Living in Bury St Edmunds – East of England’s Best Town
Are you thinking of living in Bury St Edmunds?
Having recently been voted as ‘Happiest Place to live in the East of England’ by Rightmove, Bury St Edmunds is gathering a great reputation as one of East England’s best towns.
With a rich history spanning well over a thousand years, this charming market town in Suffolk is full of character.
Once home to St Edmund, England’s first patron saint, the town is now famed for its historic market as well as the stunning St Edmundsbury Cathedral and surrounding Abbey Gardens.
Known locally as Bury, the town recently appeared on our list of top 10 places to live in Suffolk.
In fact, we like Bury St Edmunds so much that a more in-depth review seemed necessary!
Our comprehensive guide will review all aspects of living in Bury St Edmunds.
Best Places to Live
Bury St Edmunds has an abundance of great suburban areas, perfect for families to call home.
With some magnificent landscapes, picturesque villages and unique local stores, there are some truly wonderful locations within Bury St Edmunds and the nearby villages and towns.
If you are looking for a more urban feeling area, living within Bury St Edmunds itself is ideal for you.
Living within the town allows residents fantastic access to all the amenities you would expect from an urban area.
A wide range of high street stores, countless local restaurants and pubs and great transport links make it an ideal spot.
However, living in the town does not limit your access to the neighbouring countryside and coast.
Residents still have easy access to the stunning Suffolk countryside!
Bury St Edmunds has numerous local villages ideal for those who would prefer a more rural location.
Situated between Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, the charming village of Woolpit offers locals a tranquil abode.
Two local pubs (The Bull Inn and The Swan Inn) give the village a very easy-going feeling, providing some great food and drink to boot.
Hinderclay is another top pick of local rural areas.
Located just 14 miles from Bury St Edmunds, the village sits in the stunning Suffolk countryside.
Despite having no local pubs, Hinderclay’s stunning location more than makes up for this.
With extremely easy access to Bury St Edmunds, it is an ideal location for those seeking a slower pace of life.
Be sure to check our article highlighting even more great rural locations in Suffolk.
Housing
Bury St Edmunds represents one of the more expensive regions of Suffolk.
This is to be expected with a town that offers as much as Bury St Edmunds.
Despite the towns raised prices, it still represents extremely good value when compared to other major cities across the UK.
Costs will undoubtedly vary from region to region, but there is certainly a property for everyone in and around the town.
The average price for a property in July 2020 stands at £300,895.
This is a decrease of 8.55% from the previous year, a result of the recent coronavirus pandemic.
House prices in Bury St Edmunds represent great value when compared to the average cost of a property in London which is currently £605,437.
Another deciding factor in cost will be property type.
If you are seeking a terraced home, the average price is £226,108, according to Zoopla.
The average cost of a semidetached property is £247,118, flats cost an average of £170,893 and a more expensive detached property will set you back an average of £397,214.
Living in Bury St Edmunds offers residents a wide range of different property types at an extremely competitive value.
Renting
Renting is another great option if you are considering living Bury St Edmunds.
Whether you are saving to buy your own property or simply want to see what the area is like, renting in Bury St Edmunds is a great option.
The average rent for a property in Burt St Edmunds is £1,066pcm.
This is just slightly higher than the national average of £959pcm and is significantly cheaper than the London cost of £1,673pcm.
If you are considering renting a flat, you can expect to pay an average of £944pcm.
Renting a house is understandably more expensive with an average cost of £1,815pcm.
Renting is certainly a viable option if you want to sample what living in Bury St Edmunds is like.
Living Costs (Food/Groceries/Eating Out)
Bury St Edmunds offers residents a wide range of different dining options.
Whilst the cost of everyday items tends to be the same across the UK, understanding the local costs of living can go a long way to understanding if you want to move to an area.
With a wide range of different eateries, prices will vary from place to place.
