The short answer
Of the 13 pilot stations we checked, 11 have a fastest listed train to Waterloo of 45 minutes or less. Looking at recorded sales in the postcode districts we associate with each place — wider than town limits, and sometimes shared with neighbouring places — most flat sales in every one of them completed at £650,000 or less. Houses split the list: in the Wimbledon districts only about one in six terraced sales and one in eleven semi-detached sales completed at that price, while in the Woking, Staines and Egham districts most semi-detached sales did. Detached sales at or under £650,000 were a minority everywhere except the Staines district, where about half sold at or below it.
These are past sales, not homes for sale now, and the land registry does not record bedrooms or size — so a share of sales under £650,000 is not a promise that a home with the rooms you need exists at that price.
Comparison
Share of recorded standard sales at £650,000 or less, by type, in the postcode districts listed — not within town limits. Ordered by fastest train, not by quality.
| Place (station) | Postcode districts | Fastest | Annual season | Flats | Terraced | Semi | Detached | All sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wimbledon | SW19 | 14 min | £1,292 | 88% | 17% | 9% | 4% | 54% of 1,962 |
| Surbiton | KT5, KT6 | 15 min | £2,512 | 97% | 54% | 24% | 10% | 65% of 1,310 |
| Walton-on-Thames | KT12 | 22 min | £3,224 | 99% | 90% | 55% | 14% | 66% of 1,021 |
| New Malden | KT3 | 23 min | £1,732 | 96% | 50% | 25% | 9% | 50% of 731 |
| Esher | KT10shared: KT10 | 23 min | £2,828 | 87% | 59% | 19% | 3% | 34% of 608 |
| Woking | GU20, GU21, GU22 | 24 min | £4,260 | 99% | 97% | 85% | 27% | 75% of 2,315 |
| Weybridge | KT13 | 24 min | £3,536 | 91% | 56% | 29% | 4% | 55% of 716 |
| Guildford | GU1 | 32 min | £4,724 | 97% | 79% | 70% | 14% | 72% of 885 |
| Staines-upon-Thames (Staines) | TW18 | 35 min | £3,452 | 100% | 96% | 91% | 50% | 89% of 771 |
| Egham | TW20 | 41 min | £3,644 | 84% | 98% | 93% | 28% | 79% of 447 |
| Leatherhead | KT22shared: KT22 | 44 min | £3,256 | 96% | 93% | 70% | 11% | 60% of 754 |
Not included because the fastest listed train is over 45 minutes: Farnham (52 min), Dorking (53 min).
If you need a house rather than a flat
Where the most semi-detached sales completed at £650,000 or less:
- Egham: 93% of 146 semi-detached sales (median £494,000), 41-minute fastest train, £3,644 annual season.
- Staines-upon-Thames: 91% of 238 semi-detached sales (median £500,000), 35-minute fastest train, £3,452 annual season.
- Woking: 85% of 551 semi-detached sales (median £495,000), 24-minute fastest train, £4,260 annual season.
- Guildford: 70% of 251 semi-detached sales (median £555,000), 32-minute fastest train, £4,724 annual season.
The trade-off is plain in the table: the shortest fastest journeys (Wimbledon, Surbiton) come with cheaper season tickets but fewer houses sold under budget; further out, more houses sold within budget but the season ticket and the journey both grow.
How we worked this out
- Journey time is the fastest listed train from the station to London Waterloo on Trainline's route pages, checked 14 October 2026. It is station to station and only some trains are that fast. Your door-to-door time adds getting to the station and from Waterloo to work.
- Season tickets are adult Standard annual seasons to London Terminals as listed by Trainline. Regulated fares are frozen until March 2027.
- Sales are every standard (category A) sale in HM Land Registry Price Paid Data for the postcode districts around each place, 1 Sep 2024 – 31 Aug 2026, downloaded 2026-10-14. Postcode districts are wider than a town and some are shared; each place page lists which districts were used. Shares need at least 10 sales of that type.
- Price Paid Data has no bedrooms, floor area or condition. The latest months are incomplete because registrations lag.
Check it for your household
Add your own journeys, budget and home type and Go Locate compares pilot places using real routes and recorded sales.