Relocating to Cambridgeshire!

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Hi all,
Happy New Year! Just looking for some advice on moving to Cambridgeshire, DH and I are currently living in Oxfordshire but looking to move closer to family, we are also looking to buy somewhere within the next year for around £300k to start a family. I am an English Teacher and DH works in STEM so will need to commute into Cambridge or elsewhere. (We both drive)
Any advice on the best affordable areas to live in Cambridgeshire are! Lots of mixed opinions so far.

TIA.

In general the further north you go the cheaper it is

Cambridge city centre is pretty expensive

What sort of size of house are you looking for? Would you consider a flat?

If your DH is commuting to the science park then maybe consider something on the north side of Cambridge - in Milton maybe?

You will get more for your money in Ely and even more in Littleport. Both are on the train line into Cambridge or you can drive down the A10 (gets busy in peak times)

Have you got jobs already sorted? This would probably help inform where you can live as if you're outside of Cambridge itself you will probably want to be on the right "side" as there are lots of villages on the outskirts of Cambridge which are lovely but you surely wouldn't want your commute to be too long.

If you end up with jobs in Cambridge itself you def don't want to be trying to travel through the centre at rush hour!

I used to live in Waterbeach and absolutely loved it. Nice little community village. Would have loved to stay but moved back north to my family.

What kind of things are you looking for? For your budget you have Ely and Littleport to the north of Cambridge these have the benefit of a train line.

Newmarket is in Suffolk but not too far away it is great if you like horses and has good links to Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds.

if you were looking at travelling back to Oxford somewhere like Huntingdon or St Neots would make it easier.

I also like Waterbeach and Ely and they are both good links to Cambridge itself but not so good if you want to go to the other side of Cambridge every day

Echo a PP that you ideally want to know where you are working before you find someplace to live. Cambridge traffic is horrific and if possible you want to bike or use one of the P&Rs if you have to work in the centre.

All of the villages surrounding Cambridge are generally fine, but if you want to start a family go for one of the larger ones as they have buses/trains, baby groups, libraries and such like. That said, 300k will not go far. Northstowe might be worth a look?

St Neots is great, it's an incredibly walkable town. During rush hour the train to Kings X is around 50 min and you can almost always get a seat!

Great primary schools, secondary have had bad press because of the Astrea trust but quite similar to issues elsewhere in the UK. It has but improving results every year. My children go to the bigger of the two secondaries and do very well, happy and thriving. They like the discipline as it means less disruption. The school is still sending students to Oxford/Cambridge/Warwick etc. Good independent options arr at Kimbolton or 6th forms in Cambridge etc. Some kids go elsewhere for secondary or 6th form if their parents decide that's right for them.

Great house prices, biggest town in Cambridgeshire. Independent shops, tonnes of green spaces. On the river. Easy drive to the park and ride for Cambridge so lots of days out. It's a great place with lots of London expats 😂. Honestly the only people who moan about St. Neots seem to be the folk who have never lived anywhere else! Everyone else loves it and loads of investment happening. Give St Neots a look.