As a general summary, these are the costs you can expect to pay for various types of food when living in Bury St Edmunds:
- 1 meal at a cheaper restaurant-£10.00
- 3-course meal for 2 people at restaurant-£ 35.00
- 1 combo takeaway meal-£5.50
- cappuccino or latte-£2.57
- 1 litre of milk-£0.89
- a loaf of bread-£0.91
- 1kg chicken-£4.00
Statistics from Numbeo.
There are of course various popular websites and apps to help choose between the huge array of takeaways and restaurants including Just Eat, Deliveroo and TripAdvisor.
Why not cook for yourself?
Bury St Edmunds offers residents all the regular UK supermarket brands, making a cooking a homemade meal a great option.
Transport Links
Bury St Edmund is situated in a particularly good location.
The town provides great links to the East coast, other towns and cities in the east as well as the rest of the UK.
If you are thinking of living in Bury St Edmunds, it is useful to understand all these great transport links.
Train Links
The central train station in Bury St Edmunds is within easy walking distance of the town centre.
There are also several smaller stations dotted around the region for easy access to the entire town.
From the central station, you can choose from a selection of trains that take you to all of the major cities and towns in the region.
By train, Ipswich is only 40 minutes commute, with Cambridge and Colchester taking around 85 minutes.
The average journey time between Bury St Edmunds and London is 2 hours 25 minutes, with the fastest train taking just 1 hour 32 minutes!
An average weekday sees 92 trains travelling from Bury St Edmunds to London, meaning there are numerous options should you happen to miss your train.
Travelling by Car
A great network of local roads makes Bury St Edmunds extremely accessible by car.
The local A14 will give locals great access to Ipswich, Cambridge and Colchester all of which are within an hours drive.
Living in Bury St Edmunds also means easy access to the capital.
Taking the A14 and the M11, residents are able to arrive in London in just shy of 2 hours!
This quick travel into the city makes living in Bury St Edmunds a great spot for those who may still need to commute to the capital.
Shopping
Living in Bury St Edmunds allows locals to enjoy a spot of retail therapy.
The town is home to over 200 shops, boasting a blend of well-known high street names and unique boutiques.
Shopping in Bury St Edmunds is a truly unique experience.
Many of the stores sit in the historic market towns winding streets and stunning squares, creating a truly unique atmosphere to shop.
From clothes shops to homeware, shopping in the town provides something for all and all of this is in easy walking distance of the centre.
Alongside the well-established High Street brands, Bury St Edmunds has a multitude of independent shops that you won’t find anywhere else.
The popular Arc shopping centre boasts the innovatively designed Debenhams flagship store, offering all the most popular names in fashion and is the jewel in Bury St Edmunds shopping scene.
Things to Do
You are certain to be entertained when living in Bury St Edmunds.
The town’s combination of history and its enthusiasm for embracing everything new means there is such a huge range of activities and places to explore!
TripAdvisor has some great suggestions of activities to enjoy in Bury St Edmunds, including a tour of the Greene King Brewery.
Here you can enjoy learning about the brewing process as well as enjoying tasting some of their best beers!
Living in Bury St Edmunds means you will have plenty of time to visit the local market.
This is not just a shopping experience!
Taking place every Wednesday and Saturday, the market has an abundance of food and drink options, so be sure to pay a visit and enjoy the atmosphere.
Other top attractions include visiting the historic St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Abbey Gardens and enjoying a show at the regal Theatre Royal!
There are various activities, fairs, and events to enjoy throughout the year.
To keep up to date with all the goings-on, head over to Visit Bury St Edmunds where even more ideas of exciting entertainment in the town are frequently updated.
Leisure and Entertainment
Bury St Edmunds plays host to a variety of great leisure and entertainment activities all year round.
The town is home to a multitude of fantastic eateries!
Top picks for dining out include Maison Bleue Restaurant, Francela Restaurant and The Tavern on St John’s.
