St Albans named most expensive commuter town in Britain

St Albans has been crowned Britain’s priciest commuter town in a study of the best value areas surrounding five major cities.

Zoopla’s Commuters Affordability Index combined mortgage costs and 2019 annual rail season ticket prices to create its list of Britain’s best value commuter hotspots.

Colchester in Essex came out on top for London commuters thanks to its combined annual mortgage and season ticket costs of £13,288 with a 49-minute commute into Liverpool Street station.

At the other end of the scale, a 21-minute commute into St Pancras did little to take the edge off St Albans’ priciest commuter town title, with cathedral city-dwellers facing average combined costs of £21,405.

Commutes within an hour’s travel time of Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol were also compared in the study.

Annabel Dixon, spokesperson for Zoopla, said: “As the new season ticket prices come into effect, much to the anguish of thousands of commuters across the UK, those looking to relocate may wish to pay close attention to these figures.

“Although over the past decade we’ve seen significant property price growth in prime London commuter belt towns, the data shows pockets across South East England that represent best value for commuters.”