London commuter townsSt Albans vs Watford

St Albans vs Watford: which commuter town suits you?

Watford is 3 minutes closer to London and £160k cheaper on the average sold price.
St Albans

#23 of 118

Watford

#17 of 118

Train to London

20 min
17 min

Annual season ticket

£2,939
£4,072

Average house price

£585k
£425k

Price to local earnings

Years of the local authority's median wage

13.9x
11.0x

Average rent (2 bed)

£1,633/mo
£1,599/mo

Rent to local earnings

Share of the local authority's median wage

47%
50%

Crime index

0–100, lower is safer

61
74

Broadband

Average available download speed, from Ofcom

1005 Mb
1017 Mb

Life satisfaction

ONS, 0–10

8.0
7.1

Historic landmarks

Protected sites within 3 miles

46
27

Parks and fields

Hectares within 3 miles

323 ha
450 ha

Places to eat and drink

Restaurants, cafes and pubs within 3 miles

263
373

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 St Albans

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

Read the St Albans report

Living in Watford

Hertfordshire · 17 min to London · average sold price £425k.

Read the Watford report

Deciding between St Albans and Watford?

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