The Best Up and Coming Commuter Towns Near London

The cheapest of the 26 commuter towns to London on this page is Luton, at £289,790 and 28 minutes from St Pancras. The 26 London commuter belt towns here all have a direct train into the capital. They are ranked on price and on the fastest morning train, with the five-year price change beside each. Every one is under the London average of £553,870, and 20 are under £400,000.

What I have seen investors get wrong is buying on price alone and leaving the commute to the tenant. The tenant lives with that commute every morning.

Article updated: September 2026

All but one of the 26 rose faster than London over the last five years. Ten are under 30 minutes from a London terminus, and four have a price in the cheaper half of these 26 and a train under 30 minutes: Ebbsfleet, Gravesend, Stevenage and Luton.

The Cheapest Commuter Towns to London by Average House Price

Luton, the Medway Towns and Colchester were the only ones under £300,000 on the June 2026 index. At the other end, the three Buckinghamshire towns at £490,508 were still £63,362 under London's average.

Dartford and Ebbsfleet share Dartford's council-area figure, and Amersham, Aylesbury and High Wycombe share Buckinghamshire's.

London's own average rose 2.9% over those five years. Every town in the table beat it except Watford, up 2.2%. The top four were Crawley at 19.2%, Reading at 16.2%, Luton at 16.0% and Milton Keynes at 15.8%. Nineteen of the 26 also beat the England-wide rise of 10.2%.

The five cheapest towns have very different journey times. Luton and Stevenage are under half an hour from St Pancras and King's Cross. Harlow is 35 minutes from Liverpool Street, the Medway Towns 44 from St Pancras and Colchester 53 from Liverpool Street.

A council-area average is a blunt tool, though. Some streets sit well above it and some well below. That is why the buy to let properties for sale we list carry a price, a rent and a yield for each home, not an average.

Watford, up 2.2%, is the one town below London's 2.9%. It is here for the train: 21 minutes to Euston.

The Fastest Commuter Towns to London by Train Time

The quickest commuter towns to London of these 26, by direct train, are Ebbsfleet at 19 minutes to St Pancras, then Watford at 21 and Gravesend at 23. Ten of the 26 are under 30 minutes, station to station. Twenty-one are inside 45 minutes and 25 are inside the hour. Bracknell, at 65 minutes to Waterloo, is the one outside it.

Where a town has two lines into London, the faster direct journey is in the table and the other is in the town's section.

The annual season ticket is the price quoted on 21 September 2026 for one adult with no railcard, for the same journey as the time beside it. The lowest of the 26 quotes was Grays at £3,016 and the highest Ashford at £8,468.

The 26 products are not all the same. The five St Pancras fares, for Ebbsfleet, Gravesend, Ashford, the Medway Towns and Maidstone, are the versions valid on Southeastern high speed services, the trains behind those St Pancras times. Amersham's £4,656 is an annual Travelcard for London Zones 1 to 6, also valid in Zones 7 to 9, because that was the only annual product returned for Amersham to Marylebone. Bracknell's £4,856 is valid only via Staines and Southend's £4,652 only via Pitsea. Most of the other quotes are priced to the London Terminals fare group rather than to one named station. Luton's is priced to London Thameslink, Slough's to Paddington and Crawley's to Victoria.

Put the two tables together and four towns come out in the cheaper half on price and under 30 minutes on the train: Ebbsfleet, Gravesend, Stevenage and Luton. Milton Keynes at 32 minutes and Harlow at 35 make it six at 35 minutes or less. Those six are the towns that are both cheap and quick.

Nobody negotiates the timetable. The purchase price is different, and that is where below market value properties come in.

Commuter Towns Map: Price and Train Time to London

Each pin is a town, showing its fastest direct morning train time in minutes. The line from each pin runs to the London terminus that train arrives at. Pins are coloured by: Average sold price, all property types, June 2026 (council area, UK House Price Index). Lines show: Fastest direct morning train to London, station to station (Tuesday 22 September 2026). Set a maximum price and a maximum train time to narrow the towns; towns outside those limits are crossed out in the tables above.

