United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Brighton and Hove vs Medway
Brighton and Hove (South East, England · ~292k people) · Medway (South East, England · ~279k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Brighton and Hove leads on 1, Medway on 5, 1 effectively tied. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Brighton and Hove
£39,806/yr
Around UK average
Medway
£40,212/yr
Better than 58% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Brighton and Hove
£415,000
Worse than 79% of UK LAs
Medway
£310,000
Worse than 58% of UK LAs
Medway: 34% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Brighton and Hove
£1,826/mo
Worse than 93% of UK LAs
Medway
£1,241/mo
Worse than 68% of UK LAs
Medway: 47% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Brighton and Hove
£2,581/yr
Worse than 85% of UK LAs
Medway
£2,329/yr
Better than 74% of UK LAs
Medway: £252 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Brighton and Hove
101.8/1k
Worse than 85% of UK LAs
Medway
0.3/1k
Better than 99% of UK LAs
Medway: 33833% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Brighton and Hove
20.8
Worse than 59% of UK LAs
Medway
23.9
Worse than 70% of UK LAs
Brighton and Hove: lower average deprivation score (20.8 vs 23.9).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Brighton and Hove
92.6%
Worse than 57% of UK LAs
Medway
94.7%
Better than 67% of UK LAs
Medway: 2.1 percentage points more pupils in Good/Outstanding schools.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
Brighton and Hove
Rent takes 55% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 10.4× median annual pay
Medway
Rent takes 37% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 7.7× median annual pay
Full Brighton and Hove profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Medway profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.