The commuter hotspots offering affordable homes and cheap travel. Is your local area on the list?

The commuter belt is being shaken up by a return to the office, families looking for affordable ways to move up the housing ladder and better transport links.

The ‘race for space’ that dominated the coronavirus period, when homebuyers snapped up coastal and rural properties, has subsided, according to estate agent Savills.

But second steppers and growing families with less equity due to a poor macroeconomic backdrop and higher mortgage rates, are still pushing the traditional commuter belts further afield than before the pandemic.

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Better transport links, such as the new Elizabeth Line in the South East, have also opened up areas previously unavailable to people looking to escape the hustle and bustle.

Frances McDonald, director of research at Savills, said: “During the pandemic, a combination of the ‘race for space’ and the rise of hybrid working meant buyers were willing to compromise on longer commutes in favour of lifestyle priorities.

“Five years on, our latest analysis shows the commuter belt has tightened again as office attendance has increased, but it remains less compact than it was before the pandemic.”

For those considering a move to the commuter belt, which locations offer affordable house prices and cheap train travel?

Savills compiled a list of areas with train stations offering direct lines in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh offering the cheapest season tickets, plus how much homes in these areas will set you back.

Commuter hotspots near London

Iver, Buckinghamshire

With average house prices sitting around £540,000, the greenbelt village of Iver is ideal for buyers looking for countryside living combined with accessibility to the capital.

Season tickets, taking you from Iver train station into London Paddington in just 28 minutes, cost £2,868 a year.

Prittlewell, Essex

House prices in this inner city area of Southend-on-Sea come in at an affordable £295,326 and trains from Prittlewell station into London Liverpool Street take just under an hour.

A yearly season ticket will set you back £5,120 for the year, but with property prices just £25,000 over the UK average of £270,259, this is an ideal spot for those wanting seaside living within a stones throw of the capital.

Corby, Northamptonshire

Corby is an option for buyers looking for somewhere further afield with plenty of green spaces but with cheaper housing – the average house price here is £225,245.

Trains from the town’s main train station take just 66 minutes to get into London St Pancras, but you will have to fork out £10,624 a year for a season ticket.

Commuter hotspots near Manchester

Styal, Cheshire East

Homes in Styal have an average price of £411,992 and trains into Manchester Piccadilly station take just 43 minutes. A season ticket will set you back £1,596.

The village sits on the outskirts of Manchester with National Trust woodlands nearby to explore, making it popular with dog walkers and families.

Bamford, High Peak

Average house prices average out a slightly steeper £523,615 in Bamford, a leafy suburban area in the borough of Rochdale close to Ashworth Valley.

Trains take just under an hour to get into Manchester Piccadilly with a season ticket costing £3,560.

Holmes Chapel, Cheshire East

Trains from Holmes Chapel – the hometown of singer Harry Styles – take just 42 minutes to get into Manchester Piccadilly, despite the village being over 20 miles from the city centre, with season tickets costing £3,260.

The average home there will cost you £350,304.

Commuter hotspots near Birmingham

Wootton Wawen, Stratford-upon-Avon

The small village of Wootton Wawen is about 20 miles from Birmingham and over six miles north of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

Trains from the main station into Birmingham Moor Street take 46 minutes at a yearly cost of £1,880. The average house price is a bit more expensive at £520,711.

Hartlebury, Wychavon

This historic rural village is home to a 13th century castle and just 52 minutes from Birmingham Moor Street on the train.

A season ticket costs £1,552 and average house prices aren’t too steep either, costing around £376,790 on average.

South Wigston, Oadby and Wigston

This large town close to Leicester is home to around 7,000 people and offers a direct line train into Birmingham New Street station that takes 49 minutes.

A season ticket will cost you a more dear £3,972 a year, although the average house price is less than £250,000.

Commuter hotspots near Edinburgh

Camelon, Falkirk

A suburb in Falkirk, trains into Edinburgh Waverley station from Camelon take just 37 minutes, with season tickets costing £2,396.

Trains into Glasgow take around a similar time too, while house prices are a major plus – the average property costs £173,381, well below the UK average.

Fauldhouse, West Lothian

Another village equidistant between Glasgow and Edinburgh, Fauldhouse train station offers commuters a 36 minute journey into Edinburgh Waverley at a yearly cost of £2,224.

The average property price is only £155,947 too. Inside the village of around 5,000 residents is a library, pool and gym, golf course and two primary schools.

Stirling, Stirling

Trains from Stirling into Edinburgh Waverley take 50 minutes and season tickets cost £2,396. Homes are a slightly pricier £215,224 on average.

Close to the Ochil Hills and known as the ‘Gateway to the Highlands’, the town is home to a university, the historic National Wallace Monument, commemorating the life of Sir William Wallace, and a number of well-respected primary and secondary schools.