londoners are flocking to this ‘lively’ commuter town less than 30 minutes away

One Essex commuter town has been named the best value (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

Wannabe homeowners have long looked outside of London for a quieter pace of life and,crucially,more affordable house prices.

And now new research has found that Shenfield,a leafy suburb in Essex,is the best value location for those wanting to keep their commute under 30 minutes.

With excellent transport links (we’re looking at you Elizabeth Line),acres of woodland and independent shops,it’s not hard to see why Shenfield could be the perfect choice for London leavers.

And,residents are pretty pleased with their local area. ‘It is a commuter’s paradise,basically,’ said the manager of Foureighty coffee shop on Hutton Road,also home to The Shenfield Wine Company and cute florist,Jasmine Bleu.

To work out their top spot,Savills looked at the annual cost of mortgages and travel expenses for homes near more than 350 railway stations within 90 minutes of London. These costs were then compared to what you spend living in Zone 2 in London.

Foureighty is a favourite local coffee spot (Picture: Supplied)

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For a slightly speedier route,there’s also the Greater Anglia service into London Liverpool Street,which also runs around four times an hour,but takes just 25 minutes.

The best value commuter towns within 30 minutes of London

Shenfield,East of England (average price for a three-bed within 5km: £470,003,average annual season ticket cost: £4,008,percentage saving over Zone 2: 45.5%)Twyford,South East (£461,430,£4,764,44.9%)Woking,South East (£478,710,260,43.2%)Maidenhead,South East (£482,725,044,43.1%)Furze Platt,South East (£487,652,240,41.7%).Do you have a story to share?