Young Professional - Where to Live?

Hi there,

I was recently offered an inter-company transfer from Boston to London, and I'm very tempted to take it.   One of my big outstanding questions is trying to understand what my living situation would be like in London.

For background, I currently live in the Back Bay area of Boston with a roommate.  Not to brag, but our apartment is fabulous...concierge, centrally located, spacious, new kitchen, walk to work, etc.  Just want you to understand why I might be reluctant to give it up!

In London, I'd be interested in a flat-share, since I don't know anyone there and I think it would be fun.  My budget is on the high end for a young professional; I don't have exact numbers yet, but likely 1100-1300+ pounds/month (for my room, bills excluded).  I'd be working near the Green Park tube stop.

I'd love to live somewhere that's good for young (single) people, though I'm more into cool restaurants/chill pubs than crazy nightlife.  Being somewhere safe is very important to me, and I'd prefer somewhere that wouldn't always be overrun with tourists.  In an ideal world, I'd love to be within a 45 minute walk of work, but I realize that will be considerably harder in London than in Boston.

Any tips for what neighborhoods I should look at?  Want to get a sense of what my living style would be like over there as I contemplate the offer...

Your budget seems reasonable for your portion of a 2 bedroom flat share in Zone 1 or 2 which should put you within 45 minutes walking distance of Green Park.  But, it will be anything but spacious.  The bedrooms will be 10'x10' box rooms and your kitchen will be functional and not large.  You're not going to get a concierge.  There are very few flats with doormen/concierges who are called porters here.  There are very few portered buildings. 

You could look in the Notting Hill area, that would be close by though it would be a bit of a walk, you'd be better off taking the train or a taxi. In that part of town, it would be difficult to find a flat in your price range, the properties in that area go for millions. If you're looking for a nice area, try Angel, Islington, they have nice cafes and shops, and they're close to the Shoreditch area, which is popular with the hip, young crowd.

Let's see. If I were working near Green Park tube, had £1300 for a share and wanted to walk to work, I'd be looking at Fitzrovia, Pimlico, Marylebone and on the further side, Bayswater (walk through Hyde Park) and South Kensington. The latter have easy bus routes into town for days when you can't be bothered to walk. Take a look at Gumtree, and select the "private seller" option. I'm always wary of estate agents touting flat shares.

For example, this is £1248 including all bills:
http://www.gumtree.com/p/flats-houses/modern-flat-double-bed-room-from-5-mins-oxford-circus-station-looking-for-a-professional/1017813711#gallery-item-full-6

As mentioned, I'd not expect concierge, but you will find buildings with porters who can sign for your packages. I did a flat share for a while with a couple of girls and we had a massive kitchen, so really it's a crapshoot of what's available when.

Sounds like a great opportunity!

Oh, I forgot to add Clerkenwell. On your budget you may be able to find something around there too, however this is also on the 45 min. side of the walk.

Check out somewhere in Lambeth/Southwark just across the river - perhaps around Waterloo. The South Bank has a lot to offer in terms of restaurants and bars, and also has the occasional market. I think you'll get more for your money here than in Notting Hill - and you'll have fewer tourists!

Here's an example of what you can get in the area (and even has a concierge, although as mentioned that's pretty uncommon!): http://www.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/flatshare_detail.pl?flatshare_id=2732096&search_results=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spareroom.co.uk%2Fflatshare%2F%3Fsearch_id%3D126560880%26mode%3Dlist%26editing%3D%26show_results%3Das%20a%20map%26resume_last_search%3D1

I feel compelled to add...most renters generally calculate monthly rent by taking the cost per week and multiplying it by 4.3 weeks a month. So a flat that costs £250 per week rents for £1075 per month.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!  This is really helpful.

I feel compelled to add...most renters generally calculate monthly rent by taking the cost per week and multiplying it by 4.3 weeks a month. So a flat that costs £250 per week rents for £1075 per month.

I'm going to amend the above to add... to get an exact amount: take the amount per week, multiply it by 52, then divide that number by 12. Reverse the process to get the per week from the per calendar month. So if you are looking to spend £1300pcm, you're per week would be £300.

I'm going to amend the above to add... to get an exact amount: take the amount per week, multiply it by 52, then divide that number by 12. Reverse the process to get the per week from the per calendar month. So if you are looking to spend £1300pcm, you're per week would be £300.

Actually, she's looking to flat share.

Actually, she's looking to flat share.

Yep, I got that A £1300pcm budget is going to go quite far in a London flatshare.

I'm going to amend the above to add... to get an exact amount: take the amount per week, multiply it by 52, then divide that number by 12. Reverse the process to get the per week from the per calendar month. So if you are looking to spend £1300pcm, you're per week would be £300.

or take a shortcut and just multiply the weekly rent by 4.3333 to get the monthly equivalent.