Research by Totally Money has revealed the best places to live and commute into London, with Hertfordshire coming out on top as London’s best commuter hotspot for 2019.
The study looked at 116 commuter belt towns specifically investigating average house prices, length of train journey, the average cost of a season ticket and ONS data on resident satisfaction. Using this data, they identified the top places to consider if you’re looking to live outside the city and commute in for work.
Holding six of the top ten commuter hotspot positions are Hertfordshire towns Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, Hatfield, Broxbourne, Watford Junction and Hemel Hempstead.
With a 26-minute journey to Liverpool Street, an average season ticket cost of £2,288 (the fourth cheapest) and an average house price of £384,248, Cheshunt comes out at number one. However, neighbouring Waltham Cross is a close second with a 28-minute commute and an average house price of £390, 612.
In fact, all six of the Hertfordshire towns in the top ten boast a commute of under 35 minutes, and Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, Broxbourne and Hatfield all score highly for lifestyle satisfaction.
Unsurprisingly with a 45 minute plus journey, £4,000 season ticket and an average property price of £1.1 million, Virginia Water in Surrey occupies the bottom of the list at number 116.
The top ten best places to live and commute into London
- Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
- Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire
- High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
- Hatfield, Hertfordshire
- Gravesend, Kent
- Broxbourne, Hertfordshire
- Watford Junction, Hertfordshire
- Basingstoke, Hampshire
- Overton, Hampshire
- Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire may well dominate the top ten, but according to Totally Money if you want to balance house prices with accessibility, then Peterborough in Cambridgeshire is the place to be. Despite only ranking 111 out of the 116, average house prices are just £194,885, which could offset the 51-minute commute to Kings Cross St Pancras and £8,000 season ticket.
With no sign of London property prices and living costs falling, homebuyers and buy to let landlords looking to buy outside the city and retain easy access to the capital and all it has to offer, are sure to benefit from this insight.
