Commuting saves you money - Telegraph Commuting seem be both dull and expensive, but it actually leaves you financially better off, new figures have shown. Research from Lloyds showed that rail commuters are financially better off catching the train into London because of lower house prices, even though they pay more to travel. Many commuters in the south east may make a 60 minute train journey - with an average annual rail cost of £3,800 - but they benefit from a house price that is, on average, £308,000 (55pc) lower than living close to their place of work in central London. Moreover, homebuyers can get more for their money outside central London due to the lower price of property per square metre outside the capital. Commuters coming into London from Essex and Kent enjoy some of the largest financial benefits from commuting. Commuters from Basildon benefit from an average house price of £170,586, which is £385,000 (or 226%) lower than the average in zones 1 and 2, but with a rail journey of only 30 minutes. Other commuters from Essex with a shorter journey time generally experience higher house prices than in Basildon. For example, commuters from Ilford (15 minutes journey time) face an average house price of £263,304 - but this is still over £290,000 lower than in central London. Kent commuters also benefit from lower house prices than living closer to their place of work. For example, in Sidcup - 33 minutes away from central London - the average house price is £249,838 (over £305,000 lower than zones 1 and 2); a further 30 minutes down the line in Sittingbourne, the average price falls to £178,156 (£377,000 lower). The trade-off for lower house prices is the higher cost of travel; the annual season ticket price of £3,724 for commuters from Sittingbourne is close to two and a half times the amount paid by those in Sidcup (£1,516). Suren Thiru, Lloyds TSB Housing Economist, said: "Distance from work is often the deciding factor for purchasing a home. It is generally true that the further you commute, the larger are the financial savings made in terms of lower house prices. A major consideration for commuting to London is that the typically higher income that can be earned, tends to go much further in towns outside the capital. In addition, bigger homes can be bought for lower prices.