Moving to Chesham - Met line

[Gifly]

Hello, my partner and I are in our late 20s and are hoping to enter the property ladder this year. We have been renting in West Hampstead until now and all our friends live in North London. We are looking for an area with the same village vibe in the country side to buy our first 2/3 bed house (we don't have children yet but would like to in the future, and we would like a small garden). Our budget is quite tight (375k) so after some searches we found that Chesham ticks most of the boxes. We visited it twice and we both liked it.
Our only concern is that we both work in central London (St Pancras and Farrington) and need to commute 3 times a week, plus we would like to still visit friends a couple of time a month during the weekends.
One of the reasons we narrowed it down to Chesham is that the Met line sounds cheaper that the train and it runs until late (spending over £300/month for transport is out of the equation unfortunately with the current mortgage rates).
I was wondering if our calculations are correct or if we are relying too much on the Met line and erroneously crossing out other possible areas in the same price range and vibe and maybe slightly bigger houses. We are foreigners so we don't know the London's surrounding areas too well.
Any opinion/suggestions?
Thank you!

Isn't the tube line quite a slow line like Amersham? I rode that for years from London and it became old very quickly. Have you done the trip out yet?

Having said that both Chesham and Amersham are lovely but might be a bit sedate for someone in their 20's as there are a lot of pensioners.

I used to live in Chesham and that met line train is very slow and long! I grew up in Pinner which is also lovely and doesn't feel as far.

Alternatively, I think Amersham has a fast train to St pancreas.

Just to say as well I agree with PP - Chesham is not a very hip place in your twenties!

Thank you for your replies.
We did the trip only on Saturdays for a few viewings but I am not too sure how to try it on working days, unfortunately. On Saturdays it seemed okay, but I guess there are fewer people around.
We are quite chill - we like long outdoor walks and nights in with friends ( but not very the party types) and we don't get out anyway while living in London.

I've considered Pinner but it is not very easy to find houses within the budget there, unfortunately...

Amersham has the advantage of both the metropolitan line and the fast Chiltern line trains into Marylebone.

It’s very slow. (We used to live in West Hampstead.)
Chesham isn’t great. Stay where you are, house prices will go down and you can buy somewhere nicer.

Do you mean you don't want to be spending £300/month commuting each?
Because commuting in 3 days a week from Chesham would cost £390 for you both

If you can find somewhere that gives you an easier journey to Amersham station that would be better.

You have the added bonus of also using the Chiltern line which is pretty fast into Marylebone. It’s a while since I lived there, so things may have changed by now, but you used to be able to use either service for the same price (ie the “tube”) price. The cost saving, compared to just the Chiltern Line from, say, High Wycombe, was quite marked.

I lived out that way in my twenties. I enjoyed having the choice of going out after work in London plus the peace and quiet of more country living.

If you’re happy with a small quiet place try Letchworth Garden City. Direct fast trains to King X St Pancras and Farringdon. You will get something in your budget but you will need to crunch the numbers on the train fares (look at Part time season tickets and carnet tickets if they still do them). Some areas of Letchworth are very pretty and village-y and there’s Hitchin a few minutes away and Cambridge the other direction if you want something livelier for an evening out. Letchworth is much easier to visit N London too (train also stops at Finsbury Park).

I lived in Chesham and commited into Liverpool St every day in my twenties for about 2 years. The journey was loong but it was worth it for living in/close to countryside and I got through lots of books on the train. Lived in the Waterside area. It was gorgeous and one of my favourite places to live. Easy walks into Chiltern beech woodland, beautiful chalk streams. Ignore the Chesham haters.

Farringdon is on the Elizabeth line...

I know both areas very well and the OP is looking for a 2-3 bed house for £375k. She won’t get that in W hampstead!

St Albans has a direct line to Farringdon. Budget would be tight but similar vibe.
Or Berkhamsted which has a direct line to Euston.

Chesham line is slow, yes, but so is the amersham one. I know Amersham runs fast trains in the mornings and evenings which Chesham may have too.

I like that it connects at Finchley Road for easy access to very central areas.

Like a PP said, take a book or podcast and enjoy the time. You’ll always have a seat on the way in.

The fares rocket when you leave the London zones. A ticket from berkhamsted is around £20 with underground use. Chesham would be £9.

Way more expensive train fare

Yes there are fast trains to Chesham in the morning and evening. There are only 2 trains per hour though even at those times, so you can easily be heavily delayed if one is cancelled. As a PP said, the commute is significantly better from Amersham - more trains and slightly faster.

It is relatively busy at commuting times but you'd get a seat from either Amersham or Chesham, and probably at least from Harrow on the Hill going north.

No way would they get a house for 375k I. at Albans, plus the train fare is so much more than if you’re in a tube line, as someone else mentioned

Surprised at the Chesham hate! It's a lovely little place with great facilities and beautiful countryside on the doorstep. It also has a real community feel. Good luck with your search, I think it fits the bill perfectly!