Horsham vs Mid Sussex: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £10,000 (3%) more in Mid Sussex than in Horsham. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Horsham | Mid Sussex | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very 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 2% higher than in Horsham (£43,487), while a typical terraced house costs 3% more (£375,000 against £365,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 8.4× annual pay in Horsham and 8.5× in Mid Sussex. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Horsham and 38% in Mid Sussex. Renting is harder in Horsham; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Horsham is the 56th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Mid Sussex is the 57th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Horsham is the 78th most expensive of 316 areas and Mid Sussex is the 96th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Horsham would need about £41,000 in Mid Sussex to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Mid Sussex 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 44.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Horsham and 45.0 in Mid Sussex: about the same. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.2 per 1,000 in Horsham against 4.1 in Mid Sussex.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Horsham | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £43,487 | £44,352 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.4× | 8.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 60% | 59% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 41% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Horsham | Mid Sussex | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £668,000 | £650,000 | -3% in Mid Sussex |
| Semi-detached | £445,000 | £458,000 | +3% in Mid Sussex |
| Terraced | £365,000 | £375,000 | +3% in Mid Sussex |
| Flat | £229,000 | £240,000 | +5% in Mid Sussex |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Horsham | Mid Sussex | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,105 | £2,043 | -3% in Mid Sussex |
| Semi-detached | £1,636 | £1,605 | -2% in Mid Sussex |
| Terraced | £1,479 | £1,412 | -5% in Mid Sussex |
| Flat | £1,159 | £1,143 | -1% in Mid Sussex |
Crime
Police recorded 44.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Horsham and 45.0 in Mid Sussex: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Horsham | Mid Sussex | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 44.4 | 45.0 | +1% in Mid Sussex |
| Violence against the person | 16.2 | 17.1 | +6% in Mid Sussex |
| Sexual offences | 2.0 | 2.2 | +14% in Mid Sussex |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 0.4 | -2% in Mid Sussex |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.2 | 4.1 | +26% in Mid Sussex |
| Vehicle offences | 2.0 | 2.4 | +22% in Mid Sussex |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0% in Mid Sussex |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.7 | 4.8 | +4% 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 | Horsham | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 103 |
| 2007 | 117 | 114 |
| 2008 | 116 | 115 |
| 2009 | 103 | 100 |
| 2010 | 114 | 112 |
| 2011 | 114 | 110 |
| 2012 | 116 | 112 |
| 2013 | 121 | 116 |
| 2014 | 131 | 128 |
| 2015 | 141 | 138 |
| 2016 | 153 | 152 |
| 2017 | 160 | 156 |
| 2018 | 161 | 159 |
| 2019 | 159 | 158 |
| 2020 | 159 | 160 |
| 2021 | 164 | 165 |
| 2022 | 178 | 181 |
| 2023 | 179 | 182 |
| 2024 | 176 | 181 |
| 2025 | 184 | 186 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 186 | 187 |
In 2005 the average home cost £238,882 in Horsham and £232,731 in Mid Sussex. Now it is £443,182 and £435,478: Horsham is up 86% and Mid Sussex is up 87%.
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 | Horsham | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.8 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | – | 8.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | – | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 11.1 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.1 years of pay | 9.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.8 years of pay in Horsham and 8.7 years in Mid Sussex. In 2025 it was 10.1 years and 9.8 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Horsham | Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 104 |
| 2017 | 108 | 106 |
| 2018 | 111 | 107 |
| 2019 | 112 | 109 |
| 2020 | 114 | 110 |
| 2021 | 116 | 112 |
| 2022 | 123 | 116 |
| 2023 | 129 | 124 |
| 2024 | 141 | 134 |
| 2025 | 150 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 156 | 147 |
In 2015 the average rent was £943 a month in Horsham and £970 in Mid Sussex. Now it is £1,474 and £1,423: up 56% in Horsham and up 47% in Mid Sussex. Rents have risen faster in Horsham.
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 Horsham to Mid Sussex
| Earning in Horsham | Equivalent to buy in Mid Sussex | Equivalent to rent in Mid Sussex |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,000 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £38,000 |
| £50,000 | £51,500 | £47,500 |
| £60,000 | £61,500 | £57,500 |
Moving from Mid Sussex to Horsham
| Earning in Mid Sussex | Equivalent to buy in Horsham | Equivalent to rent in Horsham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,000 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £42,000 |
| £50,000 | £48,500 | £52,500 |
| £60,000 | £58,500 | £63,000 |