With the cost of living in London being prohibitively expensive for more and more people, there’s a growing demand for affordable housing just outside the UK’s capital. Kent is not only ideally located for commuters working in London, but it’s also a great place to live in its own right.
Combining some fantastic history and culture, including Canterbury Cathedral and Dover Castle, with modern attractions like Ashford Designer outlet, Kent has something to offer everyone and is a great choice for both young professionals and families too.
Dover Castle
If you’re thinking of moving to Kent, then it’s important to think about what’s most important to you. To help, we’ve put together a list of some of the best areas to live in the county based on specific criteria, including the best places for affordable housing, culture, schools, the best areas for commuters and the best towns.
Let’s start by looking at areas in Kent with affordable housing.
Best places for affordable property
When it comes to finding a new place to live, affordable property is always a big consideration. Although there are certainly a lot of upmarket areas in Kent that have properties for eye-watering prices, there are also plenty of more affordable areas too.
Whether you’re looking for a house or a flat, below are some of the best areas in Kent for affordable property.
- Dover – Situated on the south coast, Dover has some of the cheapest property prices in Kent, with the average house costing £254,102. It’s true that Dover is quite a distance from London, so if you work in the capital, it might not be ideal but the property is very affordable compared to many other areas in Kent.
- Sheerness – Properties in Sheerness have an average price of £275,389, which makes them slightly more expensive than those in Dover while still being quite affordable. There are a good number of flats as well as semi-detached and detached houses in Sheerness, with detached properties being the most expensive, with an average price of £392,828.
- Queenborough – Queenborough is the cheapest area to buy property in Kent, with the average price of property being £232,081. The average price for semi-detached houses in Queenborough is £240,650 with terraced houses costing £241,650. If you’re looking for a flat rather than a house, then they are considerably cheaper, with an average cost of £108,000.
Best places for culture
Canterbury Cathedral
Kent is one of the areas in the UK that’s very well known for its culture, with the council placing a lot of importance on it. If culture is at the top of your list, then there are some great choices for places to live in Kent, with many historic castles and cathedrals to be found throughout the county.
Below are some of the best areas in Kent for culture.
- Canterbury – Canterbury is probably best known for its cathedral. Dating all the way back to the 14th century, it’s an incredible structure that’s also one of the oldest in England. In addition to Canterbury Cathedral, there’s also St Augustine’s Abbey and Canterbury City Wall. It isn’t only historic structures that Canterbury has to offer when it comes to culture though; there are plenty of more modern attractions too, such as The Marlowe – a modern theatre showing a mixture of musicals, stand up and Shakespeare. There are also many excellent restaurants, bars and cafes to be found throughout the city.
- Folkestone – Folkestone is another excellent choice if culture is what you’re looking for when moving to Kent. Firstly is the Harbour and the Harbour arm, with the latter being recently redeveloped. There’s also the Folkestone Museum – home to an incredible collection of fossils and artefacts related to the city. You can also ride The Channel Tunnel in Folkestone, so if you want to visit cities such as Paris or Brussels, it’s ideal.
- Sevenoaks – Sevenoaks has plenty to offer in the way of culture. Some of the highlights include Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, Stag Community Arts Centre and Riverhill Himalayan Gardens. There are also some excellent restaurants, such as Ephesus Restaurant and Cocktails Bar. Property in Sevenoaks certainly isn’t cheap, however, with the cost of the average detached house being £1,358,339.
Best places for schools
If you have kids, then knowing which areas have the best schools is always going to be important. Luckily, there are many areas throughout Kent that are home to great primary and secondary schools. These include –
- Canterbury – Canterbury isn’t just an excellent city for culture but also has some of the region’s best schools, including Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, which is the highest rated secondary school in the county. Property in Canterbury is surprisingly affordable too, with the average semi-detached home costing £364,726.
- Tunbridge Wells – Tunbridge Wells is another area in Kent that’s home to some excellent schools. These include Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School and The Skinners’ School – both are very highly rated and make Tunbridge Wells an excellent choice if you have kids.
- Ashford – Ashford has a number of excellent primary schools and secondary schools. These include Cornfields School and St Mary’s Church of England Primary School. Ashford is also one of the more affordable areas to live in Kent, with property prices being £325,727 on average.
Best places for commuters
If your reason for moving to Kent is so you can commute to London each day, then below are some of the best areas to live.
Ashford – Ashford might seem like a strange choice of area for commuters at first glance, especially since it’s considerably further from London than other areas in the country, such as Dartford. However, the high-speed trains in Ashford allow you to get into London in just 40 minutes.
- Dartford – Dartford is ideally located for commuting to London. It’s just 18 miles from central London and you can get to many of the major rail stations in the capital, including Victoria, in less than an hour. When you consider that average property prices are less than half what they are in London too, it makes Dartford a perfect choice for commuters.
- Gravesend – Gravesend is another area in Kent that’s a good choice if you need to commute to London for work each day. Being 22 miles from central London, you can get there by car or train within an hour. The property prices are fairly reasonable too, with the average terrace house going for £318.011.
The best towns in Kent
Although there are some very nice villages throughout Kent, a lot of people prefer the livelier atmosphere of a town. With this in mind, below are some of the best towns in Kent.
- Faversham – Home to a number of beautiful listed buildings, Faversham is one of the standout towns in Kent. There are many independent shops to be found there and it’s known for its great pubs and restaurants. There’s also the excellent Faversham Market, which is the oldest street market in Kent.
- Sandwich – Sandwich is another fantastic town in Kent. There is plenty of historical architecture to be found and it’s also home to Sandwich Bay beach, making it a great place to live in the summer. There are also plenty of good restaurants and pubs in the area.
- Whitstable – Another seaside town, Whitstable is in a great location, being just 5 miles from Canterbury. There’s plenty to see and do there, including Whitstable Castle and the Whitstable Oyster Festival, which takes place every July.
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I’m Paul Smith, Founder and Director of HouseMoveHelper. I have a great love of business, marketing, the wilderness and love to travel. You can learn more about me here.