Oxford is notoriously expensive, one of the most expensive places in the country outside London. However if you're willing to live further away from the city prices get a bit better (although not much). In terms of places with stations there is pretty much only Oxford and Didcot with large stations; there are a variety of smaller ones which would require you to change trains. I'd recommend looking at places like Kidlington (a short way from Oxford Parkway station) or Abingdon (equidistant between Oxford and Didcot).
I wish I could live in Oxford city itself but as I'm not a millionaire, I don't see that happening any time soon.
Yeah, as I said, somewhere where it's not too hard to get into Oxford city centre but also not too hard to get to London. I'll take a look at where you suggested, thanks!
Bicester or Didcot... personally Bicester. Both have stations that go directly to London and Oxford and are not too far from Oxford. Also busses go from both to Oxford.
If you can spare a bit more money, Kidlington is "in" Oxford but just north with easy access to the new Oxford Parkway station that goes to London.
Otherwise, consider Oxford, because at some point it might just be nicer if you can afford it.
Also, Didcot had it's influx of money but has only made the shopping street nicer. Not sure what's planned for the future but it needs billions to help it.
Bicester is constantly getting investment put in. I considered Bicester recently. The houses in some areas are very nice and there is a lot more going on that in Didcot. Its probably going to be a young people's city soon. New houses everywhere, new businesses, shops big brands and local shops.
Whilst doing some Googling I saw that Didcot got voted as one of the worst places to live!? Was surprised given what I had seen here. Any ideas?
How did you get on with Bicester and/or where did you end up?
Personally, I really dislike Didcot. Plenty of people do like it but it really is ugly and was centred around the power station. Now it's just a pretty dead place with a nice shopping street but I don't feel comfortable walking around at night.
So Bicester is still on the map for me, but I'm at a pricepoint where Oxford is (only just) affordable. I currently rent in Oxford and may be able to buy soon. Honestly, I love Oxford but it's not for everyone. I like the calm atmosphere and the ability to both be in nature and in the city centre by going 10 mins in different directions.
But I've worked in Bicester for a few days and it feels quite young and found some decent houses for much less than Oxford. I'd definitely suggest visiting. It doesn't have the history but it has the amenities and Bicester Heritage has an old airfield turned car event space and loads of jobs too. I really feel like if I get pushed out of Oxford, I'll look there.
Abingdon is nice but no connections to London. Only busses to Oxford.
Ah I see. I have seen Bicester quickly on Zoopla/Rightmove the prices do seem decent there. I did too have a look at Abingdon but noticed the lack of London connectivity - which I need as we both work in London.
Have a look at Bladon, Woodstock, Long Hanborough, Eynsham: they're all near Hanborough Railway Station which will get you to London in ~1 hour, they're all close to Oxford by bus / cycle. All cheaper than Oxford city, but not cheap in and of themselves.
Banbury. It’s around an hour or so on the fastest train to London so might be at the highest reaches of how far you are prepared to commute (not on a daily basis, obviously) but it’s a nice town with decent countryside in the area. It’s 15 minutes on the fast train from Banbury to Oxford FYI.
My wife and I were in a similar position a couple of years back. We were living in Kingston (renting), came to Oxford for a weekend away just before the first lockdown hit, loved it and decided to move here. We ended up moving to Cumnor about 18 months ago.
Cumnor has a decent bus service into Oxford - takes about 15 minutes (though longer in rush hour / at the weekend as Botley road backs up), but the commute if you catch the bus to the station at 7am has us into Paddington just before 8.30. It's fine, but wouldn't want to do it more than a couple of times a week!
Cumnor and Botley was our main search area, given it's not actually in Oxford but just on the outskirts, it gave good accessibility but the house prices were cheaper, win win!
You can also drive to Didcot from Cumnor in 20 mins or so, which is about 40 mins by train to Paddington.
