United Kingdom · South East · Local Authority
Lewes
Non-metropolitan district · South East, England · population ~104k · 34 state-funded schools
High council tax costs define the trade-off for living in Lewes, where residents pay more than in any other authority in the South East. While earnings are slightly above the regional median at £829 per week, the financial pressure is evident in a house price to income ratio of 8.9x. Renting is also a significant commitment, consuming 36.7% of gross median earnings each month. These figures reflect a market that is more expensive than 72% of England authorities, yet the area offers a lower crime rate than the regional median. Prospective movers should note that school performance lags behind, with 86.8% of pupils in Good or Outstanding places. This location suits those who prioritise a specific regional lifestyle over the tax burden and educational outcomes.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-10 data.
The signature
How Lewes ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£43,108/yr
High
Better than 74% of UK LAs
House price
£384,500
Expensive
Worse than 76% of UK LAs
Rent
£1,320/mo
Expensive
Worse than 73% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,756/yr
Most expensive
Worse than 100% of UK LAs
Crime
55.3/1k
Low
Better than 80% of UK LAs
Deprivation
15.8
Low
Better than 63% of UK LAs
Schools
97.1%
Very strong
Better than 82% of UK LAs
Colour shows quintile position against 361 UK Local Authorities. Green is the best position for someone moving here; red is the worst. Direction is set per indicator — higher pay, lower rent, less crime, less deprivation are all green.
Schools
40 state-funded schools · Ofsted Sep 2026
33 of 34 (97.1%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. 6 schools are on the post-2024 report-card framework and don't roll up into the legacy total. How we count →
The map
34 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 34 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Lewes →Places with similar signatures
Nearest by quintile position across pay · housing · tax · crime · IMD · schools
What we don't know yet
Commute times · GP appointment availability · broadband speeds · air quality at LA level · green-space proximity · public transport coverage. These matter for a relocation decision. We'll add them when the source data is reliable nationally and consistent across LA boundaries.