Where to move?! Any suggestions

Hey there!! My name is Von and Im planning a move to London in 2015/2016. And Ive been doing some research and I wanted to know where are some good areas to look to move. I want to be a nice flat no more than 30mins from city center. Id like to be a hip yet affordable area. I was looking into acton, Whitechapel, kingston, or camden. Any suggestions.

What kind of budget are you looking at - what do you consider affordable?

Will you be working in London and if so, where is your employer? Are you looking at commuting every day to somewhere specific... and if so, how long a commute would you be willing to have?

I would be working if everything goes right in westminster. the budget I'm aiming for is max is 900pcm. I'm willing to travel no more than an hour.

I would be working if everything goes right in westminster. the budget I'm aiming for is max is 900pcm. I'm willing to travel no more than an hour.

Are you looking for a place just for yourself, or are you willing to flatshare or houseshare with other people?

With a budget of only 900pcm, you're not going to find much at all unless you split the rent with someone. You might just be able to rent a small bedroom in a shared flat or house for 900, but that's about it.
 
London is expensive, so rental prices are usually quoted 'per week' (pcw), not per month, so if you see rentals for say £300 or £400, they're usually actually £1,300 or £1,700 per month. So, to live somewhere central without sharing with anyone else, you would most likely need a budget of between £1,000 and £2,000 pcm.

IMO, you're being very hopeful with your budget unless you're sharing finances with someone (flatshare, partner, etc). 

I work in central London (Zone 1) and live in Zone 3.  It takes me about 1.5 hours to get to work door to door (just over one hour if I'm very lucky and the public transport gods smile upon me).  My rent is 1200 per month, not including utilities or council tax.  And on top of that, add on the cost of a Zone 1-3 season ticket for travel. 

oh really? Im trying to find something with some culture and safe. but i don't want to break the bank either.

oh really? Im trying to find something with some culture and safe. but i don't want to break the bank either.

London is full of culture, so you don't need to worry about that. It's also relatively safe - of course, it's a large city and there are areas you will want to avoid, but overall, I don't think you will have much trouble finding somewhere safe.

The main issue is going to be cost of renting somewhere and the cost of living in general. If you're willing to share a flat or a house with someone else (or a few people), you'll probably be able to find something within your budget.

Does the £900 pcm include utilities (council tax, electricity/gas/water, TV, phone, internet etc.), or are you budgeting extra for those? You'll probably find that a lot rental agreements will only include the rent and not any utilities.

Salaries in the UK are generally much lower that in the US, but living in the UK can be a lot more expensive than the US (and the south of the UK is more expensive than the north). Not everything is more - things like certain groceries, cell phone contracts and broadband/cable TV contracts are usually cheaper, but pretty much everything else is more expensive.

London in particular is even more expensive than the rest of the UK. In fact, I believe it's currently ranked as the most expensive city in the WORLD to live in.

I see on your posts that you're currently in Portland, OR - there's a website that does a 'cost of living' comparison between two different cities. To give you an idea of the differences, the comparison between Portland and London is here:
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&city1=Portland%2C+OR&country2=United+Kingdom&city2=London

As a comparison of how rental prices can differ between cities in the UK:

I live in the small city of Lincoln (about 120,000 people) about 120 miles north of London (Eastern England). Last year, I was renting a 2-storey, 2-bedroom, end-of-terrace house with a parking space, front garden and back garden for £450 per month (not including utilities).

I grew up near Bristol (about 440,000 people), 120 miles west of London (SW England) and a similar 2-bed terraced house there would cost me about £750 per month (not including utilities).

In comparison, a similar 2-storey, 2-bedroom house in Acton, Whitechapel or Kingston looks like it would set me back around £1,400 per month, but in Camden area, it seems to be more like £2,000-3,000!

In fact, I believe it's currently ranked as the most expensive city in the WORLD to live in.

I thought it was down the list a bit, but it looks like it is indeed the most expensive place to live.

As everyone else has said, you would be pretty lucky to find a flat in central London for only £900 on your own. I work in central London and live in zone 4, west London with three other people (one being my husband). My commute to work in Bloomsbury is a little under an hour, which for London is a very good commute (my previous job took me two hours to get to!)

Also, I'm not sure what you consider the city centre, or where your job will be located, which will have some bearing on where you should live. Most people live nowhere near their jobs in this city. And what exactly are you looking for in terms of neighbourhoods, all the places you have listed are completely different from each other, and two aren't especially close to central London. Acton is in zone 3, Kingston is in zone 6 (and while beautiful is not cheap, especially considering that you'd have to pay an extra £225.10 per month to travel into zone 1 on top of council tax, bills, etc). If you want cheap, look south, east and north. Walthamstow is becoming rather trendy now, and Brixton, Peckham, Brockley and Lewisham are good bets, though they are all incredibly expensive and becoming more so every month. There is also Bethnal Green, Dalston and Mile End, though you will need flatmates in order to pay the rent. Hope that helps!

I guess what I'm really looking for is a place that is filled with hustle and bustle. I would like to be around some young people so i can make some friends. close to a tube. I guess it doesn't matter how far away I am.

I guess what I'm really looking for is a place that is filled with hustle and bustle. I would like to be around some young people so i can make some friends. close to a tube. I guess it doesn't matter how far away I am.

Sounds like a house share could be a good idea in your situation (new to London, looking to make friends).  Try searching various locations on spareroom.co.uk to get an idea of average costs.  Generally, there will be more hustle and bustle the closer you are to Zone 1.

City of Villages pointed out some good locations to check out that you would probably be able to afford in a house share. I was also out in the Homerton/Hackney area (East London) a few weeks ago and it could potentially suit your needs.  But beware, the "cheap" places in London (South, East) are becoming more and more trendy, and prices are increasing accordingly.

Also look on Gumtree, which is like the British version on Craigslist.