What it's like to live in Chichester
What is it like to live in Chichester? It is a small, good-looking cathedral city in West Sussex with a calm, settled feel rather than a fast pace. It suits people who want city facilities on a manageable scale, and it works well for older households and families alike. Priory Park sits right beside the centre, and there is a strong arts and cinema scene for a city this size.
1 council and housing association home available to swap within 15 miles of Chichester.
"I'd move here" adds Chichester to the areas on your listing, so homes here are matched to you first.
Chichester is a small cathedral city in West Sussex, home to around 29,400 people. It is compact enough to cross on foot, with a walled Roman street plan, a busy shopping centre and open parkland only minutes from the middle.
This guide is for council and housing association tenants thinking about a mutual exchange here. It sticks to what we know about the area: what is nearby, how you can travel, what social rents look like and who lives here. The aim is to help you decide whether Chichester suits your household before you start looking at swaps.
Swapping to Chichester: key facts
Can I swap my council or housing association home to Chichester?
Yes, if you are already a council or housing association tenant. Mutual exchange means swapping homes with another social tenant, so it does not depend on the council waiting list: you need a tenant in or near Chichester who wants your area, and both landlords must agree. Landlords have 42 days to decide and can only refuse on set legal grounds. On 6 October 2026, 1 home was listed to swap within 15 miles on Mutual Home Exchange.
How long is the council housing waiting list in Chichester?
2,421 households were on the Chichester housing register on 31 March 2025, up 16% on a year earlier. 403 social homes were let through the council in 2024 to 2025, roughly 6.0 households for every home let. Source: Local Authority Housing Statistics, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
How much is social rent in Chichester?
Average weekly social rents in the Chichester council area in 2024/25: 1 bed £0 council, £112 housing association; 2 bed £0 council, £128 housing association; 3 bed £0 council, £146 housing association. Affordable rent homes cost more, typically 60 to 80% of market rent. Source: Regulator of Social Housing.
How much social housing is there in Chichester and who owns it?
15.1% of homes in the Chichester council area are social housing (council 2%, housing association 13.1%), against 17.1% across England, according to the 2021 Census. The biggest social landlords there are Martlet Homes Limited (5,319 homes), Clarion Housing Association Limited (1,498 homes) and A2Dominion Homes Limited (459 homes).
Which homes are available to swap near Chichester?
What is housing like in Chichester and who lives there?
Social renting is slightly less common here than nationally: 15.1% of homes in the council area are socially rented, against 17.1% across England. Most of that is housing association stock at 13.1%, with council housing at just 2%. Owner occupation is high at 65.4%.
The biggest social landlords in the area are Martlet Homes with over 5,300 homes, Clarion with around 1,500, then A2Dominion, Home Group and Vivid.
Average weekly social rents in 2024/25 were about £112 for a one bed, £128 for two and £146 for three. The council's housing register held 2,421 households at March 2025, with 403 homes let in 2024-25, which is one reason a mutual exchange is often the quicker route.
Council waiting list and lettings
Households on the register by the size of home they need.
That is roughly 6.0 households waiting for every social home let in a year. Mutual exchange doesn't use the waiting list: if you already have a council or housing association home, swapping with another tenant can be a quicker way to move to Chichester.
A register counts households who have applied, so it isn't a simple queue: some are already social tenants hoping to transfer, and people can be on more than one council's list.
Typical weekly social rents in the Chichester council area
| Size | Council | Housing association |
|---|---|---|
| Bedsit | £0 | £93 |
| 1 bed | £0 | £112 |
| 2 bed | £0 | £128 |
| 3 bed | £0 | £146 |
| 4 bed | £0 | £162 |
Social rent averages for 2024/25. Affordable rent homes cost more, typically 60 to 80% of market rent.
Biggest social landlords in the council area
- Martlet Homes Limited5,319 homes
- Clarion Housing Association Limited1,498 homes
- A2Dominion Homes Limited459 homes
- Home Group Limited363 homes
- Vivid Housing Limited349 homes
- Stonewater Limited215 homes
- Synergy Housing Limited197 homes
- Hyde Housing Association Limited187 homes
What is it like to live in Chichester?
The city centre does a lot of work in a small space. Chichester Library is right in the middle, along with the Buttermarket and Fernleigh shopping areas, pharmacies including Boots and Kamsons, and food shops from Marks & Spencer and a Tesco Express to Iceland and a Waitrose a short walk out.
The wider Chichester council area skews older than England as a whole: 27.1% are 65 or over, against 18.4% nationally, and 25 to 44 year olds are thinner on the ground. That shapes the feel of the place. It is quieter and more settled than a big town, which some people love and others find a little sleepy.
What are the schools and family life like in Chichester?
There is a good cluster of primary schools close in: St Joseph's Infant School, St Joseph's CE Junior School and St Joseph CE Academy all sit around a third of a mile out, along with St Richard's Catholic Primary School. Parklands Community Primary School is a little further at 0.6 miles. For secondary, Chichester High School is half a mile away and Bishop Luffa CofE Teaching School under a mile.
For younger children, the Chichester Toy Library is under a mile from the centre, and there are several community centres including New Park Community Centre, the Bassil Shippam Centre and Roundabout Youth.
Parks are a real plus. Priory Park is the big one, with Jubilee Gardens, Litten Gardens and the Amphitheatre at Velyn Avenue all within easy reach. Do check catchments directly with West Sussex before you commit to a swap.
