If you’re looking for somewhere new or somewhere to relocate your finance career, then take a look at Peterborough. It’s a city that has exceptional value, outstanding connectivity, and a quality of life to suit almost every taste. So, welcome to our Peterborough lifestyle guide, where finance professionals will discover they can have a great career, without sacrificing that big city life.
The answer lies in a compelling combination of factors that are hard to find anywhere else in the UK.
Hopefully, you’re already seeing that Peterborough lifestyle isn’t just about lower costs – it’s about higher potential.
From graduate finance roles to C-suite executive positions, Peterborough lifestyle provides the foundation for sustained success.
Find Out How Peterborough Could Reshape Your Finance Career
Peterborough’s city centre has undergone remarkable recent transformation, creating premium lifestyle opportunities for finance professionals, turning it into a thriving centre for not just the usual shopping, cafes and restaurants, but also street markets, comedy and theatre.
The historic cathedral city of Peterborough has kept its heritage charm, whilst adding modern convenience. Properties in the centre of Peterborough have risen in value, inline with the national average, but with flats and apartments starting at around £150,000, and house prices beginning at £250,000 (though there are cheaper options), there are plenty of opportunities for those just starting out in their careers and for those established professionals seeking a family home.
What makes city centre living special:
For senior finance professionals seeking prestigious family living, Longthorpe delivers the best in Peterborough lifestyle, and all just two miles from the city centre.
This established suburb attracts executives with its tree-lined streets, substantial properties, and excellent schools.
Key advantages:
Werrington represents the contemporary Peterborough lifestyle for families in finance – a village feel just 10-minutes from the city. Werrington offers modern homes, excellent amenities, and outstanding transport connections.
What you’ll discover:
Fletton Quays embodies the future of Peterborough lifestyle. The regenerated waterfront district offers contemporary living with stunning views across the River Nene. The area attracts young professionals seeking modern amenities and great connections to the heart of the city.
Lifestyle highlights:
Rental options in Fletton:
House Buying in Fletton:
The Fletton area of Peterborough also has some truly great options when it comes to purchasing a property, with single-bed apartments that still have that stunning river view, available for less than £200,000. Whilst, spacious four and five bedroom houses, with gardens, can be yours for around £350,000
Millfield offers the affordable Peterborough lifestyle for professionals just starting out. It’s a diverse and multicultural area that provides excellent value while maintaining easy access to the centre of Peterborough for work and social networking.
Benefits include:
Just 20 minutes drive to the north-west of Peterborough is the quaint market town of Stamford. Offering beautiful medieval character in a well-preserved Georgian townscape, Stamford hits small-town charm like a well-aimed axe throw, boasting a mix of boutique retailers and market leading brands, plus a busy farmer’s market, and a variety of cafes, pubs and restaurants that you won’t find on ever high street.
Further, it’s close to both Rutland Water and the grand 16th-century country estate of Burghley House, that provide for a variety of great days out.
For grandeur, elegance, and modern convenience, it’s no surprise that Stamford attracts Peterborough’s leading CFOs and other senior finance executives.
Stamford advantages:
Huntingdon: Strategic Connectivity
Another beautiful market town, with Peterborough to the north and Cambridge to the south, Huntingdon is in a great location for unwinding outside of work, whilst still close enough to reach either city within half-an-hour.
Huntingdon is connected to the south of Peterborough by the A1, but also has direct rail services to London in under an hour.
Key features:
Peterborough’s rail connections can help revolutionise your work-life balance:
Peterborough Train Station, operated by London North Eastern Railway, offers direct links to London King’s Cross (in 45-mins), Edinburgh (6-hrs), and Birmingham (1-hr 45-mis), along with day trips out to Harrogate and further afield to Durham.
Peterborough lifestyle benefits don’t only include purposeful rail connections, but exceptional road connectivity. The fast A1(M) clings to the west of Peterborough and provides easy access to Sheffield and Yorkshire, while also a direct line to London in little more than 2-hrs. Of course, Birmingham is under 2-hrs away to the west, on the M6, and few cities have the ability to reach as easily to East Anglia. If you’re looking for a central location to the hubs of UK commerce, then, you can’t go too far wrong with Peterborough.
Strategic road connections:
The Peterborough lifestyle isn’t just about you, but your family, too. Like most good cities and suburbs, living in Peterborough gives your children access to exceptional educational opportunities.
Top-performing secondary schools:
Outstanding primary schools:
Premium independent education:
The King’s (The Cathedral) School and The Peterborough School both provide exceptional education, with the latter providing education from nursery onwards
Beyond these two sought after secondary schools, there are a range of other quality secondary schools in the Peterborough area, including: Hampton Gardens, which provides education for 1200 students each year, and the Greater Peterborough UTC, which aims to give pupils “an employer-shaped, industry-facing curriculum”.
University life in Peterborough only got going in 2022, at the Anglia Ruskin University. It offers graduate and post-graduate degrees, but also degree apprenticeships and a selection of CPD courses. It has strong industry connections, and helps to position candidates for entry into their chosen field – including business and finance.
