Paddington vs Reading

[USA2UK]

Which one would you pick and why?

Paddington. It’s London. And Reading is well, Reading. Do people actually choose to live there? 😳

No contest. Why would you choose reading over Paddington?

I've not been to either, some of his collegues who visit those regional offices recommended Reading as even though boring, its more affordable and peaceful while others said Paddington is more central though exudes a commercial vibe. Our only reason to start searching at these towns is their proximity to his offices.

Well there would be a HUGE difference in cost of living. So it really depends on what your budget is. Paddington is nicer than Reading. BUT Paddington itself isn’t one of the nicest parts of London.

I presume from the username you are coming from the States. I would say it depends on 2 things: (a) budget and (b) city/country living.

Budget wise Paddington is London and if you want to live in a nice area close by it will be expensive. What about schools? Are company paying?

Reading will be much cheaper (housing in particular).

Paddington is city living. Reading is much smaller and surrounded by villages.

I live between the 2 and commute into London. We don’t live in London as we couldn’t afford to buy a house so moved out to where we could. It was still very expensive and my rail season ticket costs 4K per annum!

Paddington is London, but not a great part of London (it does have some nice bits). Reading is actually quite buzzy and has some lovely areas surrounding. Does it have to be one or the other? There are good places in between and nearby!

Paddington, but look at places like Maida Vale or closer to Bayswater/Lancaster gate/ Hyde park. Still close to Paddington (walkable) but much nicer than Paddington itself.

Our budget is 4,000 pounds and schools aren't a concern as our twins are in college. Paddington or Reading have his offices so can he avoid daily commute, my work doesn't require physical presence so i don't have commute issues. We can consider other towns as well.

What's a good rental budget for nicer areas near Paddington or with direct short train/tube? We only need a 2bed/2bath apartment but a smaller home would be nice. A quick look at rightmove's website made me depressed as every place we liked was out of our budget.

You can rent a nice 4 bed house easily in Reading for 2500 pcm.

I imagine the problem with coming from the States properties are a lot smaller over here.

You don't want to live in either. As others have mentioned, there are nice areas that are easily walkable to Paddington.

Reading is really a complete dump. You do not want to live there (maybe in Caversham would be ok). There are, however, some really nice villages just outside of Reading that are worth looking at (Goring, Pangbourne, Sonning, Henley, etc). They're small towns, on the river, surrounded by countryside, but with a quick train into Reading (or a slightly longer drive). If you want a non-urban experience, it could be great. Your budget would get you a nice place. Look on Rightmove if you haven't already.

Find a nice village outside of Reading to commute into.

You could look at property a couple of stops from Paddington on the overground as the commute is quick.

For example:

The average journey time between Ealing Broadway and London Paddington is 11 minutes. The fastest journey time is 10 minutes. On an average weekday, there are 192 trains per day travelling from Ealing Broadway to London Paddington.

We've narrowed it down to Notting Hill, Marylebone, Maidavale & Hyde park for Paddington office.

If we pick Reading as base then Wokingham, Henely OT, Maidenhead, Windsor, Caversham and Sonning.

Am I missjng any good spots or are there any big cons of ines we are considering?

Depends if you want capital city living or not... as others have said, lots of lovely countryside around Reading. The town itself is ok, but of course doesn't have as much to offer as London.

Where you should live, will depend on where the office is in Reading? 'cause traffic through the town centre is a bitch and should be avoided at all costs. Unless you're a keen and brave cyclist.

Paddington is an absolute sh&t whole (unless you have a million pounds to spend).

You’ll get much more for your money in Reading and some of the Reading villages are beautiful.

I’m presuming many of the people who have posted snobby comments about Reading have never actually been.

I live in West London myself but own property in the Reading area. You should check it out.

If you are choosing whether to work in the Reading office or the Paddington office then I'd choose Paddington. Because you get to be in London.

Where in Reading is your husband's office? Like another poster said, traffic is generally pretty awful so exact location can make a big difference.

If you want minimal commute, then Windsor is too far I think.

I've worked Mon-Fri in Reading for years and used to stay in Emmer Green/Caversham area and bike into the city centre (15 mins). I don't live there as it's way too expensive for me, not for any snobbish reasons. The area just north of the Thames is really quite nice.

God, I would love to live in Marylebone! Do that! Regent’s Park on your doorstep, Marylebone high street, lovely housing. Do it! Do it for me!!

True that its nicer but its also cut away from all the main bits of Reading (station, hospital, university, highstreet) and more importantly M4 by the river. There are only 2 bridges, which are grid locked every day.

I lived in Earley side of Reading for abt 7 years and found it to be a good location in most aspects. As for Paddington vs Readinh, these 2 are in very different price brckets and given the choice i will go for Reading because:

• Better value for money
• Closer to Heathrow (compared to Paddington)
• Its a main railway junction outside London, so direct fast trains to most parts of the UK
• Direct 30 mins train to Paddington (and slower ones to london Liverpool Station)
• Easy to get on M4, M40 and M25
• Grammar schools and a good sized Hospital, University and most shops that you'll need (incl a new Ikea)
• Surrounded by pretty countryside.

My 0.02 cents. Good luck

3 bridges, one especially for cyclists and pedestrians now

Like I said, it depends exactly where you are in Reading. I worked right by the station and even on the odd occasion i was driving then sitting in traffic over the bridges was still quicker than my colleague who was commuting by car from Tilehurst. Of course it's a different story if you are working on one of the business parks.

Reading isn't a dump. There are some shit bits, granted, but also some nice bits. I can think of many worse places to live. And compared to London, the house prices are more reasonable. It depends on your budget and what you're priorities are I guess.

I work somewhere that has offices in London and Reading with global HQ in the US....I wonder if its the same one?!

I would say the expats tend to live in London and fairly central so that would be a good option if you want to make local friends in similar situations. The places on your London list look about right, maybe round high St Kensington as well?

I'd suggest going for London at least to start with as there's a lot more going on (and there's nothing wrong with Reading - I was born and raised there!) and you can always move out if you're here for a while and want more space and less "London" life. If you can afford it then it'll be a great experience.

It may also depend on how many days a week your DH is likely to be in each office as this will make a big difference to the commute.

My partner's employer is North American but he'll be working with a European client.