Primary schools
- St. Joseph’s CE Junior School0.3 mi
- St Joseph's Infant School0.3 mi
- St. Richard's Catholic Primary School0.3 mi
- St. Joseph CE Academy0.3 mi
- Parklands Community Primary School0.6 mi
Secondary schools
- Chichester High School0.5 mi
- Bishop Luffa CofE Teaching School0.8 mi
Parks
- Priory Parknearby
- Rotary Centenary Garden - Priory Parknearby
- Jubilee Gardens0.3 mi
- Litten Gardens0.3 mi
- Amphitheatre - Velyn Avenue0.4 mi
Libraries
- Chichester Librarynearby
- Chichester Toy Library0.7 mi
What shops and everyday essentials are in Chichester?
Supermarkets
- Marks & Spencernearby
- Marks & Spencernearby
- Iceland Supermarket Chichesternearby
- Tesco Expressnearby
- Waitrose & Partners0.4 mi
Pharmacies
- Boots Pharmacynearby
- Kamsons Pharmacynearby
- Lisoma International0.3 mi
- Stephens (Travel Clinic & Weight Management)0.6 mi
- Tesco Pharmacy1 mi
Hospitals
- Boots Hearingcare Chichesternearby
- Eastgreatenearby
- Mayfield Clinic Chichester0.3 mi
- NHS SALT0.4 mi
- Foetal Assessment Unit0.5 mi
Shopping centres
- Buttermarket Chichesternearby
- Fernleighnearby
- Almshouse Arcade0.3 mi
- Chichester Gate0.5 mi
- Ben Turner Industrial Estate1 mi
How do you get around Chichester?
Chichester station is about a third of a mile from the centre, so trains are within walking distance for many people in the PO19 area. Fishbourne station is another option a mile and a half out. Chichester bus station sits close to the centre too, with city stops by the Cathedral for shorter hops.
If you drive, you have the coast and the South Downs on your doorstep, but a compact historic centre also means parking is something to think about when you view a property.
On foot, the city is genuinely walkable. Shops, the library, pharmacies and parks are mostly within half a mile of the middle, which matters if you would rather not rely on a car.
Train stations
- Chichester0.3 mi
- Fishbourne1.6 mi
Bus stations
- Cathedral (Stop C2)nearby
- Cathedral (Stop C1)nearby
- Chichester bus station0.3 mi
- Chichester Bus Station0.3 mi
- Mundham Corner1.5 mi
What is there to do in Chichester?
For a city of this size, Chichester is well served for nights out and weekends. There are two cinemas: the independent Chichester Cinema at New Park and Cineworld at Chichester Gate. Chichester Jazz Club, Jungle Junction and Annex cover live music and later evenings.
Pubs and places to eat are concentrated in the centre, from The Hole in the Wall and The Dolphin & Anchor to Chichester City Club, The Ivy and Côte.
If you exercise, there is plenty of choice without going far: X GYM Chichester, The Engine Room, Cheer Health, The Body Suite and Reformed Pilates are all within half a mile of the middle. Otherwise the parks do the job for free.
Gyms
- Cheer Healthnearby
- The Body Suite Ltdnearby
- Reformed Pilatesnearby
- X GYM Chichester Ltd0.3 mi
- The Engine Room - Chichester0.4 mi
Cinemas
- Chichester Cinema at New Park0.3 mi
- Cineworld - Chichester0.5 mi
Pubs and bars
- The Ivy Chichesternearby
- The Dolphin & Anchornearby
- Côte Chichesternearby
- The Hole in the Wallnearby
- Chichester City Clubnearby
Nightlife
- Chichester Jazz Clubnearby
- Jungle Junction0.3 mi
- Annex0.3 mi
- The Grand Central Trio0.6 mi
Community centres
- New Park Community Centre0.3 mi
- Saint Paul’s Anglican Church0.3 mi
- Roundabout Youth0.3 mi
- Bassil Shippam Centre0.4 mi
- The Newell Centre Association0.4 mi
What is work and the local economy like in Chichester?
In the wider Chichester council area, 53.8% of adults are in work, a little below the England figure of 57.4%. That partly reflects the older age profile. Unemployment is lower than average at 2.6% against 3.5% nationally, and unemployment-related benefit claims stood at 3.2% of working-age people in August 2026, below the England figure of 4%.
Retail, hospitality and health services are visible in the city centre itself, with the Ben Turner Industrial Estate about a mile out. With the station close to the centre, commuting along the coast or inland by train is realistic if your work is elsewhere.
Figures are for the Chichester council area, Census 2021 and ONS claimant count.
How safe is Chichester?
Like every town centre, Chichester has police incidents logged each month. In July 2026 there were 539 within about a mile of the centre, made up of:
- Anti-social behaviour reports133
- Vehicle crime13
- Bicycle theft9
- Shoplifting97
- Other theft18
- Theft from the person4
Source: data.police.uk street-level crime. Counts cover a fixed one-mile radius around the centre, so busy high streets and stations always record far more than the residential streets around them, and most incidents are minor. Compare like with like: a similar-sized town centre, not a village.
Is Chichester a good place for council and housing association tenants?
Right now: 1 home to swap within 15 miles of Chichester.
If Chichester looks like the right fit, the practical next step is to list your own home on Mutual Home Exchange and set Chichester as a desired area. That way tenants here who want to move to your part of the country can find you, rather than you doing all the searching.
Good photos and an honest description of your home, its bedrooms and its running costs make a real difference. Be clear about what you are looking for too.
It is free, and swaps happen when the right match appears, so listing early is worth it even if you are still weighing things up.
Tell me when a home appears near Chichester
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Nearby place guides
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