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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Business
Jess Denham

Commute from the coast: seaside homes for £500,000 or less within two hours of London

Homes in commutable seaside towns

(Picture: ES)

London may have a lot to offer – if you’re tired of London, you’re tired of life, after all – but the sea isn’t one of them. It’s unsurprising, then, that the pandemic triggered a wave of London leavers swapping the city for the coast in pursuit of more space, fresher air and a better work/life balance.

Demand for UK seaside homes more than doubled between the summers of 2020 and 2021. The coastal market has since begun to cool, but a commutable place by the sea remains a tempting prospect for Londoners who now partly work from home.

From buzzy Brighton (known as ‘London on Sea’) and pretty Rye in East Sussex to arty Folkestone and family-friendly Broadstairs in Kent, these 10 characterful havens within two hours of London are calling your name – and they all cost less than the £526,000 price tag of an average home in the capital.

Brighton, East Sussex

£495,000

Russell Square, Brighton (Rightmove)

New two-bedroom duplex in a private gated mews development located just off the seafront, close to the station. Open-plan living, with parking available to negotiate.

Fox & Sons, 01273 839 034

Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

£500,000

Elmsleigh Drive, Leigh-on-Sea (Rightmove)

Semi-detached family home with four bedrooms and potential to extend. South-facing garden and off-street parking, near to a nature reserve, golf course and great schools.

Gilbert & Rose, 01702 744 263

Broadstairs, Kent

£399,995

Serene Place, Broadstairs (Rightmove)

Grade II-listed cottage with two bedrooms, inglenook fireplace and courtyard style garden, mere metres from the sandy bay.

Terence Painter, 01843 315 055

Rye, East Sussex

£399,950

Winchelsea Road, Rye (Rightmove)

Three-bedroom Georgian cottage with conservatory, wood-burning stove and a shepherd’s hut with power and water in the garden.

Phillips & Stubbs, 01797 720 007

Folkestone, Kent

£500,000

Fairway Avenue, Folkestone (Rightmove)

Four-bedroom, semi-detached home with large garden, garage and driveway for multiple cars, within walking distance of the station.

Burnap & Abel, 01303 473 300

Worthing, West Sussex

£450,000

Heene Terrace, Worthing (Rightmove)

Modern seafront apartment in a period terrace with two bedrooms and coastal views. Chain-free, close to the town centre.

Michael Jones & Company, 01903 443 064

Eastbourne, East Sussex

£495,000

Richmond Place, Eastbourne (Rightmove)

Three-bedroom townhouse arranged over three floors, half a mile from the station, with a garage, balcony and countryside views.

Rager & Roberts, 01323 380 012

Margate, Kent

£475,000

Cliftonville Mews, Margate (Rightmove)

Renovated two-bedroom mews house with Crittall windows and exposed brickwork, moments from the beach and Old Town.

The Modern House, 020 3858 9816

Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex

£320,000

High Street, Walton-on-the-Naze (Rightmove)

Pretty period townhouse with five bedrooms, close to the seafront and station. Renovation opportunity, offered chain-free.

Sheen’s, 01255 767 066

Hastings, East Sussex

£425,000

Tackleway, Hastings (Rightmove)

Grade II-listed end-of-terrace house with two bedrooms and a courtyard garden. Old Town location, currently a successful holiday let.

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