Pins: Average sold price, all property types, June 2026 (council area, UK House Price Index)

• Below £300,000
• £300,000 to £349,999
• £350,000 to £399,999
• £400,000 and above

Lines: Fastest direct morning train to London, station to station (Tuesday 22 September 2026)

• Under 30 min
• 30 to 44 min
• 45 to 59 min
• 60 min and above

Lines connect stations to London termini; they do not trace the railway tracks.

Sources: UK House Price Index, June 2026 (HM Land Registry); National Rail Enquiries journey planner, measured 15 September 2026; Station coordinates: Wikidata.

How to Find the Best Cities & Towns in the London Commuter Areas

Three numbers do most of the work: the council area's average price, its five-year price change and the fastest morning train to a London terminus. A cheap town with a slow train and a dear town with a fast one are not the same buy. Most of the lists I have seen rank on one number.

A commuter town is a town where a lot of people travel into London for work. London's population is growing, and the cheaper London boroughs are the usual comparison for anyone deciding between staying inside the capital and moving out along a train line.

Up and coming here means the council area's average price rose faster than London's from June 2021 to June 2026, on the same official index.

Every town has a direct train to a London terminus, and 25 of the 26 are within an hour of London. Bracknell, at 65 minutes to Waterloo, is the one that is not. Every council-area average sat under London's in June 2026.

Prices are the UK House Price Index for June 2026, by council area.

Train times are the fastest direct journey the National Rail journey planner listed for the morning of Tuesday 22 September 2026, leaving from about 7am. They were checked in mid-September and are station to station, so add the walk at each end. Populations are the ONS mid-2025 estimates for the council area, which is sometimes bigger than the town.

Rent and yield are on the town guides linked below, not here. Our guide to the best rental yields compares them across the whole UK. Season ticket prices came from Great Western Railway's season ticket search on 21 September 2026, for one adult with no railcard, valid from that day to 20 September 2027. Each is one quoted annual product for the journey in the table, not the cheapest way to make it, and Amersham's is a Travelcard rather than a rail-only season.

The wage is the other half of the picture in the London commuter belt. A tenant in Luton on a London salary pays a Luton rent. The investment properties here are priced against the town, not against London.

Amersham

Local Authority: Buckinghamshire
Local Authority Average House Price: £490,508
Fastest Morning Train: 35 minutes to Marylebone

Amersham is joint dearest on the list with Aylesbury and High Wycombe, because all three share Buckinghamshire's council-area figure of £490,508. The county's prices rose 4.3% over the year to June 2026. Over five years they rose 13.6%, against 2.9% for London.

The direct train from Amersham to Marylebone took 35 minutes on the fastest morning service. The £4,656 in the train table is not a rail-only season ticket. It is an annual Travelcard for London Zones 1 to 6, also valid in Zones 7 to 9, and it was the only annual product returned for Amersham to Marylebone. A flat in Buckinghamshire averaged £241,795 in June 2026; the London flat average was £431,036.

Ashford

Local Authority: Ashford
Local Authority Average House Price: £344,332
Fastest Morning Train: 36 minutes to St Pancras from Ashford International
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 142,523

Ashford's borough average of £344,332 sat 38% under London's. A terraced house averaged £282,684, less than half the London terraced average of £640,508. Over the year to June 2026 prices rose 0.3%.

The high-speed line is what makes a 36-minute journey possible from this far into Kent: Ashford International to St Pancras, on the fastest morning train. The £8,468 annual season ticket, the highest of the 26 quotes, is the version valid on Southeastern high speed services. Ashford is one of the towns on our guide to house prices in Kent.

Aylesbury

Local Authority: Buckinghamshire
Local Authority Average House Price: £490,508
Fastest Morning Train: 59 minutes to Marylebone

Aylesbury shares Buckinghamshire's £490,508 average. The county's prices rose 4.3% over the year to June 2026 and 13.6% over five years. Of the three Buckinghamshire towns here it has the longest journey: 59 minutes to Marylebone on the fastest direct morning service.

