With the plethora of places perched inside the capital’s commuter beltit’s pretty difficult to work out which of them are actually worth opting-out of London life for. But luckily for those of you that are keen to dip your toe in the cleaner (and far less chaotic) waters of life beyond these 32 boroughs; recent research has revealed which commuter town near London is the best of all. And we’re about to point you in that very direction.
The research in question comes courtesy of mortgage-lenders, Pepper Money. They analysed data from over 67 commuter towns across the country to uncover the best of the bunch, taking into account factors including property prices, rental costs, travel time, transport costs, average salaries, and quality of life ratings. Whilst towns in the north of England came up trumps overall, there were some London commuter towns that topped the charts, too. And the one that reigned supreme as the best London commuter town of all was Woking in Surrey.
Woking, Surrey
Woking was crowned the capital’s top commuter towntriumphing over the likes of St Albans, Guildford, Luton, Reading, and Slough. According to the research, Woking managed to strike a pretty perfect balance between proximity to London and value for money. The average house price in Woking is £460,000 and the average monthly rental cost is £1648, making the Surrey spot one of the most affordable options on the list. And the commute between Woking and London Waterloo takes just 29 minutes.
Woking is located slap-bang in the centre of Surrey. Surrounded by a whole host picturesque green spaces and an abundance of walking and cycling routes; it’s perfect for those who wish to fill their lungs with some actual fresh air. But the town centre itself is also vibrant and bustling; boasting some impressive cultural offerings, too. Woking also holds a unique claim to fame. Not only is it the primary setting for the best-selling Sci-Fi novel, The War of the Worldsbut it’s also the town in which H.G. Wells lived whilst he wrote the book. Not bad, hey?
