Location & Commute

The job I'm applying for is in the EC2A 4HJ area of London. Other than visiting over there for a bit I don't really have a handle on actual commute times, but if I wanted about a 15-20 minute commute on the average day (ignoring walking time - I mean the time on the train), about how far out can I look for a flat? I'm sure this is pretty hard to answer accurately, but if someone could ballpark, that'd be sweet.

I'm guessing that area is around Old Street and Shoreditch? I would recommend that you find a place along the Northern line or on the London overground. It won't guarantee a short commute but you will save a lot of time switching at training stations. The tubes are (on a good day) quite quick and reliable. When I lived in Elephant and Castle (South London) I was able to get to Kings Cross in about twelve minutes. I would recommend staying within zone 1 or 2 in North London. You can find cheaper places in zone 2 but if you stay along the Northern line, you should be fine. Also, find a place with a bus that can take you when the tube goes on strike

This website will let you find out what areas to look for within a commuting time of your choice to the tube station of your choice: http://www.where-can-i-live.com/londonproperty/

Here is a link to a tube map.  I think the average time between tube stops is in the 2 to 3 minute range.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf

As rynn pointed out, that post code is closest to the Old Street stop which is on the Northern Line, followed by the Overland from Shoreditch and then the Circle, Metropolitan, Hammersmith and City and Central Lines from Liverpool Street.

I do think though, that you need to figure out what your budget is before you can determine whether a 20 minute tube commute is feasible.

Thanks for the links and tips!

We're hoping to keep the rent at 1000 pounds/month with bills, so a bit less if bills aren't included. A studio or 1 bedroom is cool, but we want our own kitchen, bath, and no roommates. Is a 20 minute or less commute still feasible? It seems like it should be from some of the rental sites I've been browsing, but I'm not sure if there's hidden costs in there that I'm not catching on to.

We're hoping to keep the rent at 1000 pounds/month with bills, so a bit less if bills aren't included. A studio or 1 bedroom is cool, but we want our own kitchen, bath, and no roommates. Is a 20 minute or less commute still feasible?

From my experience flat hunting, if you're looking for a 1 bedroom flat all to yourselves, you'll be looking at a commute longer than 20 minutes unless you can afford quite a bit to rent closer to central London.

I live in Zone 3 with a 1 bedroom flat at £900 month (NOT including bills and council tax) and my commute into central London is 1 - 1.5 hours.

EDIT: 

Thought I should add - I live in west London, and east London may be cheaper.

Also, if you do find a place that's very affordable, it's probably best to try and visit first.  I found quite a few places that were more than affordable closer to my work; however, when I visited, I found some of the properties were in locations I wasn't too comfortable in or the property had some serious problems.