Up and Coming Areas of the London Commuter Belt: A Guide for Investors
Areas within the London commuter belt can offer a good opportunity for buyers and investors. They benefit from well-paid London workers who can often afford to pay stronger rents than locals. So they can offer good buy to let yields. And they can offer good prospects for price appreciation in the future too.
How to find Up-and-Coming Commuter Areas
A good approach when picking London commuter areas is to choose locations with direct connections to London mainline stations, good journey times and sensible season ticket prices too.
One snag when selecting locations is that some London commuter areas are so popular that they are already costly to buy in. That makes good yields hard to find. So investing in up-and-coming areas can be the solution. Up-and-coming areas are those where transport links and travel times into London are attractive but with property prices that still offer good value for money.
We’ve crunched the numbers and come up with our own suggestions for some up-and-coming areas of the London commuter belt throughout this article. You can also see the very latest yield data for all regions across Greater London here.
Our methodology. We’ve selected commuter locations which are all under 60 minutes by rail, with most under 40 minutes. And we’ve selected locations which are all under the average London house price of £525,000, with most under £400,000.
(Average house prices are based on HM Land Registry figures for the relevant local authority area. According to National Rail Enquiries, travel times are based on the fastest train travel times from station to station.)
Amersham
Average House Price: £481,000
Travel Time: 41 minutes
Amersham is in Buckinghamshire around 27 miles north west of London. Along with nearby Chesham, it is popular with commuters who want a semi-rural location but good access to transport and amenities.
Amersham has national rail services into London Marylebone but is also on the London Underground’s Metropolitan line offering commuters more transport options. Amersham is also within easy reach of the M25 and M40 motorways.
Ashford
Average House Price: £363,500
Travel Time: 38-54 minutes
Ashford in Kent is a one-time market town that has developed fast in recent decades. It has a population of 75,000 and is growing fast with many new build housing developments. An added bonus of Ashford is access to the Channel ports and the Kent countryside.
Ashford International station offers commuters different travel options into London. The fastest (but costlier) train into London St. Pancras takes just 38 minutes.
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Aylesbury
Average House Price: £481,000
Travel Time: 58 minutes
Aylesbury is in Buckinghamshire, around 35 miles north west of London. Aylesbury is very much an up-and-coming location – as a Garden Town, it is earmarked for more housing development. Around 16,000 new homes will be built over the next decade.
Aylesbury has direct services into London Marylebone from Aylesbury and also Aylesbury Vale Parkway train stations. Although Aylesbury isn’t the cheapest town for property prices it is great for commuters who want good access to London but a semi-rural location alongside the Chiltern Hills.
Basildon
Average House Price: £371,500
Travel Time: 40 minutes
Basildon in Essex is a commercial town with many local employers. However, it’s also attractive to commuters due to its good road and rail links. London Fenchurch Street is commutable in around 40 minutes with frequent trains from Basildon, Pitsea and Laindon.
A big attraction of Basildon is it is a really good value property location compared to nearby towns. It is 25% cheaper than in nearby Brentwood for example.
Bracknell
Average House Price: £401,000
Travel Time: 58 minutes
Bracknell is a one-time new town. It’s grown fast over the years to reach a population of 120,000. Bracknell offers great local amenities, good transport links around the area and cheaper property than much of Berkshire. That makes Bracknell popular with families looking for good value accommodation.
Bracknell is popular with those commuting to Reading but London Waterloo is just less than an hour away by train too.
Chelmsford
Average House Price: £386,300
Travel Time: 34 minutes
Chelmsford is establishing itself as a major regional city since gaining city status a decade ago. Chelmsford has a fast-growing population of almost 180,000 and is seeing lots of new housing development. Property prices are good value compared to much of the south east.
Chelmsford is also becoming a favourite with London commuters due to attractive house prices and quick commuting times. The train from Chelmsford station to Liverpool Street in the City of London takes just 34 minutes.
Colchester
Average House Price: £322,100
Travel Time: 45 minutes
Colchester in Essex was originally a historic market town. It’s also known as Colchester Garrison. The population has grown fast in recent years as a result of major new housing development and 15,000 more new homes are projected.
Although being 60 miles from central London Colchester has really good rail connections into London so is commutable into the capital.
Zoopla has previously named Colchester as London’s best-value commuter location.
Crawley
Average House Price: £313,700
Travel Time: 41 minutes
Crawley has expanded fast in recent decades as new suburbs have been added and Crawley has become established as a major regional town. The local economy is based on Gatwick Airport and industries that serve aviation. Crawley, Ifield and Three Bridges train stations benefit from a good service to London, as well as to Brighton and good access to the M23/M25.
