Hertfordshire · commuter town data · June 2026
Harpenden is a commuter town in Hertfordshire, around 28 minutes from London by direct train from Harpenden (well below average for the towns we track), with above-average prices at £650,000. It ranks #66 of 120 on Rightroute's balanced commuter score (June 2026 data).
Train to London
28 min
From Harpenden, 37% faster than the 120-town median.
Annual season ticket
£3,576
About £298 a month, 29% cheaper than the 120-town median.
Average house price
£650k
£650,000, 83% above the 120-town median.
Safety
High
Crime index 32 on a 0–100 scale (lower is safer).
Broadband
90 Mbps
Median download speed, 10% above the 120-town median.
Life satisfaction
7.8
ONS Personal Well-being mean score, 0–10 (higher is better).
Direct trains from Harpenden take around 28 minutes into King's Cross / St Pancras, running on Thameslink. That makes it #24 out of 120 towns for speed into London.
An annual season ticket costs about £3,576, roughly £298 a month or £17,880 over five years. That's 29% cheaper than the 120-town median of £5,065.
| Metric | Harpenden | Median (120 towns) | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train to London | 28 min | 44.5 min | #24 |
| Annual season ticket | £3,576 | £5,065 | #20 |
| Average house price | £650,000 | £355,000 | #118 |
| Crime index (lower is safer) | 32 | 52.5 | #24 |
| Broadband (median Mbps) | 90 | 82 | #15 |
| Life satisfaction (0–10) | 7.8 | 7.5 | #19 |
Overall, Harpenden ranks #66 of 120 on the balanced Rightroute commuter score. Different priorities give different answers, so you can weight the criteria yourself in the area ranking tool.
Direct trains from Harpenden take around 28 minutes to King's Cross / St Pancras. Harpenden is served by Thameslink.
An annual season ticket from Harpenden costs about £3,576, which works out at roughly £298 a month.
The average sold price in Harpenden is £650,000 (HM Land Registry), which is 83% above the median across 120 London commuter towns.
Harpenden scores 32 on a 0–100 crime index (lower is safer), which is a high level of safety relative to other London commuter towns.
Harpenden ranks #66 of 120 London commuter towns on Rightroute's balanced score, which weighs commute time, house prices, season ticket cost, safety and broadband. If your priorities are different, the Rightroute area ranking tool lets you weight the criteria yourself.
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Data (June 2026): house prices are HM Land Registry averages by postcode district; train times are typical off-peak direct rail to London terminals (National Rail); season tickets are the annual price to a London terminal; the crime index comes from ONS / police.uk (0 = very safe, 100 = very high crime); broadband is the Ofcom Connected Nations median download speed; life satisfaction is the ONS Personal Well-being mean score for the local authority. Figures are approximate estimates for comparison.