These are the best commuter towns to London, Birmingham, Manchester and more
New research reveals the best places to live across the UK to pay less for your commute
Are you sat on the train right now, still aghast with your rail-fare increase? Many of us will be. Much to the frustration of millions of fed-up commuters across the country, rail fares have increased by 2.8 per cent. Zoopla today reveals Britain's best-value commuter towns to all the major cities, should you wish to consider upping sticks for a more affordable fare.
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The property experts reveal the best value towns to live in, when commuting to London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol.
Britain's best-value commuter towns
Best commuter town to London – Grays, Essex
Grays in Essex, birth place to Russell Brand, tops the list as the best value commuter spot for London. Winning the accolade with combined annual costs of £15,008 for a mortgage and a season ticket. The 41-minute commute into London Fenchurch Street station proved to be the best valued commute into the city.
Leagrave in Bedfordshire places second, where home-owning commuters can travel to the capital in 55 minutes at a total annual cost of £15,399. The 41 minute commute from Crayford in Kent follows in third, with a combined price of £15,662.
Best commuter town to Birmingham – Wolverhampton
If heading up to Birmingham to work,Wolverhampton presents the best value of £7,483, with a commute time of just 20 minutes.
Best commuter town to Manchester – Hindley, Wigan
Moving further north to Manchester, Hindley is the town to live for commuters. The town takes the top-spot with combined costs of £6,883 and a manageable 58-minute journey.
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Best commuter town to Bristol – Newport, Wales
For workers travelling into Bristol on a daily basis, across the water in Wales, Newport (Gwent) comes in first place. This bustling town has combined costs of £10,166 and a travel
time of just 35 minutes into Bristol Temple Meads station.
Second to that is the small market town of Highbridge & Burnham with costs of £11,595, offering a 53-minute commute. And in third the bigger historic market town of Bridgwater with costs of £11,975 and a 59-minute commute.
Meanwhile, those working in Edinburgh would be better off moving to Dunfermline, to get the most affordable 32 minute commute. Here a combined annual mortgage and season ticket will cost just £7,530 a year.
Related: The best place to raise children in England revealed – and it may surprise you
‘As the new season ticket prices come into effect this month, those looking to relocate to save money should pay close attention to these figures,’ says Laura Howard, Consumer Expert at Zoopla.
‘The past decade has seen significant property price growth in prime London commuter belt towns. Despite of this our analysis still picks out pockets across South East England, that represent affordable value for commuters.’
‘Areas outside London and the South East are generally more affordable,’ explains Laura. ‘But commuters can still save money on their daily travel into the likes of Birmingham and Bristol by looking at towns they might not have yet considered, but still have good transport links.’
Tamara was Ideal Home's Digital Editor before joining the Woman & Home team in 2022. She has spent the last 15 years working with the style teams at Country Homes & Interiors and Ideal Home, both now at Future PLC. It’s with these award wining interiors teams that she's honed her skills and passion for shopping, styling and writing. Tamara is always ahead of the curve when it comes to interiors trends – and is great at seeking out designer dupes on the high street.
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