'I work in London - my commute costs £150 and takes over four hours but I won't relocate'

'I work in London - my commute costs £150 and takes over four hours but I won't relocate'A woman who commutes over four hours into London from Devon has said the long journey is worth it for the peace of mind and the lifestyle she gets to return to after workCommentsNewsChristopher Sharp Trendswatch Reporter14:55, 17 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesA woman stands inside a busy railway station (stock)The cost of living has risen dramatically in the UK in recent years thanks to major world events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the recent conflict in Iran.‌Among the many costs Britons face is train travel, with some of the highest fares in Europe. This can be a problem for those who have to take especially long journeys that fall out of Transport for London’s price cap.‌However, for some, the expensive train tickets are worth it both for where they are, and what those train journeys enable them to do for their mental health and work.‌One individual to highlight the benefits of their albeit expensive commute is 37-year-old Olivia Norton who has lived in south Devon with her husband Will since 2019, but commutes to central London via the train.It takes her four-and-a-half hours to get from South Hams to Southwark, and £150 if she pays the off-peak fair. Despite the three figure cost and lengthy journey, Olivia says she's not willing to relocate to live closer to work.She told The Times: "I once dreaded ‘the commute’ and that was from Shepherds Bush to my office in Shoreditch, but it’s become an integral and valuable part of my life in its own right.‌View 3 ImagesView over the popular Devon town of Salcombe looking across the Kingsbridge Estuary(Image: Getty)“I get time to have a good think and finish off the deck I’ve been putting off, attempt to get to the end of my book club book and occasionally just zone out and watch the waves splash at the tracks as we pass through Dawlish.”Olivia added that she wouldn’t choose to return to liv...