The 3 best value commuter towns within 30 minutes of London

Here’s a home truth. A recent study showed that you’d need to be earning at least £110,000 a year as a household to be in with any chance of buying an average house in London’s Zone 1 or 2. That’s no easy feat. 

That’s why people make the move to commuter towns – to save on the cost of living in London without giving the city up altogether (there’s constant flow of fantastic stuff happening here, after all). And handy new research by real estate company Savills has now discovered which three commuter towns offer the best value of all.

It looked at the average price of properties within five kilometres of a railway station and season ticket costs in 350 different locations and compared that total to the average cost of owning a property in Zone 2. It also looked at the Index of Multiple Deprivation — which looks at things like crime rates, employment and education — to filter 'locations in the least deprived 20 percent in their wider region'. 

After all that assessment, three areas emerged as the ‘best value’ commuter towns within around 30 minutes of the Big Smoke. Here’s a closer look at them. 

Shenfield, Essex

In the posh Essex town of Shenfield, you’re looking at around £427,000 for an average three-bed home and £4,008 for a year-round season ticket. That would save around 45 percent compared to what you might spend in Zone 2. 

It’s a 51-minute journey on the Lizzie line to Bond street or a 23-minute journey to Liverpool Street on mainline services. In the town itself, locals can make the most of green spaces like Butterfly Meadow, entertainment at Brentwood Theatre and a spread of independent shops and caffs on its high street. 

Twyford, Berkshire

Here, you’ll also save 45 percent compared to living in Zone 2. Savills found that the average three-bed home in Twyford costs arounds £461,000 and a season ticket will set you back £4,764. You can get to London in 55 minutes on the Elizabeth line to Bond Street or in 31 minutes on National Rail services to Paddington. This Berkshire village offers a healthy dose of cafés and restaurants as well as decent schools and the gorgeous Surrey Hills right on the doorstep. 

Woking, Surrey

With an average three-bed costing £479,000 and an annual season ticket priced at £4,260, Savills says you’d save 43 percent in Woking versus living in Zone 2. And the train journey to London Waterloo is just 24 minutes. It might not be a looker at first glance, but Woking is home to great local restaurants and pubs, the Lightbox Gallery & Museum showing contemporary art and pretty villages like Horsell a short drive away. 

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