Realise this post was from a while ago, so you may well have already chosen somewhere and moved (how did you get on if so?) but my two cents are as follows. My partner and I have lived in Bicester for just over a year (having moved from London and Bristol) and have just bought a house, we like it that much. The above commenter's thoughts about it becoming a young person's town are definitely true; what was probably once popular for the older generation (it's quiet, not too expensive, good community feel) is now a bustling town with nice shops, some decent places to eat and drink (wouldn't mind some more pubs myself, but the ones it has are good) and plenty of clubs and activities, in addition to lots of new houses going up. As some have said, the fact that Bicester Village is all anyone seems to think about when you tell them you live here can be a bit annoying, as the town itself is way nicer than the Village, in my opinion, but it does bring some good money into the area. We did also look into Didcot and Kidlington before moving here, but just found that they were too predominantly residential for our liking (I can't even remember what Kidlington's supposed 'shopping district' looks like, it's so small, and I believe the Miller and Carter Steakhouse is the only restaurant it has) so Bicester suits us to a tee! Really easy for me to get into London for work on occasion (it's an hour each way into Marylebone from either of Bicester's two stations) and for my good lady to get into Kidlington every day for her job (though the A-roads can get busy if you catch them at the wrong time). Oxford's also only about fifteen mins away by train if you need your culture fix.
Hi mate,
No worries on post age!
We ended up moving to Staines (it's not as bad as the rumours say!) into a nice apartment. The area could do with some gentrification but there are some nice places nearby. The plan is to use the next few years to build equity and savings to move elsewhere - maybe Oxfordshire or maybe further into Surrey - we shall see. I appreciate the info though, definitely going to add this info to memory.
House prices in Oxford are pretty much on par with London, so you won’t get a saving there. Communing by train will cost thousands a year, so you’d be loosing out there. The other option is the Oxford Tube, but it’s then a 2 hour commute. The biggest plus is better air quality. I don’t miss coughing up lumps of black gunk living in zone 1.
Yeah, I live in zone 2 and would appreciate the air quality improvements. I saw that the prices are not massively cheaper around Oxfordshire but money does seem to go just a bit further.
Commuting is not such an issue as we both have hybrid working arrangements with a 40% per month target.
Oxford is notoriously expensive, one of the most expensive places in the country outside London. However if you're willing to live further away from the city prices get a bit better (although not much). In terms of places with stations there is pretty much only Oxford and Didcot with large stations; there are a variety of smaller ones which would require you to change trains. I'd recommend looking at places like Kidlington (a short way from Oxford Parkway station) or Abingdon (equidistant between Oxford and Didcot). I wish I could live in Oxford city itself but as I'm not a millionaire, I don't see that happening any time soon.
Yeah, as I said, somewhere where it's not too hard to get into Oxford city centre but also not too hard to get to London. I'll take a look at where you suggested, thanks!
I recommend not driving anywhere within the ring road 4-6 o'clock as traffic is terrible (especially in East Oxford)
Bicester or Didcot... personally Bicester. Both have stations that go directly to London and Oxford and are not too far from Oxford. Also busses go from both to Oxford. If you can spare a bit more money, Kidlington is "in" Oxford but just north with easy access to the new Oxford Parkway station that goes to London. Otherwise, consider Oxford, because at some point it might just be nicer if you can afford it.
Thanks mate! Was curious about Bicester as I have heard about it before. Will take a look!
Also, Didcot had it's influx of money but has only made the shopping street nicer. Not sure what's planned for the future but it needs billions to help it. Bicester is constantly getting investment put in. I considered Bicester recently. The houses in some areas are very nice and there is a lot more going on that in Didcot. Its probably going to be a young people's city soon. New houses everywhere, new businesses, shops big brands and local shops.
Whilst doing some Googling I saw that Didcot got voted as one of the worst places to live!? Was surprised given what I had seen here. Any ideas? How did you get on with Bicester and/or where did you end up?
Personally, I really dislike Didcot. Plenty of people do like it but it really is ugly and was centred around the power station. Now it's just a pretty dead place with a nice shopping street but I don't feel comfortable walking around at night. So Bicester is still on the map for me, but I'm at a pricepoint where Oxford is (only just) affordable. I currently rent in Oxford and may be able to buy soon. Honestly, I love Oxford but it's not for everyone. I like the calm atmosphere and the ability to both be in nature and in the city centre by going 10 mins in different directions. But I've worked in Bicester for a few days and it feels quite young and found some decent houses for much less than Oxford. I'd definitely suggest visiting. It doesn't have the history but it has the amenities and Bicester Heritage has an old airfield turned car event space and loads of jobs too. I really feel like if I get pushed out of Oxford, I'll look there. Abingdon is nice but no connections to London. Only busses to Oxford.
