Pay vs Place

Ashford vs Worthing: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £55,000 (19%) more in Worthing than in Ashford. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Worthing: it takes 9.3× median annual pay, against 7.6× in Ashford.

Ashford, terraced
£285,000
Income typically needed: £57,000
Median full-time pay: £37,440
Worthing, terraced
£340,000
Income typically needed: £68,000
Median full-time pay: £36,581

At a glance

Ashford Worthing
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 Worthing (£36,581) is 2% lower than in Ashford (£37,440), while a typical terraced house costs 19% more (£340,000 against £285,000). Set against local pay, Ashford is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 7.6× annual pay in Ashford and 9.3× in Worthing. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Ashford and 45% in Worthing. Both are harder in Worthing, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Ashford is the 79th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Worthing is the 75th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Ashford is the 85th most expensive of 316 areas and Worthing is the 64th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Ashford would need about £47,500 in Worthing to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £43,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Worthing 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 65.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashford and 80.2 in Worthing, so recorded crime per resident is 23% higher in Worthing. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.6 per 1,000 in Ashford against 3.1 in Worthing.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Ashford Worthing
Median full-time pay £37,440 £36,581
House price ÷ pay 7.6× 9.3×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 66% 54%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 41% 45%

Buying, by property type

Type Ashford Worthing Difference
Detached £515,000 £525,000 +2% in Worthing
Semi-detached £337,000 £392,375 +16% in Worthing
Terraced £285,000 £340,000 +19% in Worthing
Flat £175,000 £210,000 +20% in Worthing

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Ashford Worthing Difference
Detached £1,783 £1,716 -4% in Worthing
Semi-detached £1,333 £1,449 +9% in Worthing
Terraced £1,268 £1,358 +7% in Worthing
Flat £1,045 £1,042 -0% in Worthing

Crime

Police recorded 65.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashford and 80.2 in Worthing, so recorded crime per resident is 23% higher in Worthing.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Ashford Worthing Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 65.3 80.2 +23% in Worthing
Violence against the person 27.0 28.4 +5% in Worthing
Sexual offences 2.9 3.4 +15% in Worthing
Robbery 0.5 1.2 +133% in Worthing
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.6 3.1 -32% in Worthing
Vehicle offences 2.4 3.1 +33% in Worthing
Theft from the person 0.3 0.3 +14% in Worthing
Criminal damage and arson 7.0 6.6 -6% in Worthing

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.

Ashford: 191Worthing: 188
House prices in Ashford and Worthing since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ashford now 191, Worthing now 188.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Ashford and Worthing since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ashford now 191, Worthing now 188.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearAshfordWorthing
2005100100
2006107105
2007117117
2008113115
200910299
2010110109
2011106108
2012109110
2013114114
2014121126
2015131137
2016143151
2017152158
2018159162
2019161164
2020163163
2021173182
2022188200
2023190201
2024188192
2025189192
12 months to July 2026191188

In 2005 the average home cost £180,701 in Ashford and £162,193 in Worthing. Now it is £345,734 and £304,635: Ashford is up 91% and Worthing is up 88%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

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

Ashford: 9.1 years of payWorthing: 8.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ashford and WorthingAshford now 9.1, Worthing now 8.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ashford and WorthingAshford now 9.1, Worthing now 8.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearAshfordWorthing
20058.0 years of pay–
20108.1 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20158.5 years of pay8.3 years of pay
20209.8 years of pay9.0 years of pay
20259.1 years of pay8.5 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 8.1 years of pay in Ashford and 7.0 years in Worthing. In 2025 it was 9.1 years and 8.5 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Ashford: 164Worthing: 155
Rents in Ashford and Worthing since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ashford now 164, Worthing now 155.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Ashford and Worthing since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ashford now 164, Worthing now 155.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearAshfordWorthing
2015100100
2016103105
2017108110
2018112113
2019114115
2020116117
2021119120
2022127126
2023134139
2024146149
2025157155
August 2026164155

In 2015 the average rent was £762 a month in Ashford and £836 in Worthing. Now it is £1,248 and £1,297: up 64% in Ashford and up 55% in Worthing. Rents have risen faster in Ashford.

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 Ashford to Worthing

Earning in Ashford Equivalent to buy in Worthing Equivalent to rent in Worthing
£30,000 £36,000 £32,000
£40,000 £47,500 £43,000
£50,000 £59,500 £53,500
£60,000 £71,500 £64,500

Moving from Worthing to Ashford

Earning in Worthing Equivalent to buy in Ashford Equivalent to rent in Ashford
£30,000 £25,000 £28,000
£40,000 £33,500 £37,500
£50,000 £42,000 £46,500
£60,000 £50,500 £56,000
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 Ashford figures · All Worthing figures