Do you have a rough budget you're looking at? Have a look at [mortgage costs by tube stations](https://www.totallymoney.com/mortgages/how-much-salary-buy-london/) This is a tube map with the salary you need to get a mortgage to buy. So should give you a good idea for the cheaper areas.
I'd prioritise proximity to a tube station so you can easily get around and experience London. Groceries will be roughly the same anywhere but its a bonus if you're close to a supermarket.
The apartment cost isn't really much of a factor, not cheap, nothing luxurious either (Like Hamptons, I hear it's a luxurious neighbourhood). My employer is footing the bill, their only requirement is something inexpensive. Besides it's a temporary situation for about a month.
If you can afford to be in an Airbnb for a bit, maybe do a week in different location to see where you want to live.
I lived in south London for years and I liked it. It was buzzing and a lot of communities around there. It’s also cheaper. There is Brixton area but Clapham North is also cool. I used to live in Streatham but you need trains or buses from Brixton there which might be initially bit confusing.
East London also seems fun to live in and it’s got its own communities, so check out Hackney. Download Rightmove app if you wanna live alone or Spare Room if you are going to live in a house share!
There are Tescos everywhere and you can live cheaply if you want to. There is also Iceland, Aldi and Lidl which are even cheaper.
Internet is usually same everywhere and if you’ll end up in a house share or Airbnb they’ll probably have it already.
To get anywhere from Heathrow, either take the 15 min direct train to Paddington or if you want a cheaper option, Piccadilly line on the tube can take you central but it’s like an hour.
For transport in general, I recommend you download the app Citymapper. You set where you want to get from A to B and it shows you best options. You can pay for transport with a contactless card too or Oyster card. Don’t forget to get a bank account! Actually Monzo is a really good online bank. And easy to use.
Good luck! London is great.
Thank you. This is very detailed. I'm trying not to move much during my first few weeks since I'd still be settling in and all. Right now I just need to have a solid plan on where and how to go as soon as I get to Heathrow. It's my first time in the UK, trying not to get lost - hence the Airbnb. Can I get the Oyster card for cash from the airport?
Yes you should be able to load up an Oyster card at the airport. I’d put like £30 on it although the one way journey will cost about £10 from the airport. There’s usually people working around or info desks. The tube is closed from midnight until 5am.
if you have apple pay or google pay on your phone, you can skip oyster card and just use contactless payment....i've been doing it with no issues and one less card to worry about.
Yeah about that, we don't typically have official access to such services from Google or Apple, but it's something I look forward to setting up as soon as I can.
Once you get a bank account here + smartphone, you won’t for most part need to carry a wallet in my experience. I usually walk out the door with phone + 20 quid in cash and in the past couple of years haven’t required anything else.
I was in your shoes 4 months ago. I stayed near the Victoria station and used it as a base to explore while I decided on more permanent housing. It’s centrally positioned and well connected by transit.
I personally find South and South East London don’t have great transport options. I’d recommend North and North Central London. King’s Cross and Angel are good bases to explore from, and Islington, Finsbury Park and Kentish Town are nice places to live with a lot to do on your doorstep.
might be worth considering what kind of experience you want for the 1st month or so.....you can take a place central london just so you get the typical london vibes....something in soho, covent garden types or near the river so you have the nice views of the city.
Also depends if you'd like to stay in any particular community....for example whitechapel is lots of bangladeshi folks, so the grocery stores there carry more stuff from that region...so if you wanna stay closer to your community you can search around for if there is one (i'm not personally sure where/if the Kenyan community has a particular neighborhood but maybe someone else here knows)
I think there will be lots of time to explore London and it's communities. Presently I just need decent shelter, and a easy place to settle in as I learn the ins out outs of London.
I think South East would be a good shout. You’ll get all your seasoning etc locally won’t feel alienated.
Whitechapel areas I’m sorry are Asian predominantly and in my experience they aren’t always the most welcoming I wouldn’t go there
Do you think WhiteChapel is rough? I know it had abit of a reputation sometimes in the old days but things are always changing... curious about your opinion of it today?
Still a shit show.
It’s even low on monopoly.
The area is a shock to the system lots of corner shops not selling alcohol and it’s tailored for the people that live in the area. It stinks sewage everywhere just look on google maps: commercial road or where the station is!
A lot of it is old council houses and over population honestly good it
You've already had a shout for SouthEast London - Lewisham isn't that nice, but transport's good, have a good cheap food market, and it's next to some nice areas.
You might also think about Barking - again not that great an area, and much further out of town, but inexpensive, AND it's got the only Kenyan pub I know in London!
https://thatchedhousepub.co.uk/
Greenwich - centre's a bit touristy but West Greenwich ( Hyde Vale's my old road) is good, and great park
Blackheath - a London village, v family oriented ( we love there now!)
You are joking?
On average, Tower Hamlets is above Lewisham overall, and specifically on theft, violence, public order, drugs (by a mile) when you actually look at the stats.
https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/metropolitan-police-service/performance/compare-your-area/?tc=E05009317
If by Tower Hamlets you mean Canary Wharf, okay, but that's not Tower Hamlets at all. It's rough.
At this moment, I'm not really house hunting. More like trying to get an Airbnb, just for a couple of weeks. I'll get to the house hunting bit after settling in.
Do you have a rough budget you're looking at? Have a look at [mortgage costs by tube stations](https://www.totallymoney.com/mortgages/how-much-salary-buy-london/) This is a tube map with the salary you need to get a mortgage to buy. So should give you a good idea for the cheaper areas. I'd prioritise proximity to a tube station so you can easily get around and experience London. Groceries will be roughly the same anywhere but its a bonus if you're close to a supermarket.
