It’s no secret that London living is expensive, and if you’re after a home that doesn’t involve sleeping, bathing and living all in the same room, you might want to venture further afield.
But leaving the capital doesn’t automatically mean that property prices plummet – especially in commuter towns where demand for housing is high.
For example, houses in popular choices like St Albans and Redhill will cost, on average, £636,725 and £520,854 respectively, which is still out of budget for many.
Thankfully, if your job is in London – but your heart is elsewhere – a ranking by MoveiQ, Phil Spencer’s property advice website, has revealed the cheapest commuter towns to live in.
And, taking first place is the Cambridgeshire town of Peterborough, where the average price of a home is just £250,492.
You can get a fast train in the morning into the capital in just 48 minutes – although it’s worth bearing in mind travel costs. Annual season tickets from Peterborough to London start from £7,824.
Where are the UK's cheapest London commuter towns?
- Peterborough, Cambridgeshire = £250,492
- Purfleet-On-Thames, Essex = £253,952
- Wellingborough, Northamptonshire = £248,050
- Northampton, Northamptonshire = £280,848
- Pitsea, Essex = £297,494
- Rugby, Warwickshire = £290,335
- Chatham, Kent = £302,301
- Bletchley, Buckinghamshire = £332,696
- Colchester, Essex = £321,023
- Luton, Bedfordshire = £318,612
All are average house prices, based on the HM Land Registry, October 2023.
If you do settle on Peterborough though, you won’t have to head into London every weekend for something to do.
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The small town is home to a 900-year-old cathedral as well as the 17th century manor house, Elton Hall.
You can also spend some time at Nene Park for some outdoor pursuits. You can walk or cycle along the many trails around the park, or head out onto the lake, where you can give windsurfing or kayaking a go.
There’s plenty of places to eat and drink, with The Black Horse pub and Charters Bar – a real ale bar on a barge – being local favourites.
And of course, you’re not far from picturesque Cambridge, perfect for a summer’s day trip where you can go punting on the river, and wonder around the quaint cobbled streets.
Elsewhere on MoveiQ’s list, second place went to Purfleet-On-Thames, a riverside Essex town where average houses cost just £253, 952.
Or, further north in third place there’s Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, a market town that not only has good transport links to London, but to Nottingham and Leicester too.
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