Yopa announces this year's top 10 commuter hotspots for people travelling into the capital with its updated London Commuter Guide. 

8 MARCH 2023 – It's official: award-wining estate agent Yopa has named Woking as the top London commuter hotspot in its interactive 2023 London Commuter Guide.

The short commute time (just 26 minutes to London Waterloo), a high number of top performing primary and secondary schools, and lower crime rates resulted in the Surrey town securing the title best commuter town for those looking to escape the chaos of the capital.

Reading, Slough, Luton and St Albans made the top five for a combination of season ticket prices, train times into London, average house prices, and local crime rates. Maidenhead, Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead, Milton Keynes, and Letchworth all place in the top ten.

The London Commuter Guide was created by Yopa to help Londoners who are considering moving out of town to identify the most affordable and accessible places to buy a home, without having to sacrifice their jobs and salaries. Users can explore the interactive map to discover how well their town ranks.

The updated guide is particularly relevant as commuters will have seen an average 5.9% hike in rail fares as of the 5th March, bringing trainlines and commuting times back into the headlines. Even with this rise in commuting costs, which the guide takes into account, Yopa's tool shows that moving away from the city can ensure you get more for your money.

Analysis of multiple other economic and quality of life metrics, including proximity to outstanding schools, number of trains per day and average local salaries, have been used to determine the best places to live for those who wish to enjoy the benefits of the home counties whilst retaining their London lifestyle.

Isaac Bull, London's Divisional Franchise Director at Yopa commented:

"Since the first lockdown back in 2020, and the increase in remote working, we have definitely seen a change in buyer's behaviours in and around London.  Lots of people have opted to move further out of London to take advantage of being able to get significantly more for your money down one of the many commuter routes in the suburbs.  Buyers have typically sold their smaller flats closer to the City and traded up for a larger house with gardens.  This has meant a longer commute for some when they do have to work from the office but most are happy with compromise”.

However, we may begin to see the trend reverse. Isaac also comments that: “There is starting to be more and cases of late though, where some feel that commute is just too much and they miss the hustle and bustle of living in zones 1 and 2.  This has caused a return of many buyers who are keener to be within a 15-20 min from home into the office.  This has been a positive step for sellers of smaller properties in zones 1 and 2."

Jonathan Moss, Divisional Franchise Director for the South East ended with:

“Woking boasts an extensive range of amenities, lots of outdoor spaces which are perfect for dog owner walkers and running. You can stroll in areas of outstanding natural beauty such as RHS Garden Wisley or find yourself on a stretch of the Basingstoke Canal. Woking is an idyllic location for a family, and you can be in London in next to no time”.  

ENDS

Top ten UK commuter towns (according to the Yopa 2023 London Commuter Guide):

Press contact:

joey.drozario@yopa.co.uk

About Yopa

Yopa is an award-winning, top ten estate agency brand providing all the services of a traditional agency for a fair fixed fee. The company was founded in 2015 and has sold over 37,000 homes. Yopa's network of local agents operate across England, Scotland, and Wales, meeting the home moving needs of local communities and offering a transparent, highly trusted service that is rated 'excellent' on Trustpilot.

Yopa Commuter Guide Methodology

Yopa's property experts have meticulously mapped out many of London's commuter towns, collecting data on average house prices, commute time and new rail fares, but also factors that produce personalised search results regarding the factors that are most important to the homeowner; these include proximity to top schools, low crime rate, the London terminal nearest your office.