Living in Chichester: The Complete Area Guide
If you're considering moving to Chichester, West Sussex, this guide covers everything you need to know about the area: crime rates and safety, school ratings and Ofsted results, house prices and market trends, transport links and commuting, local amenities, flood risk and air quality, and council tax. Every figure below is drawn from official England-wide datasets and benchmarked against the rest of the country, so you can see how living in Chichester actually compares before you book a viewing.
Chichester, West Sussex scores 7.2/10 overall in our area index, which puts it scores higher than 75% of England. Recorded crime runs at about 184.9 offences per 1,000 residents a year — in the highest-crime 12% of England. The median sold price nearby is £475,000, making it a comparatively expensive housing market and the local authority index has moved down 1% in the last year. Chichester Rail Station is roughly 6 minutes' walk from the town centre point we sampled, with 29 bus stops inside a 800 m radius. Day-to-day amenities include 9 grocery options and 21 health services within the walking radius.
Town-level figures sampled around PO19 1HD · updated 2026-08-06
Chichester area score: crime, schools, transport, amenities
Five categories, each scored 1–10 and ranked against the rest of England.
Chichester crime, schools, transport and house prices
Chichester crime statistics and safety
in the highest-crime 12% of England
Against comparable English towns that puts Chichester in the highest-crime 12% of England, so it sits in the busier third of the country for recorded offences. The largest single category is violent crime, at 32% of the offences we sampled, followed by anti social behaviour. A violence-weighted mix usually concentrates around night-time economy streets rather than residential roads, so the picture can change sharply a few streets out. We annualised roughly 5,172 recorded offences around the centre to reach that rate, so month-to-month noise is smoothed out but a single busy street can still lift it. Our safety score of 2.0/10 reflects that rate after calibration against England-wide levels.
Source: data.police.uk street-level crime.
House prices in Chichester
House prices in Chichester are down 1% over the last year and up 8.9% over five years (UK House Price Index).
A typical home nearby sold for £475,000. The trimmed average of £583,979 sits well above the median, which tells you a tail of larger or higher-spec homes is pulling the mean up while typical stock trades lower. Over the last year the local authority House Price Index moved down 1%, and up 8.9% across five years. Steady rather than spectacular movement tends to signal a market driven by local owner-occupiers rather than investor churn. The median is based on 292 recent Land Registry sales in PO19 1.
Sources: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data; UK House Price Index (ONS / HM Land Registry).
Schools and education in Chichester
Left edge is central Chichester; dots sit further right the further away they are.
9 Ofsted-rated schools sit inside the search radius, split 12 primary-phase to 3 secondary-phase. Primary provision heavily outnumbers secondary, which is normal for an English town but means secondary catchment is the tighter competition. 3 of the nearest listed schools currently hold a Good or Outstanding judgement. The closest is St Richard's Catholic Primary School, about 0.4 km from the centre point we sampled. Nationally, Chichester schools rate better than 62% of England. Ofsted grades age quickly and admissions are decided by distance in most years, so confirm the current catchment cut-off for the exact street before committing.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools; Ofsted.
Chichester transport links
in the best-connected 5% of England
Chichester Rail Station (rail station) is 0.5 km away, about 6 minutes on foot.
Chichester Rail Station is about 6 minutes' walk away. Anything inside a 12-minute walk is normally treated as genuinely commutable and tends to carry a price premium over otherwise identical stock further out. We counted 29 bus stops within 800 m, a dense network that usually means several routes rather than one hourly service. Overall the area is in the best-connected 5% of England. Access varies street by street: the same postcode district can be a five-minute walk from the platform at one end and a 30-minute one at the other.
Source: DfT NaPTAN public transport access nodes.
Amenities and lifestyle in Chichester
in the best-served 1% of England for amenities
Nearest everyday amenity: HSBC UK (Bank), 3 m away.
We mapped 195 everyday amenities inside the walking radius around the centre of Chichester. Multiple grocery options within walking distance is the single strongest predictor of a genuinely liveable centre, and it holds value in a soft market. The mix leans heavily towards food and drink rather than leisure, typical of a high-street-led town centre. Average Food Standards Agency hygiene rating nearby is 4.9/5, which is strong. Nationally that leaves Chichester in the best-served 1% of England for amenities.
Sources: OpenStreetMap; NHS ODS; Food Standards Agency hygiene ratings.
