed fed by farm nitrates. In October 2026 the conservancy won £250,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop nature-recovery plans.
The district’s three official bathing waters, and the two nearest the city
West Wittering: Excellent, privately run; the district’s only Blue Flag, 2025
Bracklesham Bay: Excellent, 2025
Selsey: Excellent, 2025
Pagham (Arun): Good, about 8 km from the city
Bognor Regis (Aldwick): Poor, about 8.7 km from the city
Source: Environment Agency bathing water classifications for 2025 and 2026 bathing water profiles. Pagham and Bognor Regis are in Arun district.
Living in Chichester: the best areas and villages
No area leads on every measure: Harbour Villages has the highest prices, Chichester North the most owner-occupiers in the city and North Mundham & Tangmere the most children. Neighbourhood names do not follow official boundaries. Using Ordnance Survey’s gazetteer, Summersdale falls in Chichester North ward, Whyke in South and the cathedral close in Central, while Parklands is on the city’s west side. Fishbourne, Bosham and Donnington are separate villages in Harbour Villages ward; Tangmere and Hunston are in North Mundham & Tangmere.
Chichester North Most owner-occupiers in the city £398,500 median price paid Includes Summersdale; one neighbourhood in England’s least deprived 10%.
Chichester West Bishop Luffa’s ward £422,500 median price paid One neighbourhood in England’s least deprived 10%.
Chichester Central The station, the flats £260,000 median price paid Two-thirds of households in flats (66.3%); the fewest children.
Chichester South and East The next cheapest £319,000 / £318,750 median price paid Whyke is in South.
Harbour Villages Highest prices £499,950 median price paid Highest owner-occupation (74.0%); Fishbourne, Bosham and Donnington, with two stations.
North Mundham & Tangmere Most children £360,000 median price paid 19.6% under 16; the lowest prices of the wards around the city.
| Ward | Median price paid | Owner-occupied | Aged 0-15 | Level 4+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City: North | £398,500 | 63.2% | 13.5% | 44.7% |
| City: West | £422,500 | 62.3% | 15.3% | 39.7% |
| City: South | £319,000 | 52.2% | 15.9% | 35.0% |
| City: East | £318,750 | 37.7% | 14.5% | 34.5% |
| City: Central | £260,000 | 45.5% | 7.1% | 38.3% |
| Harbour Villages | £499,950 | 74.0% | 17.0% | 44.1% |
| Lavant | £468,750 | 69.5% | 15.5% | 42.2% |
| The Witterings | £485,000 | 72.5% | 14.7% | 34.1% |
| Goodwood | £475,000 | 57.3% | 16.1% | 39.1% |
| North Mundham & Tangmere | £360,000 | 59.9% | 19.6% | 33.9% |
Prices: our calculation of the median price paid from HM Land Registry standard sales, July 2025 to June 2026 (32 to 145 sales per ward, not adjusted for the type of home; Lavant, with the fewest sales, is the least certain). Homes, ages and Level 4 qualifications (degree, HND or similar): ONS Census 2021. None of the 37 neighbourhoods in these ten wards is in England’s most deprived 20%.
Is Chichester expensive? House prices
According to the UK House Price Index, the average house price in Chichester district was £428,364 in August 2026, 2.7% lower than a year earlier. That is about £54,900 above West Sussex (£373,470) and £134,800 above England (£293,525). The first-time buyer average was £335,901.
Average house price, January 2023 to August 2026
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry and ONS), monthly averages. August 2026: Chichester district £428,364, West Sussex £373,470, England £293,525.
By type of home, August 2026
Detached: £679,148, 35.6% of district households
Semi-detached: £422,502, district average
Terraced: £343,374, district average
Flat: £216,221, a third of city households (32.5%)
Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026, Chichester district. The district has a far higher share of detached homes than the city (35.6% of households against 16.7%). In the city, our calculation from Land Registry sales puts the median price paid at £350,000 for July 2025 to June 2026 (409 sales): £413,500 for houses, £230,000 for flats.
Price against pay
In 2025 the district’s median house price was 11.77 times residents’ median full-time earnings; West Sussex 9.67, England 7.64.