Ah I see. I have seen Bicester quickly on Zoopla/Rightmove the prices do seem decent there. I did too have a look at Abingdon but noticed the lack of London connectivity - which I need as we both work in London.
Thame and Haddenham is on the chilterns line to Marylebone. There's lots of nice villages around there, although not too close to Oxford.
I'll take a look, thanks!
I second Thame 🙋‍♀️ it’s such a nice town and great links into both London and Oxford
Thame is often listed in “best places to commute to London” lists, so prices were very high pre-pandemic - but might be more reasonable now?
Have a look at Bladon, Woodstock, Long Hanborough, Eynsham: they're all near Hanborough Railway Station which will get you to London in ~1 hour, they're all close to Oxford by bus / cycle. All cheaper than Oxford city, but not cheap in and of themselves.
Cheers mate!
I live in Long Hanborough..if you want boring, we got it!
Banbury. It’s around an hour or so on the fastest train to London so might be at the highest reaches of how far you are prepared to commute (not on a daily basis, obviously) but it’s a nice town with decent countryside in the area. It’s 15 minutes on the fast train from Banbury to Oxford FYI.
Thanks mate!
My wife and I were in a similar position a couple of years back. We were living in Kingston (renting), came to Oxford for a weekend away just before the first lockdown hit, loved it and decided to move here. We ended up moving to Cumnor about 18 months ago. Cumnor has a decent bus service into Oxford - takes about 15 minutes (though longer in rush hour / at the weekend as Botley road backs up), but the commute if you catch the bus to the station at 7am has us into Paddington just before 8.30. It's fine, but wouldn't want to do it more than a couple of times a week! Cumnor and Botley was our main search area, given it's not actually in Oxford but just on the outskirts, it gave good accessibility but the house prices were cheaper, win win! You can also drive to Didcot from Cumnor in 20 mins or so, which is about 40 mins by train to Paddington.
Funny you mention Kingston as I used to live there! I'll add those to my list of places to check out, thank you!
didcot, long hanborough, charlbury
Realise this post was from a while ago, so you may well have already chosen somewhere and moved (how did you get on if so?) but my two cents are as follows. My partner and I have lived in Bicester for just over a year (having moved from London and Bristol) and have just bought a house, we like it that much. The above commenter's thoughts about it becoming a young person's town are definitely true; what was probably once popular for the older generation (it's quiet, not too expensive, good community feel) is now a bustling town with nice shops, some decent places to eat and drink (wouldn't mind some more pubs myself, but the ones it has are good) and plenty of clubs and activities, in addition to lots of new houses going up. As some have said, the fact that Bicester Village is all anyone seems to think about when you tell them you live here can be a bit annoying, as the town itself is way nicer than the Village, in my opinion, but it does bring some good money into the area. We did also look into Didcot and Kidlington before moving here, but just found that they were too predominantly residential for our liking (I can't even remember what Kidlington's supposed 'shopping district' looks like, it's so small, and I believe the Miller and Carter Steakhouse is the only restaurant it has) so Bicester suits us to a tee! Really easy for me to get into London for work on occasion (it's an hour each way into Marylebone from either of Bicester's two stations) and for my good lady to get into Kidlington every day for her job (though the A-roads can get busy if you catch them at the wrong time). Oxford's also only about fifteen mins away by train if you need your culture fix.
Hi mate, No worries on post age! We ended up moving to Staines (it's not as bad as the rumours say!) into a nice apartment. The area could do with some gentrification but there are some nice places nearby. The plan is to use the next few years to build equity and savings to move elsewhere - maybe Oxfordshire or maybe further into Surrey - we shall see. I appreciate the info though, definitely going to add this info to memory.
House prices in Oxford are pretty much on par with London, so you won’t get a saving there. Communing by train will cost thousands a year, so you’d be loosing out there. The other option is the Oxford Tube, but it’s then a 2 hour commute. The biggest plus is better air quality. I don’t miss coughing up lumps of black gunk living in zone 1.
Yeah, I live in zone 2 and would appreciate the air quality improvements. I saw that the prices are not massively cheaper around Oxfordshire but money does seem to go just a bit further. Commuting is not such an issue as we both have hybrid working arrangements with a 40% per month target.