Is living in Central London ‘worth it’ for a few years?

[cofaidhagustaing]

Moving down from Glasgow for work. Salary is going up but rent prices are painful. A one bed is 50% more than our lovely two bed here. Always harboured a fancy for living super centrally in London. Won’t be forever, but maybe 2-3 years. Is it worth the expense?

Found a couple of flats for around the £2k mark.

Central London is only "worth it" in my opinion if you can afford to rent in a really lovely area like Marylebone.

For 2k, I suspect that the area you are looking in is not that nice. So I would prefer to spend the money on a really nice flat/area not quite so central but still walking distance to a tube.

100% this

£2k would get you a flat in Westminster
25 mins walk to Covent garden. 5 minutes to Houses of Parliament etc
I love walking my dogs around Buckingham palace each morning

Where are the flats?

I think it depends on the lifestyle you want to live really/what you're into.

I love London, but central London is too busy for me. I much prefer a leafy suburb and a 20/30 min tube ride in to the centre on occasion.

If you want to be in amongst it every night then being central will be great and worth it for the short term.

It also depends where you're working. Being able to walk to work and avoid the rush hour would be the dream! If you're WFH, get somewhere bigger, further out.

Looking at an area called Pimlico or Westminster

Westminster is a borough and covers a huge area. Some areas within Westminster are lovely, others not so much. London is particularly weird like that with very desirable areas close to dodgy areas. Don't know if Glasgow is the same but you would really need to visit central London to get a feel for the areas before committing to a flat there.

If you're going to be in London for only two or three years I would absolutely be as central as possible! I used to live on the zone 1/2 border and it is a very different experience to living further out. If you link the flats you have seen we can advise.

No Westminster is also an area?

If you like going to the theatre/concerts/galleries/nice restaurants etc it's totally worth living centrally if you can afford it. Pimlico is lovely and close to the Thames.

If you've always fancied it then yes give it a whirl. If you're renting you can give it 6 months to a year can't you? I know lots of people who lived centrally before they had kids/with one kid and they never stop wanging on about it so I think you should. If I could choose I'd live in clerkenwell or Bloomsbury I think.

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/65667550/

Pimlico is a good area to live. Most of it is lovely, and even the grottier bits are OK really (London is cheek by jowl, social/council housing abutting the really swish).

I'd do it - but make sure, when you suddenly have everything London has to offer right on your doorstep, that you do go out and make the most of it.

You won't need a car, but if you do go to the hassle of bringing one, check where you will park and what you need to do about congestion charge.

Would 100% recommend living centrally. I did and it was heaven. If I could do it again I’d go for the Barbican, or Pimlico. Also worth looking at London Bridge- very well connected for transport and very central. Walk home from work along the river (or get the boat if you are working in Canary Wharf), weekends at Borough Market or on Bermondsey Street.

That bit of Pimlico is OK. But worth going to stand in the street for a bit - especially after the school comes out- and see what the vibe is. There are a few streets around there which I avoid - knife crime, drugs kinda thing. Plus it's a noisy street - which might not bother you.

But yes - the central the better for me. Id even go for a studio in order to be central on a £2k budget.

Two grand for a poky one bed flat?! Honestly, I'd stay in Glasgow.

I would! My DS (mid-20s) has been living in very central London for the past couple of years, and he and his partner can both walk to work, and take full advantage of all the last-minute cheap theatre tickets, concerts, cinemas and so on. If you don't have children or pets, so don't need any outdoor space of your own, it's a great thing to do for a few years. The flat you linked to looks pretty good by central London standards.

That flat looks ok by central London standards. Not big even for a 1 bed if you look at the square footage but maybe that's to be expected for the price.

I wouldn't like the shower room not having a window & there's probably no parking (may be street permit parking for residents) but there will always be compromises in central unless you're extremely rich.

I'm in Zone 2 and love being walking distance to most amenities. I would check the following:

1. supermarket in walking distance
2. not too close to a tube line or bus route - these are noisy
3. well lit street and decent foot traffic - helps you feel safer at night

That's really central op, though a short tube or bus to where a lot of night life is

Yes, worth it absolutely if you like the bit of London you’re in. I only know Pimlico to pass through. Wouldn’t be my first choice if I had a central London budget, to be honest. Not much there.

But I lived Zone 1 & 2 pre-kids and it was fabulous for ease of getting around, nightlife, culture, parks, walks etc.

Hell yes, and Pimlico is great! That flat looks amazing- grab it!

Friends lived in Covent Garden for years - could walk easily around the West End and definitely in the central London vibe, but pubs, etc a bit soulless, no big supermarkets and not really any sense of community.

FWIW, we live in zone 2 and it is very easy (and relatively cheap) to get to the West End/City, etc on public transport, plus loads of stuff to do in our local area (loads of young people/creative stuff, places to eat and drink)

I loved Glasgow when we had a couple of days up there - seemed to be loads going on and Finnieston etc similar vibe to our local area!

Yes I’d agree - plus the fact if you are busting your budget you won’t enjoy London life.

Pick somewhere further out, with good transport links to the centre, and some life of its own.

(The very beauty of Pimlico is that it’s quiet/ residential and not much there, but close walking distance to Sloane Square / Battersea power station/ the tate / Westminster and brilliant public transport)