A guide to living in Newmarket

Located just a few miles from Cambridge, but just inside the Suffolk border, Newmarket is nestled between two of the most famous racecourses in the world, The Rowley Mile and the July Course. There are 2,500 acres of open space, which is used predominantly for training the 3,000 racehorses in residence in the town. With its rolling hills and protected landscapes, Newmarket and its necklace villages provide a great lifestyle for those looking for a combination of town and country living. The historic town centre is packed with shops and restaurants and has just enough hustle and bustle whilst also being home to the town's 70-odd racehorse training yards. 

Newmarket was 'discovered' in the 17th century by King James 1st and from 1606 to 1610 he built Palace House, a large estate which spreads from the High Street to All Saints churchyard, covering an acre of land. It was then that Newmarket was established as a royal resort and became a horseracing centre. However, it isn't all based around horses and racing. Newmarket also offers a great lifestyle even if you're not a horse enthusiast, with great schooling, a buzzy town centre, employment across the various science parks around the region, as well as average prices of Newmarket houses for sale lower than some of the more expensive options throughout East Anglia. Here we look at why you should move to Newmarket.

Who lives in Newmarket?

Cheffins sees a clear pattern in who moves to Newmarket. On the sales side, the dominant buyer profiles are first-time buyers and young families priced out of Cambridge, alongside out-of-area relocators arriving from Cambridge itself, North London and Essex. The draws are consistent: stronger transport links than the price point suggests, schooling that holds its own against larger towns, and Newmarket's affordability relative to Cambridge for comparable family-sized homes.

The rental market tells a different story. Cheffins Lettings sees three distinct tenant groups in Newmarket that are rarely found in this concentration anywhere else in the region. American Military personnel from USAF Lakenheath and Mildenhall make up a steady core. Cambridge professionals commute in for the value differential against city rents and stable staff from the racing industry rent across the town and the surrounding villages, providing a year-round demand floor tied directly to Newmarket's defining industry.

Visit the races! Newmarket racecourses host two of the five British Classic races, as well as the famous July Festival, one of the leading social events in the racing calendar. Palace House, which is home to the National Horse Racing Museum, offers the opportunity to visit retired racehorses, as well as see some of the best British sporting art, including paintings by the likes of Sir Alfred Munnings and George Stubbs. If that isn't enough, there is a Discover Newmarket tour, which includes visits to training yards and a tour of the National Stud and Tattersalls, the world's oldest auction house for racehorses. For a bracing walk, head up to Newmarket Heath, which is open to the public from 1 pm every day and has panoramic views over the town. The iconic Bedford Lodge Hotel offers a first-rate spa, a popular bar and restaurant and a swimming pool and gym, whilst golf lovers can head to the first-rate courses at The Links and nearby Worlington.

Newmarket is home to a great selection of pubs and restaurants. The Tack Room at Palace House showcases seasonal and local produce and has an outdoor terrace as well as a comprehensive wine and cocktail list. With its café culture, there are tons of options in the centre of town, including The Pantry, which offers all-day dining, whilst Unico is a great Italian pizzeria and Turkoman has a traditional Turkish menu. For the best coffee in town head to Cortado and check out their delicious artisan bakes, or enjoy a late brunch or early lunch. Outside of the town, The Three Blackbirds in Woodditton is a relaxed countryside pub with rooms, known for good food, comfortable stays and a warm welcome, whilst La Hogue Farm Shop offers a butchers, deli and cheese counter, as well as a fantastic café.

Newmarket has a range of high street brands which line the High Street, as well as a number of independent shops. Goldings offers high-end men's and women's wear, perfect for finding the right race day outfit. Other great shops include Corney & Barrow wine merchants, Powters Butchers and Tollys Flowers, a florist with more than a touch of elegance. There is also Busy Bee, which stocks fine leather items and offers shoe repairs. Moons, which is East Anglia's leading toy shop, is tucked away just off the High Street and is a child's dream! You can also head to the twice-weekly market on a Tuesday and Saturday.

In the country

Head out of Newmarket to picture-perfect Moulton where you'll find a 15th-century packhorse bridge and a bucolic village green. The village has a fabulous pub, an award-winning shop, a village hall and a great village school. Other villages to the east of Newmarket and well worth a visit are Woodditton, Cheveley, Dalham (home to Dalham Hal Stud) and Dullingham. Just seven miles north of Newmarket is Worlington, home to Worlington Hall, a fabulous boutique hotel with restaurant. Also in the village is Worlington Golf Course, which is said to be the greatest 9-hole course in the world, according to The New Yorker and GOLF magazine.

