Where to live near Oxford?

[Ruthietuthie]

We are considering moving for a dream job in Oxford (currently in the US, but from the UK) but the salary (university position) is far less than we make now.
Where would be a lovely place to live, commutable to Oxford (although probably not going in everyday)? 500,000GBP budget, three bedrooms ideally, period charm if possible, good primary and secondary school. A friendly small town or village would be ideal, as I imagine we can't afford Oxford itself.
Thank you.

Thame. Very good schools in my experience and nice (small) town.

Haddenham, Thame, Chinnor all lovely places near me.

Commuting into Oxford can properly be a nightmare, and if he's working in the city centre there is highly unlikely to be parking, although using the Park and Ride system is a viable option. (So make sure to investigate bus and train links...)

All the surrounding villages are lovely, Garsington, Horspath, Wheatley are nice places with local pubs and good schools. I think they all have buses to the centre of Oxford.

You could afford a 3 bed semi in Oxford for that budget. Look at Headington or Botley. Or Kidlington!

Not sure if £500k will get a nice 3 bed period property though.

Benson, Wallingford, Stadhampton, Warborough. All lovely places.

There's really no hope of period charm anywhere within striking distance of oxford for 500k. You'll barely get a new build with a hutch of a garden for that much. If you'd consider a terrace your money will go further. The commute by car into oxford is absolutely horrendous so maybe consider oxford itself?

I’m in South Oxfordshire and there are some beautiful villages very close by to didcot parkway train station or 20 mins drive into Oxford. I’d recommend looking at;

Steventon
Sutton Courtnay
Blewbury
Wantage
Ardington
Hanney
East Hendred
Milton

These are all nice small village locations located very close together and with character properties and it’s a quick and easy drive, bus or train into Oxford.

Haddenham

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132221879

Thank you so much for all these suggestions. I don't know the area at all, so these are so helpful. I'll also look at Oxford itself - somewhere really small, terraced would be absolutely fine.
And yes, it seems as if somewhere where we could take the bus or train into Oxford would be best.

Looking at these options, we could possibly go down to a two bedroom. (We only have one child, but it would be nice to have a guest room, but it isn't a necessity).
Haddenham looks lovely - of course, this one won my heart (but probably not practical!)
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/130473965#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/131599172

I live in west Oxfordshire which is lovely but the A40 can be a nightmare getting into Oxford :/

there’s so many beautiful villages surrounding Oxford though, you’ll be spoilt for choice

@eish, you win! That's my dream house.
How charming.
Seeing this and reading about all these lovely villages (and that, while the budget isn't brilliant it's still possible to get something we would really like) makes the job a real possibility.

We drive through a village called Islip when we visit our DC. I don't know about schools but it does have a station and a GP surgery.

There is a nice 3 bed cottage on Right Move for £525,000.

Ignoring the period charm part, but you could get something like this in Marston
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/131271254

or this in East Oxford:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/124018877

@MiniMaxi, I see that something modern like those would be a better deal, particularly in terms of space, thank you for find them. I think the reason I don't want the practical option is that we would be leaving behind such a beautiful historic house here in a gorgeous neighborhood, that I want something I also find charming (even though it would be much smaller).
The job is a dream - really, career-making - but the salary is much less, plus my husband would have to leave his job here and I'm not sure what he could do in the UK. It's a lot to think about.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133262234#/?channel=RES_BUY
Was this the cottage, @whiteroseredrose? This looks really lovely too.

@greyhairnomore, that's also a really nice house. Good space in all of the rooms too. (And I love the wisteria).

Just slightly deviating from the point, but what do you plan to do yourself? That would affect where you want to be.

@Calling, the Oxford academic job is for me. My husband is also an academic, but fancying a career change, so he doesn't really know. His background is economics. We could also make a go of it on just one salary (we have some other income) so he could potentially take early retirement.

Not sure why one or two posters presumed the job was for your DH rather than you! Congratulations, OP!

Thanks for the congratulations, JanglyBeads!
It's a lot to think about, but seeing lovely places that we could afford makes it seem more doable.
On the one hand, it is my absolute DREAM job. On the other, there's a lot involved in moving a family after nearly 20 years in the US, particularly when it would involve a significant pay cut. My US job is far from ideal for me, not intellectually stimulating and no room to grow, but it is significantly better paid, and we have two salaries here. But maybe it is time to go back to the UK? Beyond the wonderful things I could do in that job, our parents are getting older, plus I am not sure I want to raise my son in America.

Thank you to everyone who has given suggestions. I don't know the Oxford area at all.

Having lived all over Oxfordshire while working in Oxford (also in academic jobs for the university) I just want to warn you that villages and towns which look a perfectly reasonable distance away can actually turn out to be nightmares commutewise. Absolutely everyone in Oxfordshire seems to work in Oxford. Getting in and out is hell. I used to live in Abingdon and it would often take me over an hour to get to Oxford. It's seven miles.