Your recommendations for cosmopolitan living outside of London

Another vote for Lewes, where I’d live in a hearbeat if it was closer to family.
I don’t think anyone’s said Berkhamsted yet, which surprises me. Independent art deco cinema, all the cafes you could wish for, a full size Waitrose, gorgeous canal walks and pubs, and I believe there’s a direct train to Clapham Junction.
Amersham, which is similar and very much surrounded by nature, but without much entertainment beyond wine bars and cafes. It does have an old and a new town, and the old town is beautiful. In the new town it only has a ‘Little Waitrose’, so wouldn’t hit the spot for everyone, but you’re 10 minutes from Beaconsfield and Chesham which both have Waitroses (can that be the plural? It can’t be. It’s so… ordinary!?)
Beaconsfield - posh and conservative like Marlow, but with really really good train connection into London which Marlow doesn’t have. Cafes yes, nightlife yes but not as much as Marlow, Waitrose yes. What it lacks in nice parks/public gardens it makes up for by having an old and a new town, and its own model village. Three towns for the price of one.
Thame, which isn’t as ‘cosmopolitan‘ but does have a really tight community, loads of properly independent businesses, and is a half hour bus ride from Oxford, so you can have Oxford’s best bits without the traffic nonsense. The Waitrose is stunning. The little theatre shows fairly arty films weekly. There’s a Gail’s now, so it’s getting fancy.

Chichester

Brighton? I lived there in my early 50's - fabulous fun & by the sea & great walks a- easy access to London

erm.. dunno bout 'easy'

Marlow and Henley trains aren't great in the evening, they don't really work if you're interested in going into town for shows etc. Definitely check what time the last trains leave and arrive. Although you could use Wycombe or Maidenhead - but then you'd have to drive or factor in the cost of cab. They're also not in the Chilterns; I don't know Henley as well but Marlow isn't really rural and doesn't have much in the way of countryside walks. I've always much preferred Henley as it seems to have a nicer 'vibe', but I've spent half my life in Marlow so maybe it's just overfamiliarity. I definitely wouldn't describe it as cosmopolitan though...

@EmeraldRoulette haha- you are totally correct of course!!

@Crikeyalmighty it’s in the title

I’m not sure what cosmopolitan means in 2024 though.

Could anyone say where OP has. Mentioned cosmopolitan though? As people keep bringing it up- she may be perfectly happy with a place predominantly white middle class

Oxford but parking is awful and generally driving is heavily discouraged. I love Marlow but it's not cosmopolitan. I would go for London but I'm not sure what you would get for your money. I love Richmond but it's very very expensive, Greenwich but again pricey great transport links though.

Sheffield. Buy a mansion in the peaks and you can be in London in two hours if you need to be. Or just explore the lovely north 🥰

Have a look at Berkhamsted - sounds like it might tick a lot of boxes for you!

OP, it sounds like you’re more after white MC Home Counties places rather than something that’s cosmopolitan.

Marlow definitely doesn't fit that description of cosmopolitan, though I've noticed that in the last couple of summers there are loads of Saudis/ppl in Arabic dress in Marlow at the weekends, they seem to all stay at the Compleat Angler and take photos of each other in the middle of the High Street. Vast majority of Marlow residents are white MC so not overly cosmopolitan.

I thought the OP didn’t fancy London. And you can’t get anything for the OP’s budget in Chiswick! It is absolutely beautiful there though. If money was no object, I’d move to Chiswick in a heartbeat.

Chiswick?

You’ve put it much better than me! I agree with that. I didn’t word it properly in my post.

It means ‘from many places’, or ‘sophisticated in an international way’, though. Which I wouldn’t say of anywhere on the OP’s list, though, perfectly nice though those places may be.

Oxford is bringing in a traffic scheme whereby residents can only drive 100 days in a year (6 cameras sited on various road points around the city). So be careful of that.

Cheltenham? Love the Brewery Quarter there.

Somewhere between Oxford and London - M40 corridor?

Probably somewhere with a nice cafe culture and independent shops. Which isn’t really what cosmopolitan means (to my mind, anyway). I always thought cosmopolitan meant somewhere that’s busy, has good nightlife and lots of things to do. Although all the places that OP mentions are lovely, I don’t think any of them have that much in the way of amenities or culture, because they’re all quite small.

Newbury
Reading

Henley? Ascot?

Marlow looks lovely, but I've only ever driven through. DH told me though that he once tried to buy a Guardian there and the shopkeeper said, 'Oh no, we don't stock that. Never been a demand for it round here!'

Guildford is great. You can be from the centre of town with its lovely cobbled streets and alleyways of shops and restaurants into the hills and woods within a few minutes. And there are river walks and water sports, theatres, great music venues. Just over half an hour into London on the fast train. One hour on the slow train.

Oxford is lovely but crammed with tourists, A friend's mother retired there recently and apparently she looks ten years younger already - out every night at talks and concerts, wild swimming and walking, already invited to loads of parties, so it sounds sociable.

I’m not sure I understand what the OP means by ‘cosmopolitan’.

Chelmsford, specifically Old Moulsham

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/148584836

Marlow cultureless and boring. Not much to it and v conservative/expensive. Likewise with Henley which is basically more of the same the next village along.

How about Guildford / godalming? Still v conservative but ticks the box for being by countryside but still easy access to London for culture. Or Kingston / Richmond?

St Albans is a cultural desert and full of braying poshos. It's boring boring boring.