Residents have had their say on the best towns and villages to live in Sussex.

Luxury lifestyle site Muddy Stilettos asked its readers to vote for the best village, town or city to call home in 2024 using its Top 260 Places to Live guide.

From towns to villages, hamlets to commuter favourites, each of the initial 260 locations was independently researched and picked by the Muddy editorial team and then over 27,500 readers went on to vote. The results were based on each town or village’s sense of community, quality of access to schools, restaurants, shops and culture, plus their feeling towards their overall immediate surroundings.

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In Sussex, Chichester won the top spot with its Georgian architecture, Roman walls, shopping and food scene and for its position between Chichester Harbour and the South Downs.

The average house price is £416,336 in the area, which has outstanding independent schools nearby (Prebendal, Oakwood Prep, Westbourne House and Seaford College).

The top ten most popular towns and villages in Sussex for 2024 are:

  1. Chichester
  2. Lewes
  3. East Grinstead
  4. Ticehurst
  5. Midhurst
  6. St Leonards
  7. Cuckfield
  8. Petworth
  9. Rye
  10. Hove

Voting took place between July 30 and August 15, and readers were given one vote each. The Best Place to Live lists provided information on everything from eating out and best schools to the commute and local arts/culture, but the final decision came from the readers’ own personal experience.

Hero Brown, founder and editor-in-chief of Muddy Stilettos, said: “When people move home, they’re searching for more than just a house, they want to find a new lifestyle that works for them. Our exclusive reader vote gives them a fresh perspective that can make their search easier. It’s hard to be confident on whether a location is the right place for you, but we’ve built our reputation on having first-hand knowledge on the in-the-know places to live and places to go.

“This Reader Vote gives a truly independent view on the towns and villages with the most popular postcodes, schools, restaurants and amenities.”