While Crawley is not a cheap property location (prices are slightly above the national average) it is much cheaper than most parts of London and than many parts of nearby Surrey and Sussex.
Dartford
Average House Price: £362,000
Travel Time: 37 minutes
Dartford is best known for the Dartford Crossing of the River Thames. So it benefits from easy road access to London, Kent, Essex and the rest of the country too. Dartford Borough Council has a programme of regeneration aimed at making Dartford a better place to live.
Dartford has direct trains to Charing Cross and London Bridge. House prices in Dartford are around 35% less than the London average.
Ebbsfleet
Average House Price: £320,400
Travel Time: 19 minutes
Ebbsfleet, or Ebbsfleet Garden City, is a new garden town in north Kent around 15 miles from London. It’s a development hotspot with lots of new build housing and ultimately will have a population of around 65,000 people.
The big attraction of Ebbsfleet is its high-speed train service in London. St. Pancras station takes just 19 minutes from Ebbsfleet International. Stratford which has good connections around London takes just 11 minutes.
Gravesend
Average House Price: £320,400
Travel Time: 24 minutes
Gravesend is in north west Kent and 20 miles from central London. Gravesend is a historic maritime town with a waterfront location and good value property prices.
Gravesend benefits from a really accessible location by the A2, M2 and M25 motorways and has good rail services into London. The fastest journey into the City of London takes just 24 minutes.
Grays
Average House Price: £326,600
Travel Time: 34 minutes
Grays is in the borough of Thurrock. It is on the fringes of Greater London along the River Thames. The borough is a fast-growing area and the current population of 170,000 is expected to be above 199,000 by 2031.
Grays is an affordable property location for London commuters. This survey says Grays is the most affordable commuter town in the south east once factors such as prices, rents and travel costs are taken into account.
Nearby Purfleet also has a major regeneration plan.
The fastest train from Grays into London Fenchurch Street takes 37 minutes while Purfleet into London is just 29 minutes.
Harlow
Average House Price: £321,500
Travel Time: 31 minutes
Harlow is in rural Essex around 26 miles north of London. Harlow was originally developed as a new town for people moving out of London and has grown fast over the years. It is a development hotspot and six new villages with over 8,500 homes are planned for the area. Harlow has great transport links to London, the rest of the southeast and even the rest of the world. It is right on the M11 motorway and is close to Stansted Airport.
Harlow is one of the cheaper property locations in the southeast of England offering good value for investors and buyers. Liverpool Street station can be reached by train in around 31 minutes using the Stansted Express.
The nearby town of Bishop’s Stortford is also popular with commuters (39 minutes into London).
Hemel Hempstead
Average House Price: £473,500
Travel Time: 30 minutes
Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire is a one-time market town which grew fast as a new town in the 20th century. It has a population of around 98,800. Although Hemel Hempstead has lots of local employment of its own it is very well located for travel around the region.
While not the cheapest town in our report Hemel Hempstead is a good value area compared to much of the region. London Euston (via Watford Junction which has good train connections around London) takes just 30 minutes from Hemel Hempstead train station.
See: The Best Areas of Hemel Hempstead to Invest in Buy-to-Let
High Wycombe
Average House Price: £481,600
Travel Time: 30 minutes
High Wycombe (or Wycombe for short) is in Buckinghamshire around 29 miles north west of central London. High Wycombe is a market town which has grown fast over the years and now has a population of around 125,000.
There is a fast rail service from High Wycombe to London Marylebone taking around 30 minutes. There is also a direct train service to Oxford and to Birmingham.
High Wycombe has previously been identified as being the south east’s best commuter town thanks to its good access into London, reliable rail service and more reasonable property prices than many London commuter towns.
Nearby Beaconsfield is also a popular commuter town with a direct train service into London although property prices are much higher.
Luton
Average House Price: £274,500
Travel Time: 25 minutes
Luton in Bedfordshire is known for Luton Airport. But Luton has great transport links by road (being close to the M1) and rail too. The local council has a master plan for the town which aims to attract investment, create new jobs, improve the town centre public realm, create a new park and encourage new homes in the centre.
Central London can be reached in 25 minutes by train with around 10 trains per hour at peak time. And Luton is one of the few places within easy reach of London where property prices are below not just the London average but below the national average too.
Maidstone
Average House Price: £345,200
Travel Time: 60 minutes
Maidstone is an attractive county town in Kent. It appeals to commuters who want to live in the Kent countryside alongside great local amenities and good access to the coast, the Channel ports and Europe too.
The journey into central London from Maidstone East station is one of the longer ones in our survey, however, with the train taking around 60 minutes.
