Pay vs Place

Arun vs Canterbury: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £7,000 (2%) more in Canterbury than in Arun. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Arun: it takes 8.4× median annual pay, against 7.9× in Canterbury.

Arun, terraced
£290,000
Income typically needed: £58,000
Median full-time pay: £34,546
Canterbury, terraced
£297,000
Income typically needed: £59,500
Median full-time pay: £37,682

At a glance

Arun Canterbury
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime About average About average

Buying rates the typical price of all homes against median pay; renting rates a year of average rent against median pay; crime rates recorded crime per resident against the England and Wales average.

What the numbers say

Median full-time pay in Canterbury (£37,682) is 9% higher than in Arun (£34,546), while a typical terraced house costs 2% more (£297,000 against £290,000). Set against local pay, Canterbury is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.4× annual pay in Arun and 7.9× in Canterbury. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Arun and 43% in Canterbury. Buying is harder in Arun; renting is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Arun is the 62nd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Canterbury is the 83rd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Arun is the 63rd most expensive of 316 areas and Canterbury is the 75th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Arun would need about £41,000 in Canterbury to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £42,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Canterbury would leave you worse placed to buy. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.

Police recorded 70.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Arun and 79.7 in Canterbury, so recorded crime per resident is 13% higher in Canterbury.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Arun Canterbury
Median full-time pay £34,546 £37,682
House price ÷ pay 8.4× 7.9×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 60% 63%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 44% 43%

Buying, by property type

Type Arun Canterbury Difference
Detached £490,000 £475,000 -3% in Canterbury
Semi-detached £340,000 £340,000 0% in Canterbury
Terraced £290,000 £297,000 +2% in Canterbury
Flat £175,000 £194,750 +11% in Canterbury

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Arun Canterbury Difference
Detached £1,675 £1,666 -1% in Canterbury
Semi-detached £1,359 £1,469 +8% in Canterbury
Terraced £1,269 £1,337 +5% in Canterbury
Flat £978 £1,025 +5% in Canterbury

Crime

Police recorded 70.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Arun and 79.7 in Canterbury, so recorded crime per resident is 13% higher in Canterbury.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Arun Canterbury Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 70.6 79.7 +13% in Canterbury
Violence against the person 26.2 28.5 +9% in Canterbury
Sexual offences 2.9 2.9 0% in Canterbury
Robbery 1.2 1.1 -9% in Canterbury
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.8 4.2 +11% in Canterbury
Vehicle offences 3.6 3.6 +1% in Canterbury
Theft from the person 0.3 0.4 +68% in Canterbury
Criminal damage and arson 7.4 8.2 +10% in Canterbury

Rates use resident population, so city centres and student areas show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on reporting and police recording practice.

How prices have changed in each area

Average house price for all property types, indexed so that 2005 is 100. A line at 200 means prices have doubled.

Arun: 174Canterbury: 189
House prices in Arun and Canterbury since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Arun now 174, Canterbury now 189.10012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Arun and Canterbury since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Arun now 174, Canterbury now 189.10012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearArunCanterbury
2005100100
2006105105
2007117116
2008114116
2009100104
2010110114
2011106113
2012109114
2013112118
2014120131
2015130140
2016139153
2017146163
2018152169
2019151170
2020153174
2021165181
2022181195
2023181196
2024176187
2025174188
12 months to July 2026174189

In 2005 the average home cost £184,674 in Arun and £178,637 in Canterbury. Now it is £321,110 and £338,096: Arun is up 74% and Canterbury is up 89%. Prices have risen faster in Canterbury, so the gap between the two has narrowed.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Arun: 9.3 years of payCanterbury: 8.9 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Arun and CanterburyArun now 9.3, Canterbury now 8.9 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Arun and CanterburyArun now 9.3, Canterbury now 8.9 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearArunCanterbury
20059.0 years of pay6.9 years of pay
20108.5 years of pay7.8 years of pay
20159.6 years of pay7.8 years of pay
20209.8 years of pay10.2 years of pay
20259.3 years of pay8.9 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 9.0 years of pay in Arun and 6.9 years in Canterbury. In 2025 it was 9.3 years and 8.9 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Canterbury over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Arun: 158Canterbury: 144
Rents in Arun and Canterbury since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Arun now 158, Canterbury now 144.100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Arun and Canterbury since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Arun now 158, Canterbury now 144.100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearArunCanterbury
2015100100
2016104104
2017106109
2018110109
2019113111
2020114111
2021117114
2022120119
2023130124
2024142130
2025153136
August 2026158144

In 2015 the average rent was £778 a month in Arun and £890 in Canterbury. Now it is £1,231 and £1,280: up 58% in Arun and up 44% in Canterbury. Rents have risen faster in Arun.

What your salary is worth in each area

Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.

Moving from Arun to Canterbury

Earning in Arun Equivalent to buy in Canterbury Equivalent to rent in Canterbury
£30,000 £30,500 £31,500
£40,000 £41,000 £42,000
£50,000 £51,000 £52,500
£60,000 £61,500 £63,000

Moving from Canterbury to Arun

Earning in Canterbury Equivalent to buy in Arun Equivalent to rent in Arun
£30,000 £29,500 £28,500
£40,000 £39,000 £38,000
£50,000 £49,000 £47,500
£60,000 £58,500 £57,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Arun figures · All Canterbury figures