Revealed: The cheapest and priciest places to buy a house in Kent

New figures have revealed the cheapest and most expensive places to buy a home in Kent. While the Folkestone Harbour ward has the lowest median price tag of £166,500, at the other end of the scale, in Sevenoaks West and Chevening, it is a whopping £1 million. This week, we visited both areas - at opposite ends of the county - to speak to residents about what life is like there.

While there are big differences, they share some similar problems. The priciest place to buy a house in Kent Driving through the wide country lanes of the Sevenoaks West area, almost every home is gated. Among the imposing properties is Chevening House, the grace-and-favour estate of the foreign secretary.



The ward - the priciest place to buy a property in Kent, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - benefits from rolling countryside, yet it is only about an hour's drive from London Bridge. Sundridge, under two miles from Chevening, is another of its picturesque villages. On the train, you can get there from the nearest station in Sevenoaks town centre in just 24 minutes.

This provides a huge pull for DFLs (people moving Down from London). Henry Robertson-Nicol and his family relocated from abroad to Sundridge in 2017, as they needed a commuter town and wanted somewhere with good schools. Back then, their three-bed cost £480,000.

Now, Mr Roberston-Nicol believes it would sell for £650,000 to £675,000. The 44-year-old therapist told KentOnline: “We came, stayed here for a weekend and did a bit of a recce and decided, yeah - we really like it. “As I understand it, it has quite low crime rates, good schools, and it's an area of outstanding natural beauty.

” But with such perks comes a price. “It’s just very expensive,” he said. “We are looking to upsize and move for the final time.

“We'd like a bit more space, but obviously, the prices that are associated with this area are difficult to overcome. “I think also sellers tend to overvalue their properties when they put them on the market, and there tends to be quite a lot of sort of snobbery when it comes to lowering the asking price or accepting offers. “We don't want to leave this village, but there's only a finite number of houses that come up on the market, and usually when they do, they're £1 million-plus.

“We're in a very, very fortunate position to be living here, being able to pay our bills and everything. But, we would like to move on.” A crime-free corner of Kent? According to the data analysis project Crime Rate, as of 2025, Sevenoaks saw 21% less crime than the south east average.

In February, just seven offences were reported in villages around Chevening and Ide Hill, according to Kent Police. In contrast, 36 were reported in the Folkestone Harbour area in the same month. Yet Sevenoaks is not immune to some of the issues more deprived areas face.

Mr Roberston-Nicol said there is drug dealing in the village and about a year ago a house was burgled just around the corner from his home. “We got notes through the letterbox about it,” he added. “I witnessed a burglary taking place about six, seven months ago along the main road.

So there is antisocial behaviour here.” To buy a home at the median price for Sevenoaks West and Chevening, you would need to fork out £43,750 in stamp duty. A mortgage at 4.

5% interest over 30 years with a 10% deposit would see the household paying £4,560.17 a month. Seaside streets not yet gentrified While Sevenoaks has long been hailed as a desirable place to live, Folkestone has only come on the radar as a cheaper alternative in recent times.

A decade ago, philanthropist Roger De Haan regenerated the harbour area, bringing new life into the tired seaside town. His company has also built the swanky Shoreline Crescent flats just around the corner, with the penthouse costing £2 million. There are plans for many more eye-catching homes across the harbour in the future.

Sir Roger has previously denied he is trying to “gentrify” the town, which in March last year was named by The Sunday Times as the best place to live in the south east. Yet the Folkestone Harbour ward - which encompasses the harbour arm but just misses the Shoreline development - is yet to see a significant rise in house prices. According to the ONS, it is the cheapest place to buy a property in Kent.

In stark contrast to the costs a prospective homeowner faces in Sevenoaks, for a £166,500 house in the harbour ward, the stamp duty is just £830. A mortgage at 4.5% interest over 30 years with a 10% deposit would cost you £760.

03 a month. Good community, creative culture - but still rundown in areas The ward includes roads such as Harbour Way, Charlotte Street and St Michael’s Street. Jamie Muir and his wife moved to the latter from London in 2018.

Both working in creative industries, they chose Folkestone for its up-and-coming arts scene. Seven years on and the town is trendier than ever, yet prices in the ward remain low. Mr Muir said: “When we bought, the estate agent said you can go down one road and the prices are completely different to another.

So, on average, I can imagine it's cheap. “It seems like there's a lot of discrepancy. “If you go on certain streets where properties are maintained, or say they have a sea view, the prices go up dramatically.

” Mr Muir purchased his three-bed home for £215,000, and estimates it is now worth £320,000 to £350,000. “I think the community on this street is good - we got lucky,” he said. “It's brilliant in terms of its proximity to the seaside.

“We have found it great for raising a family with the beach, schools and the Lower Leas Coastal Park.” Mr Muir also praised the area’s “creative culture”, with a “great mix of people” from many different backgrounds. “In general, there’s a really positive, hopeful spirit to the place,” he said.

“People want to believe in a better lifestyle for themselves, and I think this is delivering it. “But, like any coastal town, it's quite rundown in areas.” Walking around the surrounding roads, graffiti is a common sight.

Large Victorian houses are commonly turned into flats, which are then rented by landlords, and not always kept in an attractive condition. There are larger blocks of social housing apartments, some of which have beautiful sea views and overlook multi-millionaire Sir Roger’s hip happening harbour. Some homes, such as Mr Muir’s, have been snapped up and lovingly renovated, with many painted in vibrant seafront colours.

The 39-year-old added: “There are definitely things that bring down prices. “There's also quite a large number of HMO properties. “Next door is one.

We often have no issue with the tenants, but then occasionally there is a very, very disrespectful or violent or difficult tenant. “There's antisocial behaviour, definitely. “I think it's pockets of it.

I don't think you can say it's widespread, but it's visible. “We've never seen crime. We hear of it occasionally, but it doesn't seem that bad.

” ‘It’s a five-minute walk, and I’m in my favourite pub’ Another resident of Kent’s cheapest area, Mitchell Cousins, was born and bred in Folkestone. He bought a house in St Michael's Street for just £22,950 in 1982. He later sold it and it was converted into flats.

Now he’s back, renting the downstairs apartment. The former taxi driver and army veteran estimates the entire property to be worth £380,000 today. The 75-year-old said the area is “generally pretty good” in terms of anti-social behaviour.

But at the weekends, there remains a noise problem from Tontine Street - home to the town’s last-surviving nightclub, The Party Bar. Mr Cousins added: “The steps leading down into Tontine Street - sometimes I find there's a fair bit of drug dealing that goes on, because it's out of the way. “But then it's always been a problem.

” He believes the area to be underpriced and describes it as having a “good feel”. “The best thing is living near the sea,” he added. “We have some good local shops.

It's a five-minute walk, and I'm in my favourite pub. “I'm quite happy. It’s a nice place to live.

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