The Essex seaside city that is London’s next hottest commuter town, apparently

You only have to go to a pub or coffee shop in London to be reminded how eye-wateringly expensive the capital is these days. The price of a pint in the capital is regularly over £8, while a flat white for a fiver sadly isn’t rare either. And that’s just the small stuff. Renting in London is extremely pricey – it’s now 37 percent more expensive than five years ago, with Londoners paying an average of almost £12,000 a year.

So, Londoners can’t really be blamed for looking beyond the Big Smoke’s borders to find the next Hackney-esque neighbourhood. But where exactly is that up-and-coming place? Property company SellHouseFast reckons it knows, having analysed house prices, earnings, rental inflation, changes in employment and the spread of trendy businesses in areas across the UK to see where is gentrifying the fastest. 

According to SellHouseFast, once-overlooked towns and cities are now attracting higher-earners hoping to escape big cities. While rent prices are climbing as a result, the influx has also led to independent cafés, trendy restaurants and craft breweries popping up along the high street. 

SellHouseFast’s research was designed to specifically discover where gentrification is accelerating, and which areas may be next. For communities, gentrification is usually a very mixed bag, sometimes boosting the economy while often pricing long-established locals out of the area.

According to the report, the fastest gentrifying spot in the UK is Essex’s Southend-on-Sea, which has had a 74.8 percent surge in earnings and a 107 percent increase in property prices between 2004 and 2025.

According to the report, the seaside city is now home to 573 ‘trendy’ businesses – an impressive 314.3 per 100,000 people – including craft breweries, whole foods shops and a whopping 240 artisan bakeries. 

And, well, it’s not hard to see why Southend-on-Sea is apparently gentrifying so quickly. Home to a winning mixture of beaches, picturesque parks and an ascendant food scene, it’s all just 51 minutes by train from Liverpool Street. 

Some of Time Out’s favourite foodie spots in the Southend include Osborne Bros, a small shop located in converted stables offering a plethora of seafood delights; Food Leigh-on-Sea, packed with seasonal menus from a star chef; and chic seaside kiosk-turned-café, Olivers on the Beach. For more of the city’s culinary delights, check out our Southend-on-Sea restaurant guide.

Southend is gearing up for even bigger changes in the coming years, with £2 million being put towards transforming the Marine Parade with a ‘green oasis’ and a further £14.8 million being dedicated to reviving the city’s run-down Leigh Port. 

Did you see that this popular British seaside town is entering the next phase of a £20 million regeneration?

Plus, it’s official: the fifth best beach in Europe is in the UK.