There is also a building programme. Aylesbury has had Garden Town status since 2017. Buckinghamshire Council's regeneration page says its partners have committed to 16,000 new homes by 2033, under the Garden Town masterplan the council adopted in 2020. The council puts the town at over 90,000 people, its own undated figure.

Basildon

Local Authority: Basildon
Local Authority Average House Price: £360,294
Fastest Morning Train: 34 minutes to Fenchurch Street
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 193,489

Basildon's borough average of £360,294 was down 1.0% over the year to June 2026, one of six towns on the list that fell over the year. Over five years it was up 11.6%. The fastest morning train to Fenchurch Street took 34 minutes.

A terraced house averaged £313,485 against London's £640,508, and a flat £185,783.

See: The Best Areas of Basildon to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Bracknell

Local Authority: Bracknell Forest
Local Authority Average House Price: £396,103
Fastest Morning Train: 65 minutes to Waterloo
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 132,145

Bracknell is the one town here without a direct train inside the hour. The fastest direct morning service to Waterloo took 65 minutes; the journey planner also listed 53 minutes to Paddington with a change. The £4,856 annual season ticket is valid only for travel via Staines, on the line to Waterloo.

On price, Bracknell sits well under its two neighbours. The Bracknell Forest average was £396,103. Windsor and Maidenhead averaged £576,992 on the same index, and Wokingham £498,941. Over the year to June 2026 Bracknell Forest slipped 0.2%.

See: The Best Areas of Bracknell to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Chelmsford

Local Authority: Chelmsford
Local Authority Average House Price: £383,103
Fastest Morning Train: 35 minutes to Liverpool Street
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 190,570

Chelmsford to Liverpool Street took 35 minutes on the fastest morning train. The council-area average of £383,103 was 31% under London's. It was 13.5% higher than five years earlier, despite a 1.2% fall over the final year to June 2026.

Chelmsford has been a city since the 2012 Diamond Jubilee honours.

See: The Best Areas of Chelmsford to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Colchester

Local Authority: Colchester
Local Authority Average House Price: £298,003
Fastest Morning Train: 53 minutes to Liverpool Street
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 201,163

Colchester had the lowest flat average of all 26 towns, £162,504, and the lowest terraced average too, £265,637. The council-area average of £298,003 was third-cheapest on the list and slipped 0.3% over the year to June 2026.

The train is the trade-off: 53 minutes to Liverpool Street on the fastest direct service, the third-longest journey here. The £6,700 annual season ticket is priced from Colchester or Colchester Town, one fare for both stations.

Colchester became a city in the 2022 Platinum Jubilee honours. Its draft local plan sets out at least 20,800 new homes between 2025 and 2041.

See: The Best Areas of Colchester to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Crawley

Local Authority: Crawley
Local Authority Average House Price: £338,311
Fastest Morning Train: 43 minutes to Victoria
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 124,462

Crawley rose more than any other town on the list. Its borough average reached £338,311 in June 2026. That was 19.2% higher than five years earlier, and 4.5% higher than a year earlier.

That average sat well under Surrey, where the county figure on the same index was £519,877, and a little under West Sussex at £372,660. The fastest morning train to Victoria took 43 minutes, and the £4,468 annual season ticket is priced to Victoria.

The town sits next to Gatwick Airport. On 21 September 2025 the Secretary of State for Transport granted development consent for Gatwick's Northern Runway project. It brings the airport's northern runway into routine use, with expanded terminal buildings and 18,500 more parking spaces.

See: The Best Areas of Crawley to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Dartford

Local Authority: Dartford
Local Authority Average House Price: £351,594
Fastest Morning Train: 44 minutes to Charing Cross
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 126,297

Dartford is the town at the Kent end of the Dartford Crossing, and the borough average of £351,594 was 37% under London's. Prices rose 3.8% over the year to June 2026, one of the faster annual rises on the list.

