Cheapest town/ cities that are commutable to london

EssexHebridean

Gavin83 said:

I know the OP's only criteria was cheap and commutable but there are some awful places named here!

newsgroupmonkey_ said:

sourpuss2021 said:

Luton?      

Leighton Buzzard. Nicer than Luton. Similar prices.

Half hourly train that takes 30 minutes into Euston direct.

The MP refuses to have a property in London, so that probably tells you something.

When we were looking for somewhere to live we considered Leighton Buzzard. It didn't feel rough and the town wasn't run down but I found the vibe of the place a bit weird. It was certainly a step up from the nearby soulless city of Milton Keynes though.

double_dutchy said:

If you go a little further out the trains are faster, so you can do Swindon or Peterborough - both about 70 miles from London, but with fast trains, especially Peterborough. Season ticket will cost more but you might be able to get cheaper housing.

I'm not hugely keen on Peterborough either. It's often ranked as the worst place to live in the UK.

I live in Ely which is lovely and a similar commute in terms of distance from Peterborough. I wouldn't wish to do it more than a day or two a week though. It's also very close to Cambridge which has a lot to do and lots of job opportunities. Unfortunately Cambridge is extremely expensive to buy in otherwise I'd recommend that.

To throw another place into the ring I've always found Bishops Stortford to be reasonable. It is close to Stansted but I've never heard the planes. Would be best to check with someone who lives there if the planes are an issue though.

Depends which side of Stortford you are on about the aircraft noise - there are bits of it where you'd almost not know the airport was there. It is another expensive commute if relying on trains though, and frankly I'd not wish the lower end of the M11 on anyone if a car is your best option. Other than in school holidays it is literally  hell on wheels - and with no real prospect of improvement. 

Grizebeck

Rugby certainly is

ayupmeduck

Not the South coast, too expensive and terrible trains

ayupmeduck

lr1277 said:

I agree on all the comments about Hatfield. But some property can be cheap.

The other factor to bear in mind is the train service.
What happens if your preferred train is delayed/cancelled? Are you ok getting to work late? Or getting home late?
How about everyday getting the train before your ideal train incase it is delayed or cancelled?
Can you work from home? Can you stay in London overnight id there is a catastophic failure on your train line?
Remember Southern Rail? A few years ago their service was slated for essentially not running. I don’t know if that is still the case. That can happen to any train service. Would you be able to cope?

When I was living in London, I lived near Great Portland Street tube station. Rents was expensive but travel costs weren’t bad. Also if one tube line wasn’t working I had options for other tube lines, other tube stations or even a taxi. Btw now that I am older I wouldn’t be able to stand the 24hr noise.
All I am saying is if you live closer you have options for getting around instead of relying on one train service.

Edited to add: I needed those travel options because I was working in IT consultancy. My clients could be anywhere in the Uk on different days of the week. Once I walked home from Liverpool Street as there were no tubes, buses nor taxis.

Still terrible. How anyone commute on Southern is beyond me!

Lavendyr

More context from another of OP's threads:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6413951/is-there-any-chance-for-me-to-buy

"Basically I live in Hertfordshire, I have around 10,000 in savings. I would live where I commute to cheshunt and Stevenage easily. I work in London so would need to be able to get into London. My salary is 28000."

Ibizafan

Rugby has the shortest commute for the distance of anywhere. It is also well placed for motorways and a short trip to Birmingham Airport. The season ticket is expensive but now people work from home more, it has brought a flood of people from London to the town.

ouraggie

 Chelmsford is a nice town. The new suburb of Beaulieu is proving popular and there was talk of Beaulieu getting a train station.

Sunsaru

Lavendyr said:

More context from another of OP's threads:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6413951/is-there-any-chance-for-me-to-buy

"Basically I live in Hertfordshire, I have around 10,000 in savings. I would live where I commute to cheshunt and Stevenage easily. I work in London so would need to be able to get into London. My salary is 28000."

Ahh in that case, Hatfield is actually OP's best bet.

Tiglet2

Sunsaru said:

Lavendyr said:

More context from another of OP's threads:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6413951/is-there-any-chance-for-me-to-buy

"Basically I live in Hertfordshire, I have around 10,000 in savings. I would live where I commute to cheshunt and Stevenage easily. I work in London so would need to be able to get into London. My salary is 28000."

Ahh in that case, Hatfield is actually OP's best bet.

Is Stevenage cheaper than Hatfield?

Tiglet2

Actually since the OP hasn't been back, nor on their other thread, I'm not sure why I'm engaging.