If you’re thinking that Peterborough isn’t a big enough city to offer a diverse mix of cultural richness, then you’ll be in for a surprise. Peterborough is home to leading venues including Peterborough Cathedral, one of the finest Norman cathedrals standing, and the resting place of Henry VIII first wife Katherine of Aragon.
Further, the New Theatre is a 2,000 seat auditorium showcasing local acts and the leading names in entertainment.
If you want to get closer to the action, or indeed to be in it, the Key Theatre hosts smaller productions and workshops.
If you’re after more history, environment and culture, you can’t go far wrong at the Peterborough Museum, which covers over 150 million years in the history of Peterborough and the surrounding area – yes, you read that right!
Peterborough’s culinary scene has transformed dramatically, with new restaurants and cafes creating a new sophisticated vibe across the city.
Dining highlights:
Live entertainment:
Should the New Theatre and the Key theatre not bring you enough diversity, the Peterborough lifestyle provides comedy and live music at The Cresset, from top acts like Jack Dee and Chris Stapleton to dazzling tribute bands covering the biggest stars, there is always something happening.
The centre of Peterborough is constantly evolving, and the emerging bar-scene is testament to that, some of our favourite place are Charters Bar, The Ostrich Inn, and Blind Tiger. Give them a go, I don’t think they’l give you a free pint on our say so, but you never knwo until you try!
The River Nene runs through Peterborough, providing boating, walking, a great route for cycling or running, and other outdoor opportunities. Indeed, the River Nene is where you’ll find Charters Bar, moored up, in the centre of Peterborough on a Dutch barge – we’ve already told you to try it.
Tucked into the meanders of the river is Nene Park, which is home to Ferry Meadows – the perfect place for a family day out in the 500-acre National Trust park. It has lakes and trails in abundance, a miniature railway for the kids, and a variety of other attractions such as the summer outdoor cinema.
Sports and fitness:
Home to the Posh (or Peterborough United Football Club, to the uninitiated), Peterborough has extensive sports, leisure and fitness options. The Peterborough Phantoms have an ice-hockey team; that face-off on Sundays at Planet Ice, whilst the name remains for the track BMX league. There’s also Peterborough Panthers Speedway, and Peterborough Lido for outdoor swimming between May and September
As you might expect from a city so heavily invested in sports, health and fitness: there are a number of big-named gyms, two challenging golf courses, and plenty more to dive into.
Peterborough is home to a thriving business market. It’s a city that continues to experience high growth rates across the sectors, especially in finance markets and start-ups. Coupled with a similar increase in population, Peterborough is making a name for itself as a centre of commerce right at the heart of the UK.
Major employers include:
A: Peterborough lifestyle offers exceptional value, against all surrounding cities, with property prices around 40% lower than similar sized properties in Cambridge, while maintaining excellent connectivity to London, Birmingham, and other important connections.- indeed, journey times to London are comparable. In summary, Peterborough provides more affordable living costs and a growing business community.
A: While salaries may be 10-15% lower than London, the dramatically reduced living costs (particularly for housing at nearly £300,000 less than comparable properties in London – averaging at £235,000) often result in significantly higher disposable income and a better quality of life.
A: It may seem like a distance away, but LNER services from Peterborough to London King’s Cross are highly reliable with journey times of only 40 minutes. Many finance professionals successfully maintain London business relationships while enjoying Peterborough’s lifestyle benefits.
A: Yes, Peterborough offers excellent education from the highly regarded The King’s (The Cathedral) School to outstanding state schools like Arthur Mellows Village College. The new ARU Peterborough university also provides higher education options, and opportunities to get into the workforce through apprenticeships or collaboration through study partnerships.
A: Peterborough has an active professional community with business networking through the Chamber of Commerce, Institute of Directors (through the Cambridgeshire branch), and sector-specific groups. The city’s compact size makes it easy to build strong professional relationships quickly.
A: Peterborough is the 40th cheapest postcode area out of 105 in England and Wales, offering excellent value. With a predicted annual growth towards 5%, Peterborough provides both affordability and investment potential.
A: Absolutely. First-time buyer average prices of £205,000, rental costs of £943 monthly, and proximity to major business centres make it ideal for career starters. The growing business community provides excellent progression opportunities, and the city is beautifully positioned to offer commutes to London and Birmingham should work opportunities take you away from the city.
Let us Help You Into the Peterborough Lifestyle and Workplace
Peterborough offers finance professionals an exceptional combination of career opportunity, lifestyle quality, and financial advantage that is increasingly rare in today’s market.
From the affordable housing market to outstanding transport links, excellent schools and rapidly evolving cultural scene, Peterborough lifestyle delivers everything you need for professional achievement and personal fulfilment.
Whether you’re a recent graduate looking for the perfect launchpad for your finance career or you’re a senior executive seeking that strategic location and lifestyle balance, Peterborough provides a wonderful foundation for your next chapter.
Peterborough lifestyle isn’t just about where you live – it’s about where you choose to succeed.