UK’s most popular commuter towns named and four are in Greater Manchester

The UK’s most popular commuter towns have been named, and four of them are here in Greater Manchester.

Where are the most popular commuter towns in the UK right now?

Well, new data collated based on the number of people enquiring about available properties on Rightmove has revealed the locations where buyer demand is highest, and with Manchester being one of the largest cities in the country, of course there’s some Greater Manchester towns on the list.

Rightmove says that choosing the best commuter town requires buyers to balance a number of factors – including property prices, travel times, and local lifestyle

To narrow it down, the property platform has chosen to focus on commuter towns within a 45-minute rail journey to the target city, and with at least 20,000 people living there.

For Manchester, it’s Stockport that’s taken the title as the city’s most popular commuter town, as amazinly, it generated 70% more enquiries per listing than Manchester itself.

Being just an eight-minute journey from Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport has an average property price of £308,299.

Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, the picturesque Stockport town of Marple takes second spot on the list, while the Tameside town of Stalybridge comes in third place, and Rochdale also features in the top five, alongside Warrington – which is just outside of our region’s borders, but is only a short 22-minute train journey into the city centre.

Transport options is obviously one of the most important factors in what makes a town a so-called ‘commuter town’.

Stockport benefits from around six fast trains per hour, while Stalybridge and Rochdale offer four per hour. Marple is less frequent at two per hour but still attracts strong interest, likely due to its lifestyle appeal and stunning setting on the edge of the Peak District.

Read more:

• Manchester has been named one of the UK’s top property hotspots for 2026
• Local suburb named one of the UK’s ‘happiest’ places to live
• Two Greater Manchester towns named among UK’s best places to buy your first home

Price growth has been strong across most of the Manchester commuter towns, with Stalybridge (+6.1%) and Rochdale (+5.8%) seeing notable increases year-on-year.

However, average prices for four out of the five commuter locations on the list were higher than the average Manchester property price (£261,891), suggesting that lifestyle factors were a stronger draw for Manchester’s surrounding towns.

Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)