The fastest morning train from Dartford station to Charing Cross took 44 minutes. The high-speed line runs from Ebbsfleet, in the same borough.

The borough figure covers a wide area. In the DA1 postcode district, which covers Dartford town centre, the August 2026 average asking price was £338,956.

The council has bought the Westgate site in the town centre. Its proposal for homes, shops and businesses there has been through a public consultation, now closed.

Ebbsfleet

Local Authority: Dartford
Local Authority Average House Price: £351,594
Fastest Morning Train: 19 minutes to St Pancras from Ebbsfleet International
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 126,297

Ebbsfleet has the shortest journey on the whole list: 19 minutes from Ebbsfleet International to St Pancras, and 11 minutes to Stratford International. The annual season ticket quoted for that journey, £6,124, is the version valid on Southeastern high speed services. The price here is the Dartford side's council-area figure: £351,594, 37% under London, up 3.8% over the year to June 2026.

The borough's flat average was £211,697, about half of London's £431,036. In the DA10 postcode district, Ebbsfleet Valley and Swanscombe, the August 2026 average asking price was £363,556.

Ebbsfleet Garden City is a new town still being built. The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation is planning up to 15,000 homes by 2035.

Gravesend

Local Authority: Gravesham
Local Authority Average House Price: £345,369
Fastest Morning Train: 23 minutes to St Pancras
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 111,221

Gravesend to St Pancras took 23 minutes on the high-speed line, the third-quickest journey here. The slower line to Charing Cross took 59 minutes on its fastest direct morning train. The £6,124 annual season ticket is the version valid on those high speed services.

The Gravesham council-area average was £345,369, 38% under London's. Over the year to June 2026 it rose 2.4%. A flat averaged £173,919. Gravesend is covered on our county guide to Kent house prices.

Grays

Local Authority: Thurrock
Local Authority Average House Price: £327,176
Fastest Morning Train: 37 minutes to Fenchurch Street
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 181,664

Grays is in Thurrock, on the Essex side of the Thames where Greater London ends. The council-area average of £327,176 was eighth-cheapest on the list and rose 2.3% over the year to June 2026.

The fastest morning train from Grays to Fenchurch Street took 37 minutes, and from Purfleet, one stop nearer London, 30. Purfleet-on-Thames is also where Thurrock Council is pushing a 2,850-home regeneration with a new town centre, station, primary school and medical facilities. In August 2026 the council said it would appoint its preferred partner, Muse Places, once a development agreement was negotiated. It asked its Cabinet to approve hiring consultants for that negotiation.

Thurrock is covered on our Essex buy to let guide.

Harlow

Local Authority: Harlow
Local Authority Average House Price: £313,338
Fastest Morning Train: 35 minutes to Liverpool Street from Harlow Town
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 98,543

Harlow's council-area average of £313,338 was fourth-cheapest on the list and rose 1.7% over the year to June 2026. The fastest morning train from Harlow Town to Liverpool Street took 35 minutes; Bishop's Stortford, further up the same line, took 44. The £4,744 annual season ticket from Harlow Town is the standard season, valid via any permitted route.

Harlow was built as a new town and the building has started again. East Herts Council expects around 16,000 homes across the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town by 2033. About 3,000 of them are in the Gilston villages on the Hertfordshire side of the river, where a 10,000-home development carries on beyond that date. Planning permission for the two Gilston developments was granted in January 2025, and the first homes are due to start in late 2026.

See: The Best Areas of Harlow to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Hemel Hempstead

Local Authority: Dacorum
Local Authority Average House Price: £459,438
Fastest Morning Train: 29 minutes to Euston
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 162,316

Hemel Hempstead is 29 minutes from Euston on the fastest morning train. The Dacorum council-area average of £459,438 was the dearest on the list after the three Buckinghamshire towns, and rose 1.8% over the year to June 2026.

