What it's like to live in Folkestone

Social rents in the Folkestone and Hythe council area are on the modest side for the South East. In 2024/25 the average weekly social rent was around £93 for a one-bed, £109 for a two-bed and £119 for a three-bed. Those are averages across the district, so your own rent will depend on the landlord, the property and the service charges attached to it.

The biggest social landlord by far is Folkestone and Hythe District Council, with around 3,416 homes. Southern Housing follows with 540, then Town and Country Housing with 304, Places for People Homes with 245 and Moat Homes with 244. Between them they cover most of the social housing you will come across locally.

For scale, the council let 277 social homes in 2024-25 and 44 council homes changed hands through mutual exchange. At the end of March 2025 there were 1,156 households on the council's housing register, which is not a simple queue but does give a sense of demand. Exchange is a realistic route here.

Families have plenty of primary choice within easy reach. Christ Church CEP Academy and St Eanswythe's Church of England Primary are both around a fifth of a mile from the centre, with St Peter's Church of England Primary, Mundella Primary and Stella Maris Catholic Primary all within half a mile. For many central addresses, that means a short walk rather than a school run.

Secondary options are varied. The Beacon Folkestone and Earlscliffe are under a mile away, Folkestone Academy is just under a mile, and the town also has two grammar schools, The Harvey Grammar School and The Folkestone School for Girls, both within a mile and a half. Entry rules differ, so check each school's admissions arrangements rather than assuming distance alone decides it.

For children outside school hours, Payers Park and Upper Radnor Park are close by, the Folkestone Youth Project runs from the town centre, and Sunflower House is another community base. There are two cinemas within half a mile, including The Harbour Screen.

Folkestone Central station is about half a mile from the town centre, with Folkestone West a little over a mile away. Two stations give you options depending on which side of town you live on, and rail is the usual choice for longer trips out of the district.

The town centre itself is walkable, and that matters here. Supermarkets, pharmacies, the cinema, the library services and several parks all sit within half a mile of the middle of town. The catch is the hills: Folkestone rises sharply from the harbour, so some routes are steep, and that is worth testing in person if walking distance matters to you.

Buses serve the town and the wider coast, which helps if you do not drive. By car, the town is close to the main routes along this stretch of Kent, and parking varies a lot street by street in the older terraced areas. If you rely on a car, ask about parking before you commit to a particular address.

For a town this size, Folkestone is well stocked. Two cinemas sit within walking distance of the centre, the Silver Screen and The Harbour Screen, and there is a decent spread of gyms including Grace Hill Studios, Men of Fitness Centre, Motion Labs, fitone and Trè Fitness.

Pubs are a strength. The Beer Shop, The Samuel Peto, The Old Buoy, The Old Cigar & Olive and Kipps' Alehouse are all clustered within a few minutes of each other in the centre, so a night out does not need a taxi. Nightlife beyond the pubs is limited, with Party Bar the main option, so expect a quiet town rather than a late one.

Outdoors, the parks are small and close rather than vast. Payers Park, Bayle Pond Gardens, the Folkestone Garden of Remembrance, East Cliff Triangle and Upper Radnor Park all sit within half a mile of the centre. Library and learning facilities are nearby too, with Wood Avenue Library under a mile and Sandgate Library a mile and a half out.

Detailed employment figures for the Folkestone and Hythe council area have not been included here, so treat what follows as a general picture rather than numbers to plan around. Check current local job listings before you move if work is the deciding factor.

What the local facts do show is a town with services on its doorstep. Health work is present through Kent Community Health and the Royal Victoria Hospital and its minor injury unit. There is a cluster of schools, from primaries to two grammar schools. Retail is visible too, with Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons all within a mile, alongside independent pubs, gyms and small businesses in the centre.

Folkestone and Hythe District Council is also a significant landlord in the area, managing thousands of homes. For jobs further afield, the two train stations matter: Folkestone Central and Folkestone West both open up commuting options along the Kent coast and beyond, so some residents work out of town and live here.