Check out TripAdvisor’s top restaurants for more ideas, or have a stroll around the town and find a hidden gem, there are heaps to find!
If you fancy a night out, The Apex offers locals several pubs, bars and clubs.
If you are in the area, be sure to ay a visit to the Nutshell pub.
The Nutshell holds the title of the UK’s smallest pub, measuring in at a mere 15 feet by 7 feet!
The pub is proud of this title and is a popular location for tourists and locals alike.
Providing a range of local ales, a visit to The Nutshell is a great experience.
Additionally, the area extends some fantastic live shows, music and is also home to the popular art gallery.
Bury St Edmunds is also home to two cinemas.
Abbeygate Cinema is certainly the standout cinema experience in the town.
Offering customers a theatre-style location from which to enjoy the big screen.
If you are a movie buff be sure to check it out.
If you fancy something a little different, Escape Rooms Suffolk is the perfect activity.
Here 6 players can attempt to solve 75 puzzles in the allotted 60 minutes.
The quicker you escape, the higher you place on the leader board!
This is a great location for some family fun, birthdays or even team building.
Taxes
Irrespective of where you live within the UK, all residents contribute to the same tax system.
Value-added tax, often called VAT, is a 20% tax added to various goods and services.
This is always added to the cost of the product, so no need to worry!
Another essential tax to consider is council tax.
The price of your council tax will hinge on the area you live as well as the size of your property.
To find out how much you have to pay, visit the West Suffolk Council Website.
A final tax to take into account if you decide to buy a flat or house in Bury St Edmunds is stamp duty.
There is not a tax on the first £125,000 of your home value, but the rate raises up to 12% over £1.5 million.
Schools and Education
Bury St Edmunds offers locals an array of schools.
There are over 45 primary schools in the town as well as 15 secondary schools and 12 higher education institutions.
6 of the schools in Bury St Edmunds have received the coveted ‘Outstanding’ review from Ofsted, with over 30 being graded as ‘Good.’
Local West Suffolk College offers a substantial variety of different courses to those seeking higher education.
Working with the University of Suffolk, the college provides over 40 courses covering a broad spectrum.
It is evident that living in Bury St Edmunds provides a wide range of educational provisions for students of all ages.
There is certainly no need to worry if you are thinking of moving to the area with a family.
Closest Airport
Whilst having a local airport is certainly not a necessity, they can be handy when you wish to travel long distances or overseas.
Although Bury St Edmunds does not have its own local airport, residents are certainly well catered for.
London Stanstead airport is a little under an hour drive from the town, with the journey taking just over 2 hours via train.
This means that jetting to your sunny holiday or visiting family overseas is made relatively simple.
London Stanstead flies to most major cities within the UK and provides travellers with a wide range of destinations abroad.
Head to the Stanstead airport to find out if your ideal location is accounted for.
Ready to Start Living in Bury St Edmunds?
Are you thinking of moving to Bury St Edmunds?
Whether you want to explore the marvellous local shops, the range of quaint eateries or enjoy the local market, the town has something for everyone.
And, with the range of fantastic locations and a variety of different properties, there is certainly a home for you!
GoodMove will make your move to Bury St Edmunds an effortless and stress-free process.
We take great pride in ensuring everything runs smoothly and seamlessly, helping you to settle in your new home right away.
As such, in addition to our competitively priced house removals package, we can also offer additional services such as temporary or long-term storage facilities should you need them.
GoodMove cover all areas of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex and our friendly estimators can call round at a time convenient to you and strategically plan your move to perfection.
During these unique times, GoodMove is also offering a new video survey service.
Using our new technology, we can gather all the information required to assist with your move, from the comfort of your home!
Video surveys will help you save valuable time and preserve the best safety levels.
To find out more about how we could get your dream move to Bury St Edmunds or any other location underway do not hesitate to call us on the number listed above.
Alternatively, fill out a quick quote form or click on our live bot in the bottom right and a member of our customer services team will be in touch shortly.