Living in Arun

Renting in Arun sits roughly in line with the UK median for a 2-bed. A one-bedroom flat typically runs around £839 a month; a two-bedroom about £1,127; and a three-bedroom around £1,378. Rents rose around 3.6% over the past year — moderate growth, not a sudden spike.

Council tax for a Band D property comes to around £2,487 a year, or just over £207 a month — add that to rent and the monthly outgoings add up quickly. The bigger squeeze is the rent-to-income ratio: at around 65% of take-home pay, renting here on a local wage is genuinely tight. The median property price is around £352,000, and at current savings rates you're looking at roughly six years to save a deposit.

Arun's crime rate runs at around 90 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — noticeably above the UK average of roughly 80 per 1,000. That's worth noting, though it's not dramatically higher and is fairly typical for a mixed coastal district with some areas of relative deprivation. The IMD score of 19.4 puts the district around the middle of the national deprivation range. If safety is a priority, it's worth researching individual neighbourhoods within Arun rather than relying on the district-wide figure — conditions vary considerably across the area.

Around 40% of schools within typical catchment distance in Arun are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average of roughly 89%. That's a significant gap and worth factoring in if you're moving with children. The nearest Outstanding school is roughly 7.4 km away as the crow flies, which is a meaningful distance in a district without metro links. Families prioritising school quality would do well to check specific catchments carefully before committing to a neighbourhood.

Arun is overwhelmingly a car-dependent district — nearly 60% of residents drive to work, and public transport accounts for under 4% of commutes. There's no metro or tram service within any realistic distance. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 1.8 km away (around a 23-minute walk on average), and the rail commute to London by public transport runs to about two hours. If you're London-based even part of the week, that's a serious commitment. Broadband is solid: over 80% of premises have gigabit-capable connections and there are no properties below the universal service obligation threshold.

Arun has one of the older age profiles you'll find in the South East. Around 28% of residents are 65 or older — nearly double the national share for that age group — while the 18–34 cohort makes up just 17% of the population. Owner-occupation runs at 71%, well above the national average, reflecting both the age profile and relatively stable housing stock. Private renting accounts for under 18% of homes. The ethnic diversity index is low at 8.1, and 89% of residents were born in the UK. Degree-level qualifications are held by around 26% of residents, roughly in line with the national figure.