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.

Plimlico is not madly exciting and is slightly annoying for transport

Living in Central London would be fab! Can you walk / cycle to work? There is so much free stuff to do in London, festivals, events, pop ups, markets, as well as the galleries and museums.

Sign up to the seat filler websites for spontaneous v cheap shows and theatre.

Lovely flat, great area.

100% yes I would again. We did a 2 year stint a few years ago and it was the best time of our lives.

Our flat was a little Bridget Jonesy but I loved it. Everyday was an adventure

That flat doesn't look very nice imo. I would rather live somewhere in zone 2 like Willesden, Hackney, Kentish Town, where there's more community and life. There's more to London than zone 1. I find Pimlico rather lifeless tbh. Bloomsbury might be nicer if you want to be in zone 1. Or Barbican/Clerkenwell.

Do it - I lived in Camden for a couple of years before moving back to Scotland. Was a great experience and means central London feels really familiar even years later.

I would look around Angel. Something like this: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/140031719#/?channel=RES_LET. Essex rd is quite busy but the area is much more fun than Pimlico. Still zone 1.

@cofaidhagustaing yes absolutely do it. I lived in London early 2000’s, got a job that meant I had to move to Windsor hated it!! I met my husband & slowly convinced him to move closer to London just for 1-2 years, 20 years later still here 😳Over the past 2 decades we lived in Uxbridge, Earls Court, Pimlico, Angel & now in Farringdon. We love every part of London.

Agree it depends on the area. I lived in Westbourne Grove and loved it. Unfortunately, I could never afford to buy there.

Also what kind of community & experience do you want?

Buzzing & lively or family friendly.
Bars & clubs.
Artisanal ‘trendy’ cafe coffee shops?
Easy access to big green spaces?

the flats you will get supercentral for 2k won't be good. I would reccommend somewhere north like Swiss cottage/ finchley Road/camden/chalk farm/islington or somewhere in the east like Stratford/canada water. easy tube ride to central but you get a much better flat for your money. my brother had an ok 1 bed flat in westminster last year for 3.5k/month so that gives you an idea of prices. not worth it.

I'd go for Pimlico OP. It's never too crowded and you are still minutes away from central London (Westminster, Victoria, Southbank etc) Go for it as s once in a lifetime opportunity! I am biased as I'm a born and bred Londoner 😍

We had a ball living and working in central London when we were younger, pre-kids. Didn’t suit us when we had our first child, but those few years were most definitely worth it.

Completely and totally yes. Being able to go to a West End show and walk home is amazing. Having a multitude of galleries and museums within walking distance of your house which you can just pop into for half an hour is equally amazing. Having every type of food you can imagine (and some you've never heard of) is also amazing. And just that buzz of life.
Do check out the area closely. Are their bars or restaurants nearby and what time do they close? What time do the bins get emptied? What shops are there which have early or late deliveries (and jam up the entire road). Is it busy 7 days a week or just Mon - Fri.
One year in London I had a fabulous flat down a side street about a 7 minute walk from Victoria station. The street itself was peaceful but hubbub all around it

My son shares a 2 bed, 2 bath in Belsize Park for that money- super convenient and leafy. I would go slightly out- personally I think Pimlico is a bit grim -

Or I would look over the river in Lambeth at oval, Bermondsey and Wandsworth etc

I lived in zone 2 for 12 years. Yes I loved it, but it cost £1500 for a beautiful 2 bed I shared with my sister in west Hampstead. Not sure if pay the insane current prices.

Pimlico is nice in that it is not too noisy but you can walk to many central areas in 25 minutes or so- eg Parliament Square St James's Hyde Park etc.

Yes, definitely, to be so close to everything Pimlico is means you'll hopefully take advantage of all the fab central London offerings. Size of flat doesn't matter as you'll be out all the time.

It was worth it for me. We moved to zone 3 when we had kids and then totally out of London as nothing compared to being central. When the kids fly the nest or I retire I'm planning on having a couple of years back in the centre of London. Both those areas are good but I personally preferred pimlico which can be super convenient. I think you might regret the travel time if you go further out but it depends how you like to live tbh

Pimlico is really soulless - you are much better being somewhere in zone 1/2 borders which has more atmosphere but is also a close commute. Camden/ Kentish Town/ Angel/ shoreditch/ Highbury . I know the south less well but will be similar areas. Pimlico always feels dead

Where’s the office located? I loved living in London. There are some great spots that are close to central e.g Parsons Green.

Definitely. I lived in within walking distance of west end for years pre kids, and then in Vauxhall, just over the river from Pimlico, both pre-kids and then with kids. It's great, and being by the river is especially lovely.
Go for it!

Should add we moved further out for space when had more.kids and while we still do lots of London things it's not the same as being a walk or short bus away from stuff.

Being in zone 3 or further out is sort of like living on the edge of any major city I think. You will get a much more "London" experience of you live as centrally as you can

I rather be in a small place near everything. So I would take a flat in central London. It is so nice to walk everywhere.

Pimlico is a great area if you're going to live in London for a short time IMO, so central but also quite quiet. It is very quiet/dead/soulless at the weekends (depending on how you see it) I've always found, but I like that - and you're not far from lots of lively places. I lived there for a while and also Shepherds Bush and Ealing - but I found them a faff to get into town, much better to be in Pimlico if you want to make the most of London for a short while. 3 years was more than enough for me, but it's great to have had that experience.