Chichester environment, flood risk and air quality
Flood risk: High - many monitored flood areas within 5 km
Flood picture: high - many monitored flood areas within 5 km. Environment Agency flood areas overlap the search radius, which can affect both insurance premiums and lender appetite, so ask for a flood search on the specific address. Air quality reads 33 on the European AQI (Fair). That is a fair reading, typical of an English town centre with through traffic. Overall the environment score puts the area in the lowest flood-risk 1% of England.
Sources: Environment Agency flood areas; Open-Meteo air quality.
Council tax in Chichester
cheaper council tax than 40% of England
Most common band locally: Band C — a typical bill of £2,195 a year.
A Band D bill of £2,470 works out at roughly £206 a month over ten instalments under Chichester. That is cheaper council tax than 40% of England. Most homes locally fall in Band C, so the typical household bill differs from the Band D headline that councils publish. Council tax is a fixed annual cost that rarely falls, so it belongs in the affordability calculation alongside the mortgage.
Sources: Valuation Office Agency (council tax bands); MHCLG council tax levels.
Our verdict on Chichester
Chichester's strongest category is amenities, at 10.0/10. Safety is the weakest at 2.0/10 — worth checking street by street before you commit. Budget-wise, expect a median sold price around £475,000 and a Band D council tax bill of £2,470 a year (cheaper council tax than 40% of England). 9 Ofsted-rated schools sit within the search radius, so catchment is likely to be the deciding factor for families. Flood picture: high - many monitored flood areas within 5 km. These figures describe the centre of Chichester as a whole — individual streets can differ sharply, which is what the full PO19 postcode report is for.
Expert insights: buying and renting in Chichester
Commentary from our property analysts, based entirely on the Chichester figures above. It is general market guidance rather than regulated financial, legal or valuation advice.
Where the value sits right now
With a median around £475,000, the pricing signal in Chichester is set by the town's amenities strength. With the index down year on year, sellers who bought at the peak are the ones most likely to negotiate; ask how long the property has been listed and whether the price has already been reduced. The discount pockets tend to be the streets that inherit the town's weak safety rather than its strong amenities, which is exactly where a street-level check pays for itself.
Up-and-coming pockets to look at
In towns like this the areas that re-rate first are usually the streets just outside the immediate Chichester Rail Station walking ring, where buyers priced out of the premium zone spill over. Secondary catchment boundaries move value more than any other single factor here; a road that switches catchment can shift 5 to 10% in local asking prices. Walk the route at 8am and again at 10pm before you commit. Traffic, parking pressure and night-time noise are the things the data cannot show you.
Advice for buyers
Set your budget against the £475,000 median rather than asking prices, and get the flood, drainage and planning searches done early. Flood areas overlap this radius, so an insurance quote before exchange, not after, can save an aborted purchase. Factor in the council tax bill of roughly £2,470 a year at Band D when you compare monthly costs with a cheaper town.
Advice for renters
Renting first is the low-risk way to test Chichester, particularly if you are moving in from outside the region. Prioritise a commute you would still accept in January: 6 minutes to the station in daylight feels longer in the dark and rain. Ask the agent for the property's council tax band and EPC rating up front; both change the real monthly cost more than a £25 difference in rent.
Local Area Search analyst desk · Property Corner Ltd, RM1 3PB. Insights are generated from official England-wide datasets (police.uk, HM Land Registry, DfE/Ofsted, NaPTAN, Environment Agency, VOA) refreshed for Chichester on 2026-08-06.
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Frequently asked questions about living in Chichester
Is Chichester a safe place to live?
Police recorded roughly 184.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year around central Chichester, which we band as above average — in the highest-crime 12% of England. Our safety score for the area is 2.0/10.
What are average house prices in Chichester?
The median sold price near the centre of Chichester is £475,000, with an outlier-trimmed average of £583,979 across 292 recent Land Registry sales. House prices in Chichester are down 1% over the last year and up 8.9% over five years (UK House Price Index).
What schools are there in Chichester?
We found 12 primary-phase and 3 secondary-phase schools near the centre of Chichester, 9 of them Ofsted-rated. Examples include St Richard's Catholic Primary School, St. Joseph's CofE Junior School, Chichester High School.
How good are transport links in Chichester?
The nearest station is Chichester Rail Station, about 6 minutes' walk, and there are 29 bus stops within walking distance. Our transport score for the area is 9.4/10.
How much is council tax in Chichester?
Chichester charges £2,470 a year at Band D for 2026-27. The most common band locally is Band C, a typical bill of £2,195.