Is Worthing a Good Place to Live?

Worthing is one of the largest towns in West Sussex. It is a perfect place for those who love to live by the seaside and participate in surfing, paddling or just enjoy the cool breeze. The town’s proximity to Brighton together with the more affordable property options makes Worthing an ideal place to settle down.

Is Worthing a good place to live? Worthing is a great choice for people who are seeking an attractive, cool and convenient place to settle. The town is well connected to London, Brighton and Southampton and the overall crime levels are very low.

Whether you are moving to Worthing soon because of a job offer or are just thinking of moving to the UK to find a new place to settle, you have landed on this blog because you have some questions. Is Worthing safe? Are there good schools there? How is the transport system? Read on to find answers.

In this article you will find out:

For people who are thinking of moving to Worthing, this town generally has a really low crime rate. The only rough area is Durrington due to rise in social housing, but it is not dangerous. Some of the best neighbourhoods in Worthing are Broadwater, BN14 8DQ, West Tarring, South Lancing, Hangleton, East Worthing and Nepcote.

There are plenty of good schools in this town like Bramber, Durrington High, Davison CofE High for Girls, Chatsmore Catholic High, Broadwater CofE, Worthing High, and St. Andrews CofE High for Boys. Northbrook College has 2 campuses in Worthing; its West Durrington campus is called University Centre Worthing.

Worthing is a convenient commuter town served by several main roads. The A24 motorway runs to London, Horsham, Leatherhead and Dorking; the A27 runs to Brighton and Portsmouth; and A259 runs along the coastline to Brighton, Chichester, Folkestone, Littlehampton and Hastings.

Worthing residents also travel by rail. The town is served by 5 railways stations which are all situated on the West Coastway Line. These stations are East Worthing, West Worthing, Durrington-on-Sea, Goring-by-Sea and Worthing. All stations offer frequent daily services to UK’s capital city, Croydon, Brighton, Gatwick Airport, Chichester, Southampton and Portsmouth.

Social life in Worthing is very vibrant. The town has some really nice spots to eat and drink. There are also some fruit picking farms, shops, cool pubs and many open spaces for kids to run around.

Is Worthing a Good Place to Work?

Worthing has plenty to offer with many manufacturing, engineering and pharmaceutical companies operating here. Since it is a coastal region, tourism also contributes significantly to the local economy.

The most popular employers in Worthing are Equiniti, The National Health Service, GlaxoSmithKline, Allergy Therapeutics and Nordell LTD. Teaching Assistant, Support Technician, Office Administrator, Graphic Designer, Quality Manager and Veterinary Surgeon are some popular job titles in the area.

Wages are good with the average salary of a person working in Worthing being £22,619 (as of April 2019).

There are plenty of employment opportunities for people just starting out in their careers. The unemployment rate in Worthing is 3.5% which is below the national average of 4% (at the end of 2018). This is very good as 86.2% of the people are in employment.

Is Worthing a Good Place to Buy a House?

Moving to the UK, particularly to Worthing, is not a bad idea as the town has some affordable housing options. The town centre has some remains of the old fishing town, good, dense streets of terraced homes and townhouses from east to west. West of the station there are some nice avenues of Victorian style townhouses and semi-detached homes around Victoria Park and Goring. For posh homes, Offington, Charmandean and Salvington have great offerings.

In April 2019, the average price for a house in Worthing was £330,438. Flats sold for an average price of £208,536, terraced homes sold for an average price of £290,451, detached houses went for an average of £483,384, and semi-detached homes were sold for an average of £352,371.

The average price of a single-bedroomed house in Worthing is £163,250. A 3-bedroom house sells for an average of £371,169 and a larger property with 5 bedrooms has an average selling price of £596,453. Flats are also available with a 1-bed flat going for about £194,399 and a 3-bed flat selling for around £461,750. Larger flats are scarce.

Asking rent for a 1-bedroomed house is £576 per calendar month. A 3-bedroomed home has an asking rent of £1,250 per calendar month and a larger 5-bedroomed property has an asking rent of £2,152 per calendar month.