Dacorum had the highest average price for flats of the 26, £264,943. It also had the highest average price for terraced houses, £425,299. Both were still well under London's £431,036 for a flat and £640,508 for a terraced house.

See: The Best Areas of Hemel Hempstead to Invest in Buy-to-Let

High Wycombe

Local Authority: Buckinghamshire
Local Authority Average House Price: £490,508
Fastest Morning Train: 29 minutes to Marylebone

High Wycombe to Marylebone took 29 minutes on the fastest morning train, and Beaconsfield, on the same line, 25.

It shares the Buckinghamshire average of £490,508. The county's prices rose 4.3% over the year to June 2026 and 13.6% over five years. Of the three Buckinghamshire towns here it has the quickest train by some distance: 29 minutes, against 35 from Amersham and 59 from Aylesbury. In the HP11 postcode district, which includes High Wycombe town centre, the August 2026 average asking price was £337,443.

See: The Best Areas of High Wycombe to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Luton

Local Authority: Luton
Local Authority Average House Price: £289,790
Fastest Morning Train: 28 minutes to St Pancras
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 236,380

Luton is the cheapest commuter town on the list at £289,790. Prices rose 2.9% over the year to June 2026 and 16.0% over five years, the third-highest five-year rise of the 26. A detached house averaged £481,379, the lowest detached figure here, and the fastest morning train to St Pancras took 28 minutes. The £5,480 annual season ticket is priced to London Thameslink rather than to St Pancras on its own.

The council's Town Centre Delivery Plan for 2025 to 2030 covers the Power Court stadium scheme and The Stage. It also lists two small housing-and-retail developments at Bute Street and Cheapside, designed and awaiting a planning decision. The Stage is 292 homes and a 600-capacity venue next to the station, listed for delivery within one to five years.

See: The Best Areas of Luton to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Maidstone

Local Authority: Maidstone
Local Authority Average House Price: £352,191
Fastest Morning Train: 52 minutes to St Pancras from Maidstone West
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 191,415

The two Maidstone stations give two very different journeys. Maidstone West to St Pancras took 52 minutes on the fastest direct morning train; Maidstone East to Victoria took 67 minutes on its fastest direct service. The £7,200 annual season ticket covers Maidstone East, West and Barracks as one station group and is the version valid on Southeastern high speed services.

The borough average of £352,191 was 36% under London's. Over the year to June 2026 it was almost unchanged, up 0.1%. Maidstone is Kent's county town.

See: The Best Areas of Maidstone to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Medway Towns

Local Authority: Medway
Local Authority Average House Price: £296,182
Fastest Morning Train: 44 minutes to St Pancras from Gillingham
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 292,697

The Medway Towns are Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham, one council area. Its average of £296,182 was second-cheapest on the list, up 1.1% over the year to June 2026.

From Gillingham the fastest morning train to St Pancras took 44 minutes; the slower line to Victoria took 53. The £6,784 annual season ticket from Gillingham is the version valid on Southeastern high speed services. A flat averaged £167,976.

See: The Best Areas of Medway Towns to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Milton Keynes

Local Authority: Milton Keynes
Local Authority Average House Price: £325,104
Fastest Morning Train: 32 minutes to Euston from Milton Keynes Central
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 308,866

Milton Keynes averaged £325,104 in June 2026. That was 15.8% higher than five years earlier, the fourth-highest five-year rise here, despite a 0.1% dip over the final year. A semi-detached house averaged £329,095, the lowest semi figure of the 26.

The fastest morning train from Milton Keynes Central to Euston took 32 minutes. The other railway is East West Rail, the new line from Oxford through Milton Keynes to Bedford and on to Cambridge. The Oxford to Bedford passenger service is due by the end of the decade.

Milton Keynes became a city in the 2022 Platinum Jubilee honours.

