A new study has found that house prices in some areas are rising so fast that commuters can earn enough to pay for their annual rail fare in just a week.
Property website Zoopla compared average annual house price increases in popular commuter towns over the previous 12 months to the cost of an annual train ticket.
Property owners in Solihull commuting into Birmingham came out on top and could have paid off their annual rail fare in less than a week.
The average property in the region increased in value by £95 a day, meaning the rising value of their property could cover the cost of their annual £655 commute to Birmingham in just seven days.
At the other end of the scale, home owners in Dunfermline commuting to Edinburgh will need to work 155 days before the rising cost of their property will pay off the cost of their annual fare, while property owners from Falkirk to Edinburgh take 144 days.
House prices increased by an average of £10.65 a day in Dunfermline and £14.06 in Falkirk.
Lawrence Hall of Zoopla said: “Our research shows how much property prices have increased in certain popular commuter areas over the last 12 months and also highlights just how expensive commuter-belt living can be. As we’d expect, properties in key commuting areas continue to be in demand for buyers in competitive markets.
“While our research may soften the blow of increased rail fares for home owning commuters, the price rises we’re seeing do make it harder for those looking to take their first step onto the property ladder. But with Government Help-to-Buy schemes still in place and the promise of new homes to ease demand, both buyers and sellers should have at least some reason to be upbeat as we go into 2016.”
The top 10 commuter hot spots where house owners could pay off their annual train ticket
| Commute | Average property value | Annual change in value | Annual rail card price | Increase in property value per day in 2015 | Time to pay off rail card |
| Solihull (to Birmingham) | £341,470.00 | £34,695.00 | £655 | £95.05 | 6.9 |
| Surbiton (to London) | £567,250.00 | £57,813.00 | £1,820.00 | £158.39 | 11.5 |
| Radyr (to Cardiff) | £284,855.00 | £14,089.00 | £508.00 | £38.60 | 13.2 |
| Tandridge (to London) | £687,665.00 | £47,603.00 | £1,820.00 | £130.42 | 14.0 |
| Barry (to Cardiff) | £184,011.00 | £167,412.00 | £700 | £45.48 | 15.3 |
| Epsom (to London) | £505,103.00 | £40,665.00 | £1,936.00 | £111.41 | 17.4 |
| Penarth (to Cardiff) | £299,975.00 | £10,547.00 | £508.00 | £28.90 | 17.6 |
| Bath (to Bristol) | £396,962.00 | £31,887.00 | £1,552.00 | £87.36 | 17.8 |
| Esher (to London) | £1,038,292.00 | £41,620.00 | £2,044.00 | £114.03 | 17.9 |
| Stockport (to Manchester) | £232,712.00 | £12,763.00 | £700.00 | £34.97 | 20.0 |
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