Zoopla's most affordable places to buy a house in Sussex

Interestingly, the three towns with the lowest fees were in the east of the county.

In East Sussex, over the last 12 months, there have been 5,742 houses sold in the district.

The average value of homes in the area is £379,810, Zoopla calculated, and the average house sold in the last year fetched £378,650.

This marked an increase of £10,356, or 2.8 per cent, from the year before.

These are the Sussex towns with the lowest estimated average house prices, in descending order:

Crawley town centre during lockdown

10. Crawley - £330,381

9. Bognor - £320,497

8. Hailsham - £312,853

7. Peacehaven - £309,193

6. Lancing - £301,763

5. Bexhill - £298,134

4. Eastbourne - £296,767

Hastings seafront, looking west to St Leonards

3. Hastings

With an estimated average house price of £283,226, Hastings is one of the most affordable places to buy a home in the county.

A total of 338 properties were sold in the town over the last 12 months, with the mean price paid sitting at £303,300, slightly above the average cost.

This marked an increase of £4,083, or 1.46 per cent, compared to the previous year.

The seaside town has plenty to offer, with its pebbled beach and Old Town streets steeped in history.

Looking further afield, residents do not have to drive far to visit beauty spots such as Camber Sands and the High Weald Area Of Outstanding National Beauty.

Hastings is also the cheapest place with a pier in Sussex to buy a house.

Eastbourne comes closest with an average house price of £296,767, but the likes of Worthing (£339,785) and Brighton (£410,880) are likely to present a far more pricey alternative to house-hunters.

Ian Goodrigde took this stunning shot of a stormy Newhaven Harbour

2. Newhaven

Newhaven has the second lowest estimated average house price in Sussex with a figure of £261,157 being put forward by Zoopla.

And, of the 88 properties sold in the town over the last 12 months, the average buyer paid slightly below this total, shipping out £260,403.

This marked an increase of £10,967, or 4.38 per cent, from the year before.

The town lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, and has a channel ferry port which offers regular passenger services to Dieppe in normal times.

For commuters it is just a short 22 drive to Brighton, and those looking to visit the capital can travel to London Victoria in less than two hours.

St Leonards seafront

1. St Leonards

The place in Sussex with by far the lowest estimated average house price, £244,561, is St Leonards.

In the last year, 335 homes have been sold in the town, with an average price paid of £261,406.

Unlike Hastings and St Leonards, this marked a decrease from the year before, when the average price paid was £6,455, or 2.57 per cent, higher.

St Leonards is part of the borough of Hastings, lying to the west of the town. but has plenty to offer residents in its own right.

It is largely made up of terraces and attractive squares of Regency housing, built in the 19th Century with the intention of providing a coastal resort for weary working Londoners.

Holiday experts iknow were full of praise for the town, saying: "An original seaside Regency new town, beautiful St Leonards has a wonderfully vintage feel about it today with its designers and makers fairs, and its mile long promenade affording magnificent coastal views.

"The town was a purpose-built resort, one of the first, built by the famous Regency architect and planner James Burton who worked alongside the great John Nash on projects such as Regents Park.

"Burton’s son, Decimus, took over where James left off after his death. A magical mix of Regency buildings and gardens, St Leonards is a pretty, peaceful coastal town from which you can dip into nearby attractions in Hastings and Battle at your leisure."