There are plenty of flats for rent in the area. A 1-bed flat has an asking rent of £711pcm, 3-bedroomed flat charges a rent of £878pcm and a larger 5-bed flat for rent goes for £524pcm.

Is Worthing a good place to Retire?

West Sussex has been frequently voted as an area that offers a good quality of life for retired people. Worthing is attractive because of the low crime rate, good quality of healthcare, good weather and its position along the coast provides plenty of outdoor activities.

Amenities are also in plenty in the town. One particular reason for moving to Worthing to retire is the fact that there are many desirable retirement properties in the area aimed at seniors aged above 60 years. Some of the properties are also sold at significant discounts to seniors, so Worthing is well worth considering as a retirement spot.

A 3-bedroom retirement property in Union Place, Worthing can go for £400,000 while a 5-bed semi-detached house in Littlehampton Road, Worthing can sell for £346,500. A smaller 1-bed property in Western Place, Worthing can have a selling price of £140,000 while a 1-bedroom flat in St. Botolphs Road, Worthing can go for £112,500.

Renting a 1-bedroom retirement property in Broadwater Road costs around £830 per calendar month while a 1-bed retirement property in Heene Road costs £935pcm. Larger properties for rent are scarce.

Is Worthing a Good Place to Visit?

Being a seaside town, Worthing has plenty of attractions to offer. The quiet beach in this town is mostly stony, but when the tide subsides, rock pools appear and big sandy areas for kids to paddle and jump in.

Paddleboarding is very popular and visitors can book lessons or simply rent paddle boards from the local surf shop. The promenade in Worthing is the ideal place for walking or cycling, and the cycle route can take a person all the way to Brighton if they are in the mood.

Some of the best restaurants in West Sussex are in Worthing town. Crabshack, a popular family-owned restaurant serves up tantalizing, freshly-made fish and cocktails. The restaurant is most especially popular because of the sun terrace that overlooks the sea.

Coast Café is near Crabshack and it makes one of the most delicious breakfasts in Sussex and the tables for the customers are on the beach itself. People also visit Worthing to dine at Fior de Latte, Imperial China and Zamaan.

Worthing is also an art and music town. Entertainment events are held at Worthing pier, St. Paul’s Art Centre and the town hall. The Worthing Museum has the 3rd biggest costume collection in the UK, a stunning sculpture garden and many workshops to keep visitors and residents occupied during the weekend.

Outdoor spaces are also in plenty for kids to run free and have fun. Cissbury Park is a beautiful place for a stroll and there are also fruit picking activities, farm shops, and multiple country pubs. Weekends offer an opportunity to enjoy the good life exploring the countryside, coastline and surrounding towns.

In Goring Gap, there’s the Outdoors Project forest school where children can jump in the woods, play exciting nerf games, participate in wildcraft activities and stay away from phone/TV screens. The West Wittering Beach is 30 minutes away and is a place full of natural beauty, with its beautiful white sands.

Worthing is home to a wide range of shops. Griffin Denim, which began as jean store back in 1969, is among the oldest shops here and it sells pairs of jeans. Sneaker Lab is another shop in the town, and it offers unique, limited edition trainers. Visitors will also find the Neon Sanctum glass bowling studio exciting. The studio is owned and managed by Darren West.

The Dome Cinema in Worthing is housed in a classical Edwardian structure. This historic dome is one of the oldest working cinemas in England as it was originally opened in 1911. Prior to being called “The Dome”, this historic building was initially known as “The Kursall”, which means cure hall. Since it was opened, the Dome Cinema has been a venue for entertainment and relaxation. Today, the cinema showcases blockbuster hits and also has a nice bar for refreshments.

Other places that are worth visiting in Worthing are- Highdown Gardens, Worthing Pier, Ergemont Bar and Restaurant, Castle Goring, Roundstone Farm, Forge Gallery, Chichester Jazz Club, and High Salvington Windmill.

There are also many accommodation areas for those who are planning to stay for a night or two. Some of the best hotels and places to stay in Worthing include Windsor Hotel, The Ardington Hotel, Marine View Guest House, Merton House, Travelodge Worthing Seafront, Chatsworth Hotel and the Highdown.