Renting, council tax and pay
ONS rent figures put Chichester district’s average private rent at £1,340 a month in September 2026, below England’s £1,466 and up 3.5% in a year.
Average rent a month by size, September 2026
One bedroom: £953,
Two bedrooms: £1,229,
Three bedrooms: £1,517,
Average private rent per month, September 2026
| Area | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| England | £1,466 | |
| South East | £1,438 | |
| Portsmouth | £1,374 | |
| Chichester | £1,340 | |
| Worthing | £1,300 | |
| Arun | £1,240 | |
| Havant | £1,159 |
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, September 2026. Chichester = the district.
Council tax, 2026/27
A Band D home in the city pays £2,492.15 for 2026/27, the seventh highest of the district’s 67 parish areas. The city council’s own part rose £44.53 to £122.08. Bands run from £1,661.44 (A) to £4,984.30 (H).
Median full-time pay for district residents was £37,522 in 2026 (provisional), against £41,140 in England. This is a survey estimate with a wide margin of error. At the 2021 Census, 52.7% of city households owned their home and 2.0% were in shared ownership; 23.6% rented privately and 21.6% rented socially. A third (32.5%) lived in flats, double the district share.
Who lives in Chichester?
The city had 29,407 residents at the 2021 Census, about 9.7% more than in 2011.
City, 2021 Census: 29,407,
City, mid-2024: about 32,100, ONS small-area estimate
District, mid-2025: 130,224, ONS estimate
Age of residents, 2021 Census (% of population)
| Age band | Chichester city England | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 20.3% 23.1% | |
| 20 to 39 | 27.5% 26.3% | |
| 40 to 64 | 28.6% 32.1% | |
| 65 and over | 23.6% 18.4% |
Source: ONS Census 2021. City = its five wards; age bands grouped by us.
| 2021 Census unless stated | City | District | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | about 41* | 48 | 40 |
| Households of one person living alone | 37.4% | 31.1% | 30.1% |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | 26.1% | 29.7% | 21.5% |
| Full-time students (aged 16+) | 13.2% | 6.7% | 7.9% |
| Level 4 qualification or above (degree, HND or similar) | 38.5% | 37.2% | 33.9% |
| Households with no car or van | 25.0% | 14.1% | 23.5% |
| Gigabit-capable broadband (premises, Jan 2026) | about 86%* | 67.3% | 88.4% |
Sources: ONS Census 2021 (city = its five wards); Ofcom Connected Nations, January 2026. *Our calculation from official data.
Getting around: trains, the A27 and walking
Chichester station has step-free access to all platforms, and direct trains reach London Victoria in about 1h 36m, twice an hour off-peak and in the morning peak. Fishbourne, Bosham, Nutbourne and Southbourne stations serve the villages to the west.
Fastest journeys by train
| From Chichester to | Fastest journey | Direct trains an hour (off-peak) |
|---|---|---|
| London Victoria | about 1h 36m | 2 |
| London Waterloo | 1h 43m, one change at Havant | None |
| Gatwick Airport | about 1 hour | usually 2 |
| Brighton | 51 minutes | 4 |
| Worthing | 27 minutes | 4 |
| Portsmouth & Southsea | 24 minutes | 3 |
| Southampton Central | about 58 minutes | 2 |
Source: National Rail journey planner, checked October 2026; the 15 December 2026 timetable, after the 13 December change, shows the same fastest times to Victoria, Portsmouth and Southampton.
The A27 bypass
The adopted Local Plan calls congestion around its junctions a major concern for residents and businesses that spills onto local roads, and a national bypass upgrade is not in the 2026-31 road strategy published in March 2026.
Walking and air
At the 2021 Census, taken during a lockdown, 18.7% of employed city residents walked to work and 5.1% cycled, about double the district rates. In 2024 every monitoring site in the district met the annual nitrogen dioxide objective. St Pancras recorded 33.7 against 40 micrograms per cubic metre, though part of it remains an Air Quality Management Area.
