I Know London - Where to Live in London

Where to Live in London

Advice for people moving to London

Whether you’re an underpaid actor, sports fanatic, musician, Russian Oligarch, squatter or even an Australian, I Know London has some advice on where to live in London.

Good places to live in London

The following are recommended as good areas to live in London, separated by price.

Extremely expensive places to live in London

Central London – Mayfair, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Hampstead

Very expensive areas to live in London

Belsize Park, St. John’s Wood, Maida Vale, Marylebone, Pimlico, Kensington, Chelsea, Primrose Hill, Notting Hill, Chiswick, Richmond, Barnes, Kew.

Slightly less expensive parts of London

Hammersmith, Ealing, Fulham, Putney, Clapham, Battersea, Wandsworth, Balham, Streatham, Wimbledon, Anerley, Penge, Sydenham, Crystal Palace, Dulwich, East Dulwich, Greenwich, Blackheath, Docklands, Islington, Crouch End, Muswell Hill, Hornsey, Highgate, Finchley, Cricklewood, Kilburn, West Hampstead.

Cheap (er) areas in London

Merton, Raynes Park, Tooting, Greenwich, Charlton, Bethnal Green, Bow, Stratford, Plaistow, Stoke Newington, East Clapton, Forest Gate, Leyton, Shepherd’s bush, Acton, Willesden.

Probably best avoided

These areas are certainly not without their good points but they're generally regarded as bad areas to live in London:

Harlesden, White City, Stockwell, Camberwell, Brixton, Peckham, New Cross, Elephant and Castle, Canning Town, Woolwich and large parts of Hackney.

Where to live in London...

Good areas for young professionals.

Islington, Fulham, Putney, Wandsworth, Battersea, Clapham, Balham, Streatham, East Dulwich, the Docklands. You may also find yourself drawn to the East End around Aldgate and Bethnal Green.

Trendy areas in London.

Stoke Newington, Broadway Market, Columbia Road, Hoxton, Shoreditch, Brick Lane, Bethnal Green, Camden.

Family friendly areas of London

Most of London is quite family friendly but, being the rat-race that it is, where you live will probably be determined by your income. In general, the less your income, the further from Central London you're going to find yourself and the longer you're going to be travelling. There is slight irony in this because once you get past the urban sprawl there are some lovely places in which to live. The irony is that there's no tube but many of these places are connected by overland train and will have you in central London in less than half an hour.

Good parts of London for sports and fitness enthusiasts

You'll find and parks and sports fields all over London but for the sports fanatic I'd recommend Clapham in particular and most of the area of South London stretching from Streatham to Dulwich.

Good areas for cutting edge fashion / design / media.

Covent Garden, Soho, Hoxton, Shoreditch, Brick Lane, Tower Bridge

Recommended areas of London for an artist / musician / actor (successful, minted and sold-out)

Notting Hill, Primrose Hill.

Recommended for an artist / musician / actor (starving)

You’ll want to be in Hoxton and Shoreditch but can’t afford it so you’ll end up in Bethnal Green. I’ve met quite a few artists and most live in squalour in Brixton, Peckham and New Cross. London has quite a few live/work studios which are ever popular with artists (do a google). There are some lovely ones in Forest Hill. If your inspiration requires Fight Club levels of dereliction, industrial waste and danger then there are many such places in Hackney Wick.

I am an American relocating to London. I want cute cottages, double-decker buses, cricket pitches and cups of tea Goddamit!

Kensington, Chelsea, Hampstead, Richmond, Barnes, Wimbledon and Dulwich.

I am a banker

The Docklands, Limehouse, Wapping, Aldgate, Tower Bridge.>The Aussies have long been priced out of Earl's court and now congregate in Fulham and Putney if they're well paid and Shepherd's bush, Acton or Willesden if they're not.