See: The Best Areas of Milton Keynes to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Reading

Local Authority: Reading
Local Authority Average House Price: £361,243
Fastest Morning Train: 24 minutes to Paddington
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 183,762

Reading to Paddington took 24 minutes on the fastest morning train, joint fourth-quickest with Stevenage. The council-area average was £361,243. Over five years it rose 16.2%, second only to Crawley. Over the year to June 2026 it rose 0.9%.

A flat averaged £231,436 against £431,036 in London.

See: The Best Areas of Reading to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Slough

Local Authority: Slough
Local Authority Average House Price: £352,024
Fastest Morning Train: 29 minutes to Paddington
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 167,450

Slough's average was £352,024 in June 2026. Its neighbour Windsor and Maidenhead averaged £576,992 on the same index, £224,968 more. Over the year to June 2026 Slough rose 2.2%.

The fastest morning train to Paddington took 29 minutes, and the £3,448 annual season ticket is priced to Paddington itself. A flat averaged £229,759.

See: The Best Areas of Slough to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Southend-on-Sea

Local Authority: Southend-on-Sea
Local Authority Average House Price: £325,586
Fastest Morning Train: 51 minutes to Fenchurch Street from Southend Central
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 185,214

Southend has two lines into London. Southend Central to Fenchurch Street took 51 minutes on the fastest morning train; Southend Victoria to Liverpool Street took 63. The £4,652 annual season ticket from Southend Central is the version valid via Pitsea, on the Fenchurch Street line.

The average of £325,586 rose 3.7% over the year to June 2026. Over five years it rose 7.7%, one of the slower five-year rises here. Southend became a city after the October 2021 announcement made as a tribute to Sir David Amess.

See: The Best Areas of Southend-on-Sea to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Stevenage

Local Authority: Stevenage
Local Authority Average House Price: £323,429
Fastest Morning Train: 24 minutes to King's Cross
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 92,081

Stevenage to King's Cross took 24 minutes on the fastest morning train, and the council-area average of £323,429 was fifth-cheapest on the list. That pairing, under half an hour and under £325,000, is matched only by Luton.

Prices rose 4.7% over the year to June 2026, the second-highest annual rise of the 26 after Welwyn Garden City.

Stevenage Borough Council is leading a £1 billion regeneration of the town centre. The first phase of new homes is finished at Danesgate and 261 more are under way at Claxton House.

See: The Best Areas of Stevenage to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Watford

Local Authority: Watford
Local Authority Average House Price: £396,385
Fastest Morning Train: 21 minutes to Euston from Watford Junction
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 107,658

Watford is the exception on the five-year figures. Its average of £396,385 was 2.2% higher than five years earlier, the only rise of the 26 smaller than London's 2.9%. Over the year to June 2026 it rose 2.8%.

The train is the reason it is here anyway. Watford Junction to Euston took 21 minutes on the fastest morning service, the second-quickest journey on the list. Watford sits just outside Greater London, and a flat there averaged £259,508.

See: The Best Areas of Watford to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Welwyn Garden City

Local Authority: Welwyn Hatfield
Local Authority Average House Price: £450,696
Fastest Morning Train: 32 minutes to King's Cross
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 121,748

The Welwyn Hatfield average was £450,696 in June 2026. Over the year it rose 5.8%, the highest one-year rise of the 26. Over five years it rose 6.1%.

The fastest morning train to King's Cross took 32 minutes; Hatfield, the next town down the line, took 29.

See: The Best Areas of Welwyn Garden City to Invest in Buy-to-Let

Woking

Local Authority: Woking
Local Authority Average House Price: £433,790
Fastest Morning Train: 26 minutes to Waterloo
Council Area Population (mid-2025): 106,197

Woking to Waterloo took 26 minutes on the fastest morning train. The borough average of £433,790 sat under the Surrey county figure of £519,877 on the same index. Over the year to June 2026 it fell 2.7%, the biggest annual fall on the list.

Over five years it rose 3.7%, above London's 2.9% but the second-slowest here after Watford.

See: The Best Areas of Woking to Invest in Buy-to-Let

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