Great places to live within an hour of London

Among the many lessons that the pandemic has taught us, one of the best might be that staying in a cramped flat in London that costs an arm and a leg might not be your choice for future living. Luckily, there are plenty of beautiful commuter towns surrounding the capital with more space, more choice – and a lot less expensive price tags on houses.

The map shows some recommended locations, coloured by their commute times.

Commute time vs property prices

The closer you live to the capital, the more the price for a detached house will increase, in some cases by more than a million pounds. London, for all its virtues, is an expensive city to live in and salaries don’t always match growing house prices. If you’re happy to extend your commute via car or public transport by thirty minutes to an hour, you could be saving a huge amount of money on a mortgage.

Commute vs Property Prices (excl London)

Here are a few of our favourite locations within sixty minutes of London.

Top Locations

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Commute time: 48 minutes (Kings Cross)

The centre of Britain’s top university is also a thriving commuter city, with many suburban areas and surrounding villages that make for great homes. With plenty of green spaces, parks, art and culture – as well as good schools – the average house price in Cambridge is £520,997.

Windsor, Berkshire

Commute time: 26 minutes (Paddington)

Dominated by Windsor Castle, where the Queen is currently resident, Windsor sits on the River Thames to the West of London. This beautiful market town captures the historic buildings on which the area was built and has great links to local parks and green spaces. The average house price is £586,467.

Oxford, Oxfordshire

Commute time: 57 minutes (Paddington)

Home to the other top university in the UK, Oxford has long been a favourite with commuters who don’t quite want to leave the city life behind them – but prefer less expensive housing! It’s also surrounded by smaller towns for those wanting to live further out of the city centre. The average house price is £551,507.

Brighton, East Sussex

Commute time: 51 minutes (Victoria) / 56 minutes (London Bridge)

A hugely popular city choice for commuters into London, Brighton (and Hove) can sometimes be referred to as ‘London-on-Sea’, thanks to its sophisticated city vibe. Brighton can be surprisingly inexpensive the further out you go from the centre, with an average house price of £449,743.

Winchester, Hampshire

Commute time: 59 minutes (Waterloo)

Best known for its stunning cathedral, Winchester is a beautiful city on the edge of the South Downs National Park. The city is slightly more expensive than others on this list, with an average house price of £618,179, but there are many smaller market towns that surround the city that are easily commutable to London.

Locations on a budget

Newbury, Berkshire

Commute time: 49 minutes (Paddington)

One of the largest towns in the royal county of Berkshire, Newbury is set on the banks of the Kennet and Avon Canal, blending rural charm with a bustling centre. Also home to the Bombay Sapphire distillery, the average house price in Newbury is £368,090.

Staines-Upon-Times, Surrey

Commute time: 35 minutes (Waterloo)

Straddling both Surrey and Middlesex, Staines is within the M25 motorway and part of the London Commuter Belt. Not only does it have great transport links – Heathrow Airport is only three miles from the town, but the average house price is £449,478.

Surrey is an excellent county to consider for speedy commutes to London. Check out our 70-page Surrey guide which profiles seven towns and villages in the county.

Chatham, Kent

Commute time: 40 minutes (London St Pancras)

Developed around a dockyard, Chatham boasts a hint of coastal living at a fraction of the price thanks to its eponymous riverside. With the average house price only £267,334, it’s one of the cheapest commuter areas to live in – without sacrificing a beautiful area to own a house.

High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Commute time: 33 minutes (Marylebone)

This large market town is the one-time ‘furniture capital of England’, High Wycombe has a gorgeous and historic town centre with plenty of suburban space. It is also home to the National Trust’s West Wycombe Park, the average house price is £355,232.

Coastal Living

Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

Commute time: 55 minutes (London Liverpool Street)

Where the River Thames meets the North Sea, this lively coastal town has often been named one of the best places to live in the UK, particularly due to its excellent schools, strong community links – and proximity to London. The average house price is £388,938.

Southend-on-Sea, Essex

Commute time: 40 minutes (London Stratford)

A large coastal town close to Leigh-on-Sea, Southend has one of the most iconic coastal locations in the United Kingdom. Best symbolised by its beautiful Southend Pier, the average house price for Southend was £326,843.

Hidden Gems

Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire

Commute Time: 39 minutes (Liverpool Street)

Halfway between Cambridge and London, Hoddesdon is a commuter market town with a significant Italian population – one of the only small towns in Britain to have this. The average house price is £398,057.

Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Commute time: 40 minutes

A beautiful Georgian market town on the edge of the River Thames, Marlow has a beautiful charm about it rarely found this close to London. Long known as a riverside resort with plenty of elegance, the average house price is relatively high at £796,920 – though still lower than similar parts of the capital.

Haslemere, Surrey

Commute time: 49 minutes (Waterloo)

The most southerly town in Surrey, Haslemere is set in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Packed with beautiful rural cottages and historic houses, its prime location also means it’s on the pricier side of the commuter belt at an average of £746,283 for a property. It’s also a less densely populated town, with a population of around 17,000.

Surrey is an excellent county to consider for speedy commutes to London. Check out our 70-page Surrey guide which profiles seven towns and villages in the county.

Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire

Commute time: 29 minutes (Kings Cross)

The second-largest garden city in the UK – and one of the newest – Welwyn Garden City brings together a strong sense of local community and healthy, connected living. The home of major companies like Tesco, Ocado and HSBC, the average house price in the town is surprisingly low for its proximity to London, set at £425,134.