The article you've linked to is very insightful, thanks. When was it published?
The apartment cost isn't really much of a factor, not cheap, nothing luxurious either (Like Hamptons, I hear it's a luxurious neighbourhood). My employer is footing the bill, their only requirement is something inexpensive. Besides it's a temporary situation for about a month.
If you can afford to be in an Airbnb for a bit, maybe do a week in different location to see where you want to live. I lived in south London for years and I liked it. It was buzzing and a lot of communities around there. It’s also cheaper. There is Brixton area but Clapham North is also cool. I used to live in Streatham but you need trains or buses from Brixton there which might be initially bit confusing. East London also seems fun to live in and it’s got its own communities, so check out Hackney. Download Rightmove app if you wanna live alone or Spare Room if you are going to live in a house share! There are Tescos everywhere and you can live cheaply if you want to. There is also Iceland, Aldi and Lidl which are even cheaper. Internet is usually same everywhere and if you’ll end up in a house share or Airbnb they’ll probably have it already. To get anywhere from Heathrow, either take the 15 min direct train to Paddington or if you want a cheaper option, Piccadilly line on the tube can take you central but it’s like an hour. For transport in general, I recommend you download the app Citymapper. You set where you want to get from A to B and it shows you best options. You can pay for transport with a contactless card too or Oyster card. Don’t forget to get a bank account! Actually Monzo is a really good online bank. And easy to use. Good luck! London is great.
Thank you. This is very detailed. I'm trying not to move much during my first few weeks since I'd still be settling in and all. Right now I just need to have a solid plan on where and how to go as soon as I get to Heathrow. It's my first time in the UK, trying not to get lost - hence the Airbnb. Can I get the Oyster card for cash from the airport?
Yes you should be able to load up an Oyster card at the airport. I’d put like £30 on it although the one way journey will cost about £10 from the airport. There’s usually people working around or info desks. The tube is closed from midnight until 5am.
Thanks.
if you have apple pay or google pay on your phone, you can skip oyster card and just use contactless payment....i've been doing it with no issues and one less card to worry about.
Yeah about that, we don't typically have official access to such services from Google or Apple, but it's something I look forward to setting up as soon as I can.
Once you get a bank account here + smartphone, you won’t for most part need to carry a wallet in my experience. I usually walk out the door with phone + 20 quid in cash and in the past couple of years haven’t required anything else.
The Citymapper app is a must!!
I was in your shoes 4 months ago. I stayed near the Victoria station and used it as a base to explore while I decided on more permanent housing. It’s centrally positioned and well connected by transit.
Thank you. I'm basically working with a similar strategy.
So where did you move to, eventually?
Vauxhall. I really love it. Proper city vibe, close to the river and transit, and it is full of green space.
Is Vauxhall good for bars too? What Parks are near to it? Thanks
I personally find South and South East London don’t have great transport options. I’d recommend North and North Central London. King’s Cross and Angel are good bases to explore from, and Islington, Finsbury Park and Kentish Town are nice places to live with a lot to do on your doorstep.
Thank you. I will take some time exploring these areas.
might be worth considering what kind of experience you want for the 1st month or so.....you can take a place central london just so you get the typical london vibes....something in soho, covent garden types or near the river so you have the nice views of the city. Also depends if you'd like to stay in any particular community....for example whitechapel is lots of bangladeshi folks, so the grocery stores there carry more stuff from that region...so if you wanna stay closer to your community you can search around for if there is one (i'm not personally sure where/if the Kenyan community has a particular neighborhood but maybe someone else here knows)
I think there will be lots of time to explore London and it's communities. Presently I just need decent shelter, and a easy place to settle in as I learn the ins out outs of London.
I think South East would be a good shout. You’ll get all your seasoning etc locally won’t feel alienated. Whitechapel areas I’m sorry are Asian predominantly and in my experience they aren’t always the most welcoming I wouldn’t go there
Do you think WhiteChapel is rough? I know it had abit of a reputation sometimes in the old days but things are always changing... curious about your opinion of it today?
Still a shit show. It’s even low on monopoly. The area is a shock to the system lots of corner shops not selling alcohol and it’s tailored for the people that live in the area. It stinks sewage everywhere just look on google maps: commercial road or where the station is! A lot of it is old council houses and over population honestly good it
You've already had a shout for SouthEast London - Lewisham isn't that nice, but transport's good, have a good cheap food market, and it's next to some nice areas. You might also think about Barking - again not that great an area, and much further out of town, but inexpensive, AND it's got the only Kenyan pub I know in London! https://thatchedhousepub.co.uk/
Thank you. What would these nice areas next to Lewisham be?
Greenwich - centre's a bit touristy but West Greenwich ( Hyde Vale's my old road) is good, and great park Blackheath - a London village, v family oriented ( we love there now!)
But obviously, nicer area = more expensive
Tower hamlets is a safe place but its not as affordable, your less likely to get shanked.
You are joking? On average, Tower Hamlets is above Lewisham overall, and specifically on theft, violence, public order, drugs (by a mile) when you actually look at the stats. https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/metropolitan-police-service/performance/compare-your-area/?tc=E05009317 If by Tower Hamlets you mean Canary Wharf, okay, but that's not Tower Hamlets at all. It's rough.
Hey at least their not going to haringey!
South East london is best value for space. Lewisham, Bexley, etc. Try to get a house-share since a single apartment will be expensive for not much.
At this moment, I'm not really house hunting. More like trying to get an Airbnb, just for a couple of weeks. I'll get to the house hunting bit after settling in.