Schools and the university
Bishop Luffa is Outstanding, Chichester High Good in every judgement, and the all-through free school just south of the city Good. The latest Ofsted outcomes:
- Bishop Luffa School (Church of England, 11-18) Outstanding late 2022 Outstanding in every area, including its sixth form. Ofsted set it no improvement points.
- Chichester High School (11-18) Good in every judgement November 2024 Good for each key judgement and Outstanding for its sixth form; no overall grade is now given. Ofsted asked for more consistent curriculum teaching and more pupils taking the EBacc mix.
- Chichester Free School (4-19) Good May 2024 Good, with personal development Outstanding.
“Behaviour is exemplary. Any rare acts of unkindness, bullying or inappropriate language are tackled immediately by caring staff.”
Ofsted, Bishop Luffa School report (inspected November–December 2022)
Seven of the city’s eight mainstream primary-phase schools were last judged or confirmed Good; none is currently graded Outstanding, Requires improvement or Inadequate. Portfield Primary Academy’s January 2026 report card graded four areas ‘needs attention’.
Chichester city’s 8 mainstream state primary-phase schools: latest Ofsted outcome
| Latest outcome | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Good at a graded inspection | 3 | |
| Good, confirmed at an ungraded inspection | 4 | |
| New-style report card | 1 |
Source: Ofsted and the Department for Education school register, checked October 2026. One graded Good is the predecessor school; Kingsham is counted by its June 2025 ungraded inspection.
University of Chichester
6,375 higher education students in 2024/25.
Health: St Richard’s Hospital and GPs
St Richard’s Hospital CQC, as at November 2026
The Care Quality Commission rates St Richard’s Outstanding for caring and Good for effective. Overall it is Requires improvement, as are safe, responsive and well-led; that combines service ratings from 2016 to 2026. Children’s and young people’s services were rated Good in May 2026.
The city’s four GP practices
All rated Good; ratings published 2017 to 2020. In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 69% to 88% of their patients described their overall experience as good (England 77%).
Is Chichester safe? Crime in context
ONS crime figures put Chichester district’s recorded crime rate at 60.0 per 1,000 residents in the year to June 2026, excluding fraud. That is well below England and Wales (84.6) and the Sussex Police area (73.3). Recorded crime counts only offences reported to and recorded by the police, so it is a guide, not a direct measure of safety.
West Sussex’s seven districts
Below Crawley (107.3), Worthing (79.5) and Arun (70.4) and above Adur (53.1), Mid Sussex (45.1) and Horsham (43.7). Recorded crime fell 4.6% on the year before, to 7,735 offences.
Source: ONS police recorded crime tables, year ending June 2026, excluding fraud.
Police street-level data for September 2025 to August 2026 shows recorded crime concentrated in the city centre and the east of the city; these are counts, not rates.
Crime by type per 1,000 residents, year to June 2026
| Crime type | Chichester England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| Home burglary | 1.33 2.47 | |
| Vehicle crime | 2.4 5.0 | |
| Shoplifting | 7.6 8.4 | |
| All theft | 18.4 26.5 | |
| Violence | 21.5 31.7 |
Source: ONS police recorded crime tables, year ending June 2026. All theft includes shoplifting, vehicle offences and burglary.
Is Chichester posh? Wealth and deprivation
Partly. Harbour Villages, just west of the city, has the highest prices, while the city itself is more mixed. In the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, Chichester district ranks 177th most deprived of 296 districts, in the less deprived half. The exception is access to housing and services, where the district ranks 55th.
Deprivation rank, 2025
Most deprived 20%: 0 of 75, district areas
Least deprived 10%: 5 of 75, district areas
Average household income: about £50,600 and £54,000, two city areas
ONS household income estimates, 2022-23; the England and Wales middle is about £52,700. The city is mixed: its 17 neighbourhood areas include two in England’s least deprived 10% and the district’s four most deprived.
Jobs and work in Chichester
About 63,000 employee jobs were based in the district in 2024, according to provisional ONS figures. Health and social care is the biggest sector, with 15.9% of employee jobs; manufacturing, education, retail and hospitality each account for roughly 9.5%.
