Do also check the cost of commuting in. To Paddington or Marylebone, you don't need a Travelcard, just point-to-point season tickets, but this can still be a substantial amount. For example, Reading to Paddington is £3800/year in standard class, with no Tube.

You can check here:

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/servic...nticket/search

Personally, though, I like living out of London and commuting in. I have several fast (i.e. non-stop) trains I can take in, it's a similar distance and cost, and I know I have a nice little town to go home to, the countryside a 5-minute cycle away, peace and quiet, and yet London is still on my doorstep. And my 3-bed house cost about half the amount of the 50m2 flat I lived in, in one of the less fashionable parts of inner South London.

In terms of the commuting 'experience', note that Chiltern gets substantially better reviews than FGW. And if you're spending upwards of an hour a day with them, this can make quite a difference.

Maidenhead is a pleasant town - not as upmarket as some of the surrounding places (e.g. Marlow, Henley - personally, I'd consider this a good thing), but substantial enough to have a life of its own outside of being a London dormitory town.