What it's like to live in Canterbury

Social rents in the Canterbury council area averaged £98 a week for a one bed in 2024/25, £116 for a two bed and £129 for a three bed. Those are averages across the district, so your actual rent depends on the landlord, the property and the age of the home.

Canterbury City Council is by far the largest social landlord locally, with around 5,132 homes. After that come Moat Homes with 649, Hyde Housing Association with 615, Sanctuary Housing Association with 585 and Town and Country Housing with 547. If you are exchanging, your new landlord may well be one of these.

The council let 554 social homes in 2024-25, and demand is steady across the district. The population mix in the city leans younger than many Kent towns, helped by the student presence, which shapes the rental market and the feel of some central streets. Housing stock ranges from older terraces near the walls to post-war estates further out.

There is a good spread of primary schools close to the centre. St. Peter's Methodist Primary School is about a tenth of a mile away and St. John's Church of England Primary School around a third of a mile, so plenty of families in CT1 can walk the school run.

For older children, The Canterbury Academy is roughly three quarters of a mile away and Barton Court Grammar School about six tenths of a mile, with The King's School and its international college also in the city. That means both grammar and non-selective options are within a short journey, though admissions and catchments are worth checking carefully before you commit to a swap.

For younger children, Toddler's Cove is under half a mile from the centre and the city's gardens give easy places to run about. Canterbury Library is on the doorstep, and community centres such as City Space and Querns Community Centre host local activity. Kent and Canterbury Hospital is about a mile away.

Canterbury is unusual in having two railway stations less than half a mile apart. Canterbury West and Canterbury East both sit close to the centre, so wherever you land in CT1 you are likely within a short walk or a quick bus ride of one of them. Sturry station is about two and a half miles out, with Bekesbourne a little further for anyone living on that side.

Canterbury Bus Station is around a third of a mile from the middle of town and is the hub for services across the district and out to the coastal towns. If you don't drive, this is the part of city life that makes Canterbury workable.

On foot, the centre is genuinely easy. Shops, the library, pharmacies, parks and both stations sit within a few hundred metres of each other, and riverside paths link parts of the city. Drivers should expect narrow historic streets, pedestrianised sections and parking that takes planning rather than luck.

Green space is one of Canterbury's quiet strengths. Westgate Gardens, Dane John Gardens, the Garden of St Mary de Castro and the Franciscan Garden with Greyfriars Chapel are all within a third of a mile of the centre, so a walk, a bench and a bit of quiet are never far. Toddler's Cove adds somewhere for younger children.

For evenings out, Curzon Cinema Riverside is about half a mile away and the Gulbenkian Cinema a mile and a half. Pubs and bars are thick on the ground in the centre, from the Cherry Tree and Bramleys to No 10 Bar and Citi Terrace, and there is late-night provision at Club Chemistry and The Venue.

If you like to keep active, there are gyms and studios at several price points, including Om Studio, énergie Fitness, Exclusive Fitness and PureGym within a mile. Canterbury Library and Augustine House cover reading, study space and free indoor somewhere-to-be.

Detailed employment figures for the Canterbury council area are not included here, so treat this as a picture of what the city visibly offers rather than a statistical summary.

Canterbury is a service city. The compact centre carries a large retail and hospitality trade, with supermarkets, independent shops, pubs, bars and cinemas all concentrated in a small area, and that work tends to follow the rhythms of term time and the visitor season. Healthcare is the other obvious anchor: Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Saint Martin's Hospital and The Chaucer Hospital all sit within a mile and a half of the centre.

Education is clearly a presence too, with campus libraries and learning resource centres dotted around the city. For anyone whose job is elsewhere, the two central railway stations and the bus station make commuting out realistic without a car, which matters if your household runs on one vehicle or none. Check journey times to your own workplace before you decide.