London commuter townsHarpenden vs St Albans

Harpenden vs St Albans: which commuter town suits you?

St Albans is 8 minutes closer to London and £210k cheaper on the average sold price.
Harpenden

#65 of 118

St Albans

#23 of 118

Train to London

28 min
20 min

Annual season ticket

£3,576
£2,939

Average house price

£794k
£585k

Price to local earnings

Years of the local authority's median wage

18.9x
13.9x

Average rent (2 bed)

£1,633/mo
£1,633/mo

Rent to local earnings

Share of the local authority's median wage

47%
47%

Crime index

0–100, lower is safer

32
61

Broadband

Average available download speed, from Ofcom

1005 Mb
1005 Mb

Life satisfaction

ONS, 0–10

8.0
8.0

Historic landmarks

Protected sites within 3 miles

23
46

Parks and fields

Hectares within 3 miles

167 ha
323 ha

Places to eat and drink

Restaurants, cafes and pubs within 3 miles

111
263

Estimates only. Prices from HM Land Registry (August 2025 to July 2026), crime from police.uk (August 2025 to July 2026); broadband, life satisfaction and train times from Ofcom, ONS and National Rail, reviewed periodically. A tinted figure is the better of the two on that row alone, not an overall verdict.

The full picture on each

Living in Harpenden

Hertfordshire · 28 min to London · average sold price £794k.

Read the Harpenden report

Living in St Albans

Hertfordshire · 20 min to London · average sold price £585k.

Read the St Albans report

Deciding between Harpenden and St Albans?

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