The green, well-connected borough that was just named London’s best commuter town

A new study of the UK’s best and worst commuter locations has named the best towns to live in on the capital’s outskirts. The study by Pepper Money took into account average house prices (to buy and to rent), travel time, public transport cost and quality of life.

Woking, the Surrey town southwest of London has been crowned as the city’s best commuter town, beating the likes of Guildford, St Albans, Luton, Slough and Reading. 

According to the study, Woking struck the best balance between location and value. With the average house price of £460,000 and average rent of £1,648, Woking was more affordable than other locations like St Albans (average house price: £628,000) or Guildford (£543,000).

The Surrey town had a commute time of 29 minutes, with a rail cost of £21.30. St Albans however was better on this front, with a journey time of 21 minutes and a cost of £13.40. 

Woking’s streets are largely residential, with a good amount of green spaces and a good choice of schools. The area also has an up-and-coming cultural scene, with places like the Lightbox Gallery and New Victoria Theatre helping to attract more arty and creative people to the area. And according to locals on Reddit, the town has low crime rates and some excellent street food in the town centre’s Market Walk.

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