Moving to London, what’s a good flat budget (rental)

[Reptilemummo]

I’m going to be moving to London from Manchester with my dp. No kids. We both have jobs lined up that earn decent money but nothing spectacular (for London). We will earn about £6k combined per month take home. I think we’d like to live in Zone 1 and maybe within 30 minutes of Moorgate. Is 2k enough for a one bed? We currently have a top of the range 2 bed flat in the city centre for less than 1400…

How long is a piece of string? The rental we had before we bought was £4K a month for a three-bed in zone two. I've just looked on rightmove and the cheapest 2 bed where we are is £2,100 a month.

In other bits of London it's much cheaper. But still very expensive compared to the rest of the country.

If you're happy to be without a garden, there are options. When I put zone one into Rightmove, (and remove flatshares), prices start from £1,410 per month. (There is actually one that's cheaper, but no pictures and a bit sketchy). However a lot of those are studios and very cramped (bed in living room etc).

From about £1,750 upwards you start seeing flats where the bedroom is at least separate from the living room. But you're still talking 380 square foot, so small.

At £2k per month you can get, for instance, 500sq feet in Shoreditch.

If I were you I'd consider opening up to zones 2 and 3. The tube network is very good and you'll get a lot more for your money.

This should show you your options in Zone One. www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E93817&minBedrooms=1&sortType=1&propertyTypes=&mustHave=&dontShow=houseShare&furnishTypes=&keywords=

It's not much of a budget for zone 1. You would probably be more looking at studios or very compact one beds than nicer, spacious one bed places for that price.

So it depends how much you value space.

Moorgate is easily accessible to anywhere on the Elizabeth line (although it is not named as stop on the tube map, you can exit and enter the Liverpool Street Elizabeth line stop from Moorgate station, the trains are so long that they stretch between the two stations.)

So you could look a little further afield and still be less than 30 mins.

Do you cycle? That's one of the most efficient ways to get around central London so opens up more areas for commuting.

@Reptilemummo Kennington might be ok. It’s zone 1. Decent quiet roads but great link via Northern line. Has a new Tesco and independent shops. It’s quite buzzy in Cleaver Square in the summer - boules! Oval or Stockwell would work. Clapham can be pricy because it’s very very popular, but you might find your tribe there. Depends what you want. I’d avoid Elephant and Castle. Lots of bland redevelopment.