Burwell, sitting on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk boundary, is one to watch for buyers prioritising Cambridge proximity at Newmarket prices.

The most sought-after addresses in Newmarket are Bury Road, The Avenue, Crockfords Road and Hamilton Road. These prestigious roads are home to the town's largest period and modern houses, often with significant plots, and at the top end can reach well into the millions.

Beyond the prestige roads, the Cheffins Newmarket team groups the town into four broad budget bands:

• Under £300,000: Falmouth Street, Warrington Street, All Saints Road, Exning Road and Brickfields Avenue. The entry point to Newmarket, typically Victorian terraces and ex-local-authority stock with good rooms and gardens.

• £300,000 to £500,000: Edinburgh Road and Falmouth Avenue. Mid-range semis and improved terraces, popular with young families.

• £500,000 to £700,000: Hamilton Road, Rowley Drive and Arborfield Drive. Larger family houses, often with off-street parking and gardens.

• £750,000 and over: The Avenue, Duchess Drive and Hamilton Road. The prestige stock.

Exning Road is the area to watch on the up-and-coming list, helped by new-build development and proximity to Tesco and the retail parks. For value, Freshfields and Brickfields are the streets the Cheffins team highlights. Both were originally local-authority developments and are undervalued relative to the size of the rooms and gardens on offer.

The average time from instruction to completion is 180 days. Across all property types, asking prices achieve between 97 and 98% on completion, with end-of-terrace at the lower end of that range and detached, semi-detached, and terraced clustered around 98%. The market is rewarding accurate pricing rather than aspirational asking figures.

Newmarket prices have softened by roughly 10 to 15% across the wider local market over the past 12 months, returning to pre-Covid levels. Interest rates and cost-of-living pressure are the main drivers of the wider correction. Newmarket has held up better than it might otherwise have done because of an unusual structural feature: the Newmarket Town Charter restricts development within the town to protect the racehorse training yards and the gallops that surround them. Housing supply cannot expand freely in response to demand, and prices show more resilience than comparable Suffolk locations. For a deeper analysis of pricing, demand and selling conditions, see our Newmarket property market guide.

The average rent across the Cheffins Newmarket portfolio is £1,087.30 per calendar month. By bedroom count:

• Two-bed flat: £1,100

• Two-bed house: £1,193

• Three-bed house: £1,366

• Four-bed house: £1,887

Two-bed flats sit just £93 below two-bed houses, which reflects Newmarket tenants' preference for houses with outside space. The step up from three-bed to four-bed is 38%, the family-house premium where corporate relocators and military families concentrate.

Cheffins has 301 active rental properties on the books across managed and let-only service in Newmarket. First-time instructions are letting in 14 days on average from instruction to let agreed, which signals strong underlying demand even where headline rents have softened.

The three-year picture needs context. Rents climbed approximately 15% from 2022 to mid-2025, then softened by 10.6% over the past 12 months, leaving them 2.8% above the three-year baseline. Part of the recent shift reflects changes in the mix of properties on the books rather than a uniform market move, so the position is best read as stable with recent softening, not a falling market.

The dominant rental properties available are two-bed Victorian terraces, often with original features including open fireplaces. Most common tenant search criteria are three-bed semis with driveway and garage. Demand is strongest across the whole of Newmarket, with Moulton, Cheveley and Ashley standing out as particular hotspots in the surrounding villages.

For tenants searching for a home, or landlords considering Newmarket, see our Newmarket renting and landlord guide.

Buying or renting a house in Newmarket

Anyone considering buying or renting in Newmarket should visit the Cheffins team in our office on the High Street for a run-through of some of the town's best places to live as well as comprehensive advice on the surrounding villages. Cheffins sells and lets some of the town's largest and most expensive properties and also a range of homes including terraces and apartments. Village properties in some of Suffolk's best countryside can also be bought through Cheffins, as well as new build homes.

To view current listings, visit properties for sale in Newmarket or properties to rent in Newmarket. For an up-to-date valuation of your home, request a free property valuation.