Employee jobs: about 63,000, district, 2024 (BRES)
Jobs per resident 16-64: 1.06, England 0.86
Claiming unemployment-related benefits: 3.2%, of residents aged 16 to 64 (2,325 people), September 2026; West Sussex 3.1%, England 4.1%
Share of employee jobs, selected sectors, 2024 (%)
| Sector | Chichester England | |
|---|---|---|
| Health and care | 15.9% 13.8% | |
| Property | 3.6% 1.9% | |
| Agriculture | 3.2% 0.5% | |
| Transport, storage | 1.6% 5.1% | |
| Finance | 1.4% 3.4% |
Source: ONS Business Register and Employment Survey, provisional 2024. Chichester = jobs based in the district; agriculture includes forestry and fishing.
What is changing in and around the city?
The Local Plan requires at least 11,484 homes by 2039; new unitary councils would take over services in April 2029.
Homes and councils: the dates that matter
- Adopted August 2025 The Chichester Local Plan 2021-2039. At least 11,484 homes, stepped from 575 a year to 701 a year from 2030/31. Official figures for the whole district, including its National Park part, show 620 net additional homes in 2024-25 (provisional) and 3,629 over the five years to then.
- Allocated sites Land West of Chichester, at least 1,600 homes; Land West of Tangmere, 1,300. The council calls the Southern Gateway, around the bus and rail stations, “the biggest regeneration project that the city has seen for decades”.
- By early 2027 A government decision on new unitary councils, the county council expects. The new councils would take over services in April 2029.
- May 2028 The first Mayor of Sussex and Brighton. Elected separately from the council changes.
Moving to Chichester: parking and permits
Chichester has 13 controlled parking zones. Some properties, including multiple-occupancy developments, cannot get permits. You apply online with your council tax account number, proof of residency and proof the vehicle is yours at that address.
A first resident permit, per year
Full-day zones: £68, a year, most zones
Part-day zones: £49, a year
City Centre zone: £209, a year
Moving day: how we plan access
To keep kerb space free for a removal van, apply for a parking bay suspension at least six working days ahead. It costs £45 plus £10 a day for each bay of about 10 metres inside the zones, or £45 per bay outside them. Our guide to moving with us in Chichester explains how we plan access.
On yellow lines a van may load Only when all three apply; there is no right to park
- No loading ban is shown
- The loading is continuous
- It is impractical to load elsewhere
From our crews Older houses take the most planning
On one Chichester job the sofa went in through an opening where a window had been, because the door would not take it. The account is in how to get a sofa through a window.
Jack Wolfe
Director, Wolves Removals · Ashington, West Sussex
Jack runs Wolves Removals, which has moved families and businesses across West and East Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent since 2016 from its Ashington base. The firm is fully insured, Checkatrade-verified and a LAPADA Approved Service Provider for antiques and fine art. More about us, or read our reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, on the official figures. Chichester scores well on several measures: recorded crime well below the England and Wales rate, no neighbourhood in England’s most deprived 20%, an Outstanding state secondary and Excellent-rated beaches nearby. The main drawbacks are cost, with homes at 11.8 times local full-time pay, and congestion on the A27 bypass.
For buyers, yes. The average house price in Chichester district was £428,364 in August 2026, about £54,900 above the West Sussex average. In the city itself, our calculation of the median price paid was £350,000. The district’s average private rent, £1,340 a month, is below the South East (£1,438) and England (£1,466) averages.
Chichester district recorded 60.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in the year to June 2026, excluding fraud, well below England and Wales (84.6) and the Sussex Police area (73.3). In the city, recorded crime is concentrated in the city centre and the east; these are counts, not rates, and busy areas draw shoppers, workers and visitors.
Not on the official measures. None of Chichester district’s 75 neighbourhood areas is among England’s most deprived 20%. Police counts are highest in the city centre and the east of the city because those are the busy places.
Direct trains from Chichester reach London Victoria in about 1h 36m, twice an hour off-peak and in the morning peak. Portsmouth is about 24 minutes and Southampton under an hour by direct train, and National Rail shows the same fastest times after the 13 December 2026 timetable change.
