Living in Harlow Essex – A Commuters Guide
Are you thinking of living in Harlow?
The Essex town is one of the best commuter locations in the whole of the region.
Living in Harlow ensures residents benefit from a combination of affordable properties, superb transport links to the capital and well price rail costs.
Harlow provides locals with superb transport connections to surrounding towns and the capital.
The local train line conveniently runs services to London Liverpool Street, meaning quick and easy access to the capital!
Alongside excellent links to the capital, living in Harlow also offers residents an ideal rural location.
Living in Harlow provides residents with easy entrance to the spectacular Essex countryside.
Moving to a new area is never straightforward.
Before you start your move, it is vital to gather as much knowledge about an area as you can.
If you are thinking of living in Harlow, this is the perfect blog for you!
We hope to provide you with the top tips for those looking to move to this Essex affordable commuter hub.
Covering everything from property prices to the best schools in the area, we hope to provide you with a thorough guide to the area.
If you are thinking of living in Harlow, this is our commuters guide to the Essex town.
Cost of Buying a Home
Living in Harlow is a popular choice for many buyers.
According to Zoopla, the current average house price in November 2020 is £315,172.
This price indicates great value when compared to many regions of the UK, particularly London.
In November of 2020, the average price for a property in London is a staggering £666,842!
With these cheaper properties, living in Harlow is understandably an attractive prospect.
So, what should you expect to pay for different property types in Harlow?
Currently, the average price of a detached home in Harlow sits at £553,141, with the average price of a semi-detached home sitting at £371,365.
If you are looking for a terraced home, the average price in Harlow is £271,528, with flats averaging a £182,588.
House prices are naturally fluctuating throughout the pandemic.
All prices are subject to change!
If you are thinking of living in Harlow, be sure to keep up to date by visiting Zoopla’s website for up to date he average prices.
Cost of Living
When living in Harlow you will need to know all of the prices you can expect to pay for food!
It is essential to understand that with so many options, prices may fluctuate from place to place.
As a general overview, here are the prices you can expect to pay for different types food when living in Harlow (statistics from Numbeo.)
- meal at a cheaper restaurant-£ 15.00
- fast food meal-£5.25
- cappuccino or latte-£2.88
- litre of milk-£0.95
- loaf of bread-£1.00
- 1kg chicken-£6.19
There are a number of popular websites and apps to help choose between the massive variety of takeaway and restaurant establishments including Just Eat, Deliveroo and TripAdvisor.
But, there is no need to always order you food!
York also offers all the common UK supermarket brands, making a lovely homecooked meal very affordable.
If you are considering living in Harlow is important to find out the cost of living!
Be sure to stay up to date with what you should expect to pay every month.
Numbeo is an excellent tool to keep up to date with the latest prices.
You can use the site to find out the cost of living in Harlow and can compare these prices with other areas of the UK and the world!
Working in Harlow
Living in Harlow ensures locals have access to a range of job opportunities.
Locally the town offers employment openings in both the manufacturing and retail sectors.
Harlow Enterprise Zone is one of 45 locations across the country that provides incentives for investment.
With the perfect location, Harlow is increasingly attracting more businesses to set up in the area.
Major investment has come into the area through the public health science industry.
The construction of world-class public health labs in Harlow has pushed the area to the forefront of the industry.
US defence contractor, Raytheon and pharmaceuticals giant, GlaxoSmithKline both have large premises within the town and one of Europe’s leading online golf stores, Onlinegolf, is based in Harlow.
Many firms take advantage of the M11 and the nearby A10 linking Harlow with London, Cambridge, Stansted Airport and the M25.
Places to Shop
Living in Harlow ensures you have access to a range of excellent shopping options.
Much of Harlow has undergone major redevelopment.
The town centre was one of the very first to be totally pedestrianised.
Residents have access to a huge range of places to shop and eat ideal for relaxing and spending time with friends and family.
Each individual neighbourhood has its own smaller local shopping areas, however, when it comes to serious retail there is a choice of two main centres.
- The Water Gardens – A large complex set in landscaped gardens with tranquil ponds and water fountains. It has around 30 stores offering a good selection of fashion stores, jewellery shops, and shoe shops. Plus, there is a large Asda, a Barclays bank, a gym and plenty of chances to grab a bite to eat.
- The Harvey Centre – Is the largest, busiest, and most comprehensive shopping mall in Harlow. Home to 60 well-known retailers and eateries as well as a Cineworld, a Quasar game centre, a glow in the dark crazy golf course and Xercise 4 Less, offering a range of fitness facilities.
Continuing to evolve with the times, £25m has recently been granted to Harlow District Council who are currently in the final stages of submitting their outlining business plan.
The plan will support further regeneration of Harlow town centre and the towns Playhouse Quarter.
Also included are new spaces for pop-up markets and street trading facilities.
Schools
Well before putting any relocation plans into action, those considering living in Harlow with children will most certainly want to know that their chosen location is going to provide good quality schooling.
All but three of Harlow’s many state primary schools are rated “good” by Ofsted.
Older children have a choice of 4 state secondaries within a two-mile radius of the town centre and of these two were found to be “good”.
Just one, Mark Hall Academy had “serious weaknesses” reported Ofsted. Burnt Mill Academy received the highest award of “outstanding” following the most recent inspection.
Private schooling is provided by Saint Nicholas School (co-ed, ages two to 16) in Hobbs Cross Road, Old Harlow, is the only all-through private school available locally.
Beckmead Moundwood Academy offers exceptional education and support for traumatised children and young people with SEMH, autism and challenging behaviour.
Harlow College provides sixth form, further education, and some higher education courses.
St Mark’s West Essex Catholic School also provides sixth form education.
Living in Harlow ensures access to some top schools.
Transport
Transport links are important to consider when moving to a new area.
Living in Harlow comes into its own with regard to handy travel links and a large proportion of residents choose to commute into the capital for work.
Having a diverse industry base, many local transport companies take advantage of the M11 and the nearby A10 which link Harlow with London, Cambridge, Stansted Airport and the M25.
The M11 motorway is about 25 miles to London and Harlow also sits around 10 miles from the busy Stansted Airport.
Travelling by rail affords excellent travel times with regular services direct into Liverpool Street station in 30 to 40 minutes via Harlow Town station.
The journey takes between 37 and 44 minutes from Harlow Mill station.
An annual season ticket from either Harlow Town or Harlow Mill stations into Liverpool Street costs between £3,496 – £4,000.
Although the town is already well-placed for access to the M11, Essex county council are amid plans installing a new junction 7a, north of junction 7.
This will open sometime during 2021/22 providing an efficient travel experience by alleviating congestion at busy times.
Ready to Start Living in Harlow?
Are you thinking of living in Harlow?
You have clearly made a great choice!
Whether you want to make the most of the transport links, find a dream home, or enjoy a day of shopping, living in Harlow has something for all.
Harlow is an excellent location with a choice of good value properties, meaning there is surely a great home for you.
GoodMove will make your move to Harlow a smooth and simple process.
We take great pleasure in ensuring your move runs efficiently and effortlessly, helping you to arrive at your new home in no time at all.
As well as our competitively priced removals package, we can also provide extra services such as short-term or long-term storage should you need it.
GoodMove cover all areas of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex and our friendly estimators can call round at a convenient time for you and strategically plan your move to perfection.
During these exceptional times, GoodMove are 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 go a long way to maintaining the best safety levels.
Find out more about how we could get you moving to Harlow or any other location by calling 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.