Medway Towns
Average House Price: £297,200
Travel Time: 50 minutes
The Medway towns area includes the separate towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham.
The Medway area has good value property with prices below average for the south east region. The fastest commuter service into central London takes around 50 minutes (based on Gillingham station).
Milton Keynes
Average House Price: £316,800
Travel Time: 30 minutes
The new city of Milton Keynes has a population of around 230,000. It is an employment and business hotspot but is also well located for travelling to the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge and further afield.
Milton Keynes has good rail links to London and elsewhere. London Euston is only around 30 minutes away. (Milton Keynes will also be at the centre of the new East-West Rail railway line which will eventually connect Oxford and Cambridge.)
House prices in Milton Keynes are slightly above the national average. However, they are lower than many places in the region.
See: The Best Areas of Milton Keynes to Invest in Buy-to-Let
Reading
Average House Price: £333,400
Travel Time: 50 minutes
Reading in Berkshire has a population of around 230,000. It is within the M4 Corridor area and is a jobs hotspot with many large business parks and large national and international companies located here.
Reading is right by the M4, the Great Western mainline railway and is convenient for London Heathrow Airport too. Reading has become much more attractive to London commuters recently. The new Elizabeth Line means that London is just 50 minutes by train with trains every 15 minutes.
Reading property prices are slightly above the national average. However, Reading property is much more affordable than London and many other locations in the south east.
Slough
Average House Price: £324,000
Travel Time: 25 minutes
Slough has a population of around 150,000 and is a fast-growing town. It has a large local jobs market (Slough Trading Estate is the largest business park in Europe) but also has great road and rail transport links to other places. London Heathrow Airport is also nearby.
Slough has become even more commutable with the opening of the new Elizabeth Line. Central London can now be reached in as little as 25 minutes from Slough (6 trains every hour) and nearby Elizabeth Line stations like Langley, Iver and Burnham.
Slough property prices are above the national average but they are much lower than nearby Maidenhead and Windsor together with many other cities and towns of the south east.
Southend
Average House Price: £337,000
Travel Time: 45 minutes
Southend on Sea is known as a seaside resort, known for Southend Pier and being particularly popular with London visitors. Southend has been awarded city status too. That is likely to raise its profile and could benefit the property market.
Southend has a 45-minute service into London meaning it has become attractive to London commuters in recent years. As well as Southend Central and Southend Victoria other local stations for commuters include Leigh on Sea, Westcliff on Sea, Southend East, Thorpe Bay and Shoeburyness.
Southend is a good-value property area compared to the rest of the region. House prices are under the average for south east England.
See: The Best Areas of Southend-on-Sea to Invest in Buy-to-Let
Stevenage
Average House Price: £331,000
Travel Time: 24 minutes
Stevenage was established as a new town and has grown fast to become a major regional centre. Stevenage is just 27 miles north east of London. The town has a £1 billion regeneration plan which will bring new shops, leisure amenities and up to 7,300 new homes to the town centre.
Stevenage has great train services for commuters. London King’s Cross can be reached in just 24 minutes by the fastest LNER train. Thameslink services run from Stevenage to several central London stations, the City of London and through to Brighton.
Stevenage house prices are around 40% less than the London average.
Watford
Average House Price: £402,400
Travel Time: 20-30 minutes
Watford is just outside the Greater London area and around 15 miles north west of central London. It has great transport links of all kinds being close to the M1 and M25 and good rail links into London and to the Midlands and north.
Watford is a great London commuter location thanks to its numerous different train routes into London. The area has mainline rail services, London Underground and London Overground trains not only into central London (Watford Junction to London Euston) but to the London suburbs too.
While Watford isn’t a cheap property location property in the town is around 20% cheaper than the London average.
Welwyn Garden City
Average House Price: £445,600
Travel Time: 30 minutes
Welwyn Garden City was originally established as a garden city in the 1920s. It still offers commuters lots of open space and easy access to the countryside, as well as good local amenities.
Welwyn Garden City has great transport links on the A1(M) and A414 and also fast train links to London and elsewhere. There are direct train services to London King’s Cross, Moorgate and other locations in London with the quickest service taking around 30 minutes.
Nearby Hatfield has a 23-minute journey into London.
See: The Best Areas of Welwyn Garden City to Invest in Buy-to-Let
Woking
Average House Price: £482,100
Travel Time: 28 minutes
Woking is around 23 miles south west of central London. It is a busy commercial and light industrial town and many large companies are based in the area.
Woking has great transport links making it a popular location with London and south east commuters. Woking to London Waterloo takes as little as 28 minutes.
This report says that Woking is a property market to watch thanks to its relative affordability and brilliant commute.