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Commuter towns offer the best of both worlds. Lots of people don’t see London as a prime place to raise a family but it’s a difficult city to leave behind completely. The Home Counties offer the perfect compromise. You’ve got beautiful rolling countryside, a slower way of life and (sometimes) cheaper houses. But if you fancy livening things up with a trip into the city, London is more or less at your doorstep.
So, it’s little surprise that a bunch of London commuter towns made it onto the Sunday Times’ best places to live in the UK in 2025. If you’ve been considering a move a little further afield, these are the finest commuter towns you’ve got to choose from.
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Amersham
Right at the end of the Metropolitan line, the Times called Amersham a ‘super-prime commuter hotspot’. You’ve got high achieving grammar schools, the pretty Chilterns landscape, gorgeous historical architecture (with 150 listed buildings) and loads of EV charging points for those that have made the eco-friendly switch. Average house prices are £830,300.
Berkhamsted
‘Small enough to feel safe but busy enough that you don’t get bored’, glamorous Berkhamsted (pictured below) is next on the Times’ list and just half an hour from London Euston. Such a prime spot doesn’t come cheap – the average property price in Berkhamsted is £751,700. But if you’ve got the cash to splash, your neighbourhood highlights would include a Wellness Hub, with vitamin drips and cryotherapy, strolls along the canal, an active art society and monthly antiques markets.
Chelmsford
Chelmsford was named the east of England’s best place to live in 2025. The Times said: ‘Chelmsford has always been a safe if slightly unsexy bet, but now the city has some funk to go along with its form and function’. It’s had a big boost of investment in recent years with the addition of new neighbourhood Beaulieu Park and a £3.25m upgrade to its theatre. You can get to London Liverpool Street in a mere 29 minutes and properties cost an average of £468,400
Farnham
‘Buzzy and bucolic’ Farnham was next up. This place is just under hour from London Waterloo and was picked for this list for its ‘its charm, its top-class schools and its commute’. Its got a full, year-round programme of events like the Great Farnham Duck Race, the Bourne Show and afternoon concerts in Gostrey Meadow every Sunday. Buying a property in Farnham sets people back an average of £703,400.
Hove
The Times summarises Hove in two words: foodie and funky. In this former fishing village, you get the best of Brighton with much nicer homes (‘from Regency apartments to mews cottages, Victorian terraces and mid-century blocks’) and without the busy crowds. Locals can get a direct train from Hove railway station to London Victoria in an hour and seven minutes. The average cost of buying a home there is £524,400.
Marlow
With the only pub in the country with two Michelin stars, an annual regatta and award-winning schools, Marlow is one of Britain’s poshest towns. So, it makes sense that the average house price here is upwards of £700,000. The Times named it one the UK’s best places to live this year for its ‘ fine looks, with vast Victorian houses, historic streets, the river lined with weeping willows and boat clubs and the stunning backdrop of the Chilterns’ and ‘ fine facilities, including a vast choice of hairdressers, trendy gyms and aesthetic clinics’. You can get into London Paddington or Bond Street in less than an hour.
Petersfield
If you live in the Hampshire market town of Petersfields, you’ve got a stunning Heath, a ‘caring community’ and top-notch schools at your fingertips.The Times said: ‘From am dram to events at the excellent museum and art gallery and the busy weekly markets, there’s always something happening in Petersfield’s historic streets, set against the backdrop of the glorious South Downs countryside’. House prices are an average of £605,100.
Reading
Reading (pictured above) is the most well-connected spot on the Times’ list. You’ve got speedy trains to Paddington in 23 minutes and 50-minute Elizabeth line services into the city. It’s one of the UK’s best places to call home for being an ‘academic hothouse’, its pick of local eateries and its year-round offering of theatre, comedy and music (not least, Reading Festival).
Saffron Walden
The Times named Saffron Walden in Essex the UK’s number one place to live overall this year. That’s thanks to its ‘knockout historic looks with excellent state schools, a rich cultural offering and an exploding foodie scene that’s defying the Essex stereotypes one aperitif and spicy gordal olive at a time’. With homes costing an average of £607,100, London Liverpool Street is less than an hour away.
Sevenoaks
With it’s ‘top-class education, a buzzy community and a medieval deer park’, Sevenoaks in Kent also made the cut. Just a 22-minute train ride from London Bridge, it’s no wonder competition for houses here is high, and so are the prices. Properties in Sevenoaks cost £771,900 on average.
Wivenhoe
A little over 45-minutes from London Liverpool Street, Wivenhoe made it onto the Times’ ranking for having a ‘creative and fiercely proud community’, gorgeous surrounding countryside, proximity to great schools and artistic tradition. One local called the teeny town ‘a pearl that people have been trying to keep a secret for years’. It’s one of the cheaper commuter towns on the list, with an average property price of £477,800.
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