London might be the city with the most workers travelling in every day, but new research reveals it doesn't have the best commuter towns - in fact, far from it.  

None of the best towns for professionals travelling into big cities in 2025 are found around the M25, according to analysis by specialist mortgage lender Pepper Money. 

It analysed 66 commuter towns surrounding cities including London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester to see how they measured up on a wide range of criteria. 

These included house prices, rent, commuting time, cost of a rail journey, median salary and quality of life.

None of the top towns were anywhere near the capital.  

Instead, Pepper Money found commuter town gems are dotted around the country, with those close to smaller cities in the North of England making up most of the top ten. 

Sheffield has the best commuter towns

Professionals seeking the perfect commuter base should be looking for a job in Sheffield, the research suggests, as three of the top towns are close to the city.

Lower house prices, affordable train tickets and shorter commute times pushes them to the top of the list.

Rotherham, just a 17-minute train journey into Sheffield, tops the list of this year’s best commuter towns. 

Not only is it affordable – with an average house price of just £193,000 and rental costs averaging £653 a month – it is a still busy town itself.

Plus, a rail journey into Sheffield is just £2.10 – the cheapest price in the top ten towns.

 The median salary is one of the lower ones on the list at £34,258 but quality of life is still high at 7.9 out of ten.

Not only is it close to Sheffield, it is also only a one hour and 15-minute drive from Manchester - perfect for workers straddling both cities. It scores 358 out of a score of 469, according to the Pepper Money analysis.

In the silver spot is Dronfield, which also neighbours Sheffield. The town is smaller than Rotherham so it could be more suitable spot for young families searching for a slower pace of life.

House prices are slightly higher, however, and are more than the national average at £301,037. Plus, if you are renting be prepared to stump up £1,074 a month. The commute time to Sheffield is 11 minutes and costs £5.20.

Its total score is 324.

Sheffield also appears in spot eight with commuter town Barnsley. House prices here are just £170,000, one of the lowest across the county’s commuter towns.

Outside of Sheffield, Manchester and Nottingham offer the best commuter towns based on a variety of factors, the research found. 

In third place is Beeston which is just six minutes outside of Nottingham. The rail journey costs just £3 and the typical salary is slightly higher than the national average at £38,535.

After Beeston is Penarth (Cardiff), Pudsey (Leeds) and Stalybridge (Manchester).

Long Eaton, which also neighbours Nottingham, comes in at seventh place.

Finishing up the top ten are Widnes, close to Liverpool, and Ilkeston, which is again close to Nottingham.

London suburbs worst for commuters

Towns in the south score poorly for commuters. Londoners have been heading out of the city centre in droves in recent years as hybrid working surged in popularity.

But this research suggests they may be better off relocating cities altogether.

Between soaring house prices, long commute times of up to an hour and a poorer quality of life, professionals have better options, says Pepper Money.

London commuter towns such as St Albans, Watford and Maidstone are noticeably absent from the list due to soaring house prices and monthly rental costs.

In fact, all but two of the ten lowest ranking commuter towns are close to London.

The towns that have cheaper house prices and rents are further away from the city centre, pushing them down the list.

Luton, for example, has an average house price of £285,000 but has a 36-minute commute to the city centre – and the journey costs £14.70.

It is ranked at the bottom of the 66 commuter towns analysed by Pepper Money.

Also at the bottom of the rankings is Maidstone with a £361,000 average house price and 53-minute commute, which will set back travellers some £17.90.

Basingstoke has the most expensive commute with a £30 ticket price for 44 minutes of traveling.

While St Albans has a commute time to the capital of just 21 minutes and residents have an average salary of £53,829, house prices in the area are some £628,000, the highest on the list. Rental costs are £1,869 a month.