I would like to live in Brighton and Hove

[0hIdoliketobebesidetheseaside]

Visited last weekend and I really think it’s the place for us. But I’m not sure we can afford it, is there anywhere like it?
Things we loved

beautiful shops in the lanes, seaside, so much to do, arts, live music etc. People seem friendlier than in a lot of places. South Downs for walks

But we have only £250000 and thinking of having a baby soon

any solutions or alternatives?

Deal? Whitstable?

My experience of Brighton is decades old. I went to Sussex in 1978!

The Lanes, the Marina, some restaurants, Hanningtons, the squares between Brighton and Hove were great.

However what struck me was the fact that it was a vast mass unlike London which is a collection of villages. Also, the poverty of the outlying areas was jawdropping. I used to take the bus through Moulscombe which was shocking. I had never seen poverty like it and once I saw it, it was all around.

Sadly op, I suspect your 250k will only buy you a flat with a garden in one of grimmer bits. A friend of mine has just started a job at Brighton Uni and from what they are saying, it seems not and there are still two disrinct sides to Brighton. The glitzy, upbeat, inclusive bit and the sleazy, poverty ridden underbelly which is as evident today and when Brighton Rock was written.

I used to love Brighton just as much as you, OP. But when I lived there for a year for my MA at Sussex I was completely put off.
Those beautiful shops and cafes in the Lanes, the pavilion, the beachfront… it gets tired very quickly. After the honeymoon period was over, I saw Brighton for what it really was; a transient place full of lost souls. There weren’t that many good jobs, it felt isolated and weird. Overall, a depressing place.

I moved back to London and felt relieved.

If you live in the midlands, how about somewhere like Leamington Spa?

I would much rather live in Leeds or Sheffield- places with a good jobs market and close to the Peak District. Harrogate seems lovely too.

Brighton is horrible. Its full of homeless and drugs. You will get a studio flat for £250,000 if you are lucky. I lived in Seaford near Brighton for years but you wont get anything for that money there either. The whole south coast is old people and its not friendly.
You'd be far better going up north or the west country.
I come from Bedford, lived in the south east for years and now live in the west country which is lovely. I'm only half an hour from the jurrasic coast and you can get a three bed house for £250,000.

I lived in central Brighton with very young children thirty years ago. We tended to walk everywhere in the city and I found that the air pollution was starting to trigger my asthma again. I was worried about the effect on all of our health and made the decision to move us out to one of the villages which was much better. This was obviously a very long time ago and traffic control and air quality might now be vastly improved but it still would be one of the things I'd be checking, especially if thinking about living there with young children.

The overall range of shops in Brighton isn't great. Eastbourne has a far better choice of shops.

Clinton Cards in Churchill Square is closing, apparently IKEA has doubled the rent. I was glad IKEA came to Brighton, but I do hope they don't make the dire shopping even worse.

A couple of people have suggested Folkestone. I know nothing about it so I’ll have a look

It didn’t seem like Brighton was just old people. In fact it was the opposite. Also did see homeless but that’s in all cities.

Leanington Spa is very different to Brighton. I’m looking for somewhere similar cheaper. I don’t think it exists

Will plan another weekend with Hastings, Folkestone, Worthing

Can I ask the area?

I was going to comment on the OP, but I got distracted by the 'sand is vulgar' comment.

WTF 🫠

Not too bothered about the high street shops

I lived in Brighton for a few years after living in London. I really disliked it after a while. The jarring poverty divide, trustafarian dickheads, unfriendly even compared to London, expensive and terrible job opportunities.

I am originally a northerner though and I think it's definitely got a personality that I found jarring. You be lucky to get a bedsit for that price unless you wanted to live in one of the roughish council estates also.

Hastings is horrid! Lots of tattoo and vape shops, high level of deprivation and generally feels run down. Sad as used to visit family there. Eastbourne is definitely preferable.

We moved to Hangleton in December, it's fabulous, but we paid £400000 for a small two bed semi. I'm not sure how far your budget would stretch in this area. Hastings, Newhaven and Lancing might be more affordable

Okay thanks. I’m open to us getting a one bed flat and then moving when we start a family and it does look okay for flats

I like Folkstone. Dover is dog rough though. I would have thought you could buy a nice place in Folkstone. Try Lydd also.

I live in Brighton and it's a great place to live but it is expensive. That's not much to get outside space.

Btw I have lived / known Brighton for about 30 years - so know it very well. and some of the responses here are totally ridiculous.

Someone said you will avoid the lanes because of the tourists - I have never heard such nonsense. I go through the lanes daily to my office - have coffee there/ wander the shops - absoloutely love it and the great thing (which I often think!) about living here is I don't have to go at the weekend when its packed! I can wander about on a wednesday morning enjoying the pretty colours and lovely little independent shops -

So in fact i enjoy it so much more because I live here.

Brighton is genuinely a beautiful place to live - of course grim like anywhere on a wet january

But I have just been having coffee on the beach watching people play volleyball - earlier I had a wander in the lanes.

its not true at all that you won't enjoy these things if you live here

Got a beer from the west tap and watching a low tide

irl now

I think you need to have a good think together about what you’re actually looking for and why you want to move. Loads of the places mentioned upthread are nice places in their own right, but they are quite different to Brighton. If you particularly loved Brighton and its atmosphere and are thinking about relocating specifically for that, then other places along the south coast that are just within a drive of Brighton probably aren’t going to result in the lifestyle you’re imagining, especially if you’re planning on a family soon: life with a young family is tiring and busy, you’ll want things on your doorstep not a drive away, and once you’ve begun to immerse yourself in the community you live in you’re going to end up spending most of your free time in the place you actually live. Ultimately you probably aren’t very likely to be wanting to hare over to Brighton to hang out on a regular basis once the initial novelty has worn off.

Love it here, we live in north Brighton (Withdean) Two teens, one spending her afternoon today in town and on the beach, the other up at devils dyke going for a walk and to watch the sunset with her friends. 🙂🙂

We lived in Brighton and hove for 10 years. We moved when our youngest was 2 because it’s not great for kids. Great in the summer. But in the winter, it’s lacking places to take kids to pass the time. and the schools aren’t great.

We moved to Bristol now and love it. It’s missing the pretty laines and the seafront, but it’s culturally very similar to Brighton. Plus there’s the docks and Cornwall / Devon / south wales all on your doorstep for weekends away.

The thing is, if you like Brighton & Hove, there is nowhere quite like it. I’ve lived here most my life, 25 years in West Hove, and I love it. The vibe is friendly and progressive, I can walk to the beach where even in high summer it’s not nuts like Brighton beach. Lovely parks, shops esp. charity shops, pubs, cafes. 10 mins drive and I’m surrounded by green hills on the Downs.
Worthing and Shoreham are fine but everyone who moves there from Hove would come back if they had the money.

If you can’t afford it then find somewhere else you can like for itself, not because it’s a bit/sort of like B&H. There are some flats on RigjhtMove around £250k so yabu if you want more than that.