Basildon is the cheapest place to live for London commuters, a new study has revealed.

Property analyst CB Richard Ellis added up monthly mortgage repayments and travel costs to work out which of the 33 closest towns to central London was the cheapest.

Basildon is only 37 minutes by train from Fenchurch Street and monthly mortgage repayments and travel costs amount to £1,129.

This compares to an average monthly cost of £2,401 for living in central London.

The most expensive on the list was Beaconsfield, in Buckinghamshire, where monthly outgoing will cost about 31 per cent more, at £3,144, than in central London Accountant Geoff Murphy, 48, of Luncies Road, Vange, commutes from Laindon station to Fenchurch Street.

He said: “It doesn’t surprise me, but it doesn’t take into account parking. Property prices in Basildon are cheaper than most, but as you get into London they get more expensive. The travel cost to get into London is so much cheaper it makes it quite beneficial.

“Door to door is about an hour which is fair. The c2c line is probably the most reliable and punctual in the country.”

Darren Gale, 38, of Glebe Field, Basildon, regularly uses Basildon railway station to travel to London.

He added: “I have lived in Basildon for about five or six years. I think it is important how close you are to London, it is just nice sometimes to go out and see different surroundings. “