Hart vs Mid Sussex: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £5,000 (1%) more in Hart than in Mid Sussex. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Hart | Mid Sussex | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | Low |
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 Mid Sussex (£44,352) is 5% lower than in Hart (£46,502), while a typical terraced house costs 1% less (£375,000 against £380,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 8.2× annual pay in Hart and 8.5× in Mid Sussex. Renting one takes 36% of pay in Hart and 38% in Mid Sussex. Renting is harder in Mid Sussex; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Hart is the 63rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Mid Sussex is the 57th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Hart is the 118th most expensive of 316 areas and Mid Sussex is the 96th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Hart would need about £39,500 in Mid Sussex to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Mid Sussex would leave you better 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 58.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Hart and 45.0 in Mid Sussex, so recorded crime per resident is 23% lower in Mid Sussex. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 24.4 per 1,000 in Hart against 17.1 in Mid Sussex.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Hart | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £46,502 | £44,352 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.2× | 8.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 61% | 59% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 36% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Hart | Mid Sussex | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £675,000 | £650,000 | -4% in Mid Sussex |
| Semi-detached | £456,500 | £458,000 | +0% in Mid Sussex |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £375,000 | -1% in Mid Sussex |
| Flat | £230,000 | £240,000 | +4% in Mid Sussex |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Hart | Mid Sussex | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £2,043 | -3% in Mid Sussex |
| Semi-detached | £1,494 | £1,605 | +7% in Mid Sussex |
| Terraced | £1,391 | £1,412 | +2% in Mid Sussex |
| Flat | £1,159 | £1,143 | -1% in Mid Sussex |
Crime
Police recorded 58.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Hart and 45.0 in Mid Sussex, so recorded crime per resident is 23% lower in Mid Sussex.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Hart | Mid Sussex | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 58.2 | 45.0 | -23% in Mid Sussex |
| Violence against the person | 24.4 | 17.1 | -30% in Mid Sussex |
| Sexual offences | 2.6 | 2.2 | -15% in Mid Sussex |
| Robbery | 0.6 | 0.4 | -31% in Mid Sussex |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.4 | 4.1 | -8% in Mid Sussex |
| Vehicle offences | 3.0 | 2.4 | -19% in Mid Sussex |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.2 | -38% in Mid Sussex |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.2 | 4.8 | -6% in Mid Sussex |
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.
Show the figures
| Year | Hart | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 103 |
| 2007 | 115 | 114 |
| 2008 | 113 | 115 |
| 2009 | 102 | 100 |
| 2010 | 114 | 112 |
| 2011 | 114 | 110 |
| 2012 | 118 | 112 |
| 2013 | 124 | 116 |
| 2014 | 135 | 128 |
| 2015 | 147 | 138 |
| 2016 | 160 | 152 |
| 2017 | 164 | 156 |
| 2018 | 164 | 159 |
| 2019 | 164 | 158 |
| 2020 | 166 | 160 |
| 2021 | 174 | 165 |
| 2022 | 188 | 181 |
| 2023 | 191 | 182 |
| 2024 | 189 | 181 |
| 2025 | 194 | 186 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 197 | 187 |
In 2005 the average home cost £242,722 in Hart and £232,731 in Mid Sussex. Now it is £479,162 and £435,478: Hart is up 97% and Mid Sussex is up 87%. Prices have risen faster in Hart, so the gap between the two has widened.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | Hart | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.6 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.7 years of pay | 8.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 9.8 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.8 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.1 years of pay | 9.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.6 years of pay in Hart and 8.7 years in Mid Sussex. In 2025 it was 10.1 years and 9.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Hart over that time.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Hart | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 104 |
| 2017 | 106 | 106 |
| 2018 | 107 | 107 |
| 2019 | 107 | 109 |
| 2020 | 108 | 110 |
| 2021 | 109 | 112 |
| 2022 | 112 | 116 |
| 2023 | 118 | 124 |
| 2024 | 130 | 134 |
| 2025 | 137 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 142 | 147 |
In 2015 the average rent was £996 a month in Hart and £970 in Mid Sussex. Now it is £1,414 and £1,423: up 42% in Hart and up 47% in Mid Sussex.
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 Hart to Mid Sussex
| Earning in Hart | Equivalent to buy in Mid Sussex | Equivalent to rent in Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £30,500 |
| £40,000 | £39,500 | £40,500 |
| £50,000 | £49,500 | £51,000 |
| £60,000 | £59,000 | £61,000 |
Moving from Mid Sussex to Hart
| Earning in Mid Sussex | Equivalent to buy in Hart | Equivalent to rent in Hart |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £29,500 |
| £40,000 | £40,500 | £39,500 |
| £50,000 | £50,500 | £49,500 |
| £60,000 | £61,000 | £59,000 |