Moving to London for work: where to live in central?

[spongere]

Moving to London with work. Currently live in Manhattan where we are finishing grad school. Both of us are aged 25 (a couple).

Our jobs are both near Moorgate station. We’d ideally like to be less than about 30 mins commute in. Walking would be great. Green space is ideal, and we’d want at least a balcony to sit and have a coffee.

Budget is £2,750 a month for a one or two bed.

What a gorgeous adventure, how wonderful for you

I’d look in Islington or Hackney, different vibes but both good

or the city itself

Clerkenwell or Spitalfields would be worth a look or you could look just accross the river at the area around Borough Market and over to Bermondsey.

"Walking would be great. Green space is ideal, and we’d want at least a balcony to sit and have a coffee."

30 mins walking with green space and a balcony is a bit of an ask. 30 mins commute isn't so much the problem as 30 mins walking. The Barbican would probably be the place you're looking for (see below)

If green space is what you're after then start off by looking for flats near green space rather than perhaps for particular areas (although there are areas with a lot more green space).

For example this flat which is 2 bed, furnished, 834 sq ft with a balcony and looks out over St John's Gardens in Westminster for £2,750. Also has 24 hour concierge.

It's a 10 min walk to the tube station then a 20 min journey on a direct line on the tube to Moorgate.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147035486#/?channel=RES_LET

Also, don't forget that in the UK it is the tenant that is responsible for paying property tax. The property tax (it's called Council Tax here) for that property is £117 per month.

A previous poster mentioned "or the city itself". The Barbican can be a very nice place to rent. There is one available at the moment for £2,750, 2 bed unfurnished 840 sq ft. Council tax is £124 per month. You've got a big green space on one side and tennis courts on the other.

The Barbican is literally only 15 mins walk to Moorgate.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147129065#/?channel=RES_LET

Heading out east, you can sometimes find flats overlooking Victoria Park

Here's one, 2 bed furnished, 795 sq ft £2,600. Council tax is £124. It's about a 20 min walk and then another 20 mins on either bus or tube.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146948279#/?channel=RES_LET

What areas did you like in Manhatten? That will give us an idea of what to recommend in London

There's loads of green space in Central London (nothing quite as vast as Central Park), lucky you. But absolutely bang in the centre central London is unbelievably expensive.

I would go for Bloomsbury, Pimlico or Kennington (slightly further out) - just speaking as someone who has lived in London since 1985, these are my favourite areas. They are residential neighbourhoods so won't be empty wastelands in the evening and at weekends.

@spongere Clapham is very popular with your age group. Commute would be ok but night time can be quite lively and fun. Clapham Common is a large green space.

If you feel you want somewhere a bit more mature, lots of young professionals are in Kennington now. Good links to nearly everywhere! Kennington Park and Cleaver Square add local interest. Older properties won’t have balconies so you might need to look at more modern developments.

Marylebone

This 1 bed flat with balcony is across the street from Spitalfields market. There's a small but lovely green space almost next door to the building. It's approx 10 mins walk to Moorgate.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147204608#/?channel=RES_LET

1 bed penthouse with private roof terrace in Whitechapel. Approx 15-20 mins walk to Moorgate (or 2 stops on the tube):
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147082775#/?channel=RES_LET

2 bed with balcony on border of Wapping/Shadwell/Aldgate. 20 mins walk to Moorgate. 5 mins walk to St Kath's Docks and the river (lovely!):
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147039749#/?channel=RES_LET

OP, how many bedrooms are you looking for? It depends entirely on what you are looking for out of the house/flat and neighbourhood. You could live in the city (Barbican) but it is kind of dead on the weekends. I'd recommend the NW1/NW3 postcodes which are on the Northern line (Primrose Hill, Chalk Farm, Camden, Belsize Park). Easy commute into Moorgate but charming neighbourhoods with lots of shops/cafes locally. Or try Angel/Shoreditch.

We moved to London after grad school in the US 10 years ago (also worked in Moorgate) and lived in Chalk Farm for the first few years. Absolutely loved it, with the beautiful parks nearby and buzzy Camden around the corner. Great for weekend walks along the canal.

If you can, try to visit before you move and get a feel for a few different neighbourhoods. Don't use a relocation agent like we did and waste a ton of money!

Southbank - near Blackfriars station

@Heath3 "You could live in the city (Barbican) but it is kind of dead on the weekends. I'd recommend the NW1/NW3 postcodes which are on the Northern line (Primrose Hill, Chalk Farm, Camden, Belsize Park). Easy commute into Moorgate but charming neighbourhoods with lots of shops/cafes locally."

You make very good points. I just mentioned Barbican as it seemed to fit what they were specifically asking for.

But I agree with you that places like Primrose Hill or Belsize Park are a lot nicer to live.

Also, thinking about it, it's not too often that I would want to sit out on a balcony, especially at the moment - I just checked online and it's an awful lot warmer in NYC today than it was in London. I could imagine sitting out on a balcony today in NYC, not so much in London.

Perhaps the OP has some unrealistic expectations of London? I missed thinking about the broader question of what might actually suit them in reality and just answered the specific question that was asked.

My DD is a few years older and her friends would not want The Barbican. They tended to look for buzzy areas just out of uni but areas that also had good transport links. Obviously Uber available everywhere! Now they are a bit older they still want the transport links but socialising is more along the lines of theatre and eating out.

There are loads of new builds with balconies and terraces and obviously views can be wonderful. An outside terrace gives that valuable extra private space. It can be a trade off though between modern and a bit dead or buzzy like Clapham, and not so many balconies.

Redeveloped areas like Kings Cross have a great mix of properties and Granary Square is great. Shoreditch is a foodie paradise and Hoxton might suit but only on overground. If OP wants a park, I’m not sure of prices around Hampstead? There are lots of smaller parks dotted around London too.

Try Bethnal Green, especially around beautiful Victoria Park.
Or Camden/Chalk Farm - bit lively but Regent's Park and Primrose Hill nearby and gorgeous Hampstead Heath just a few tube stops away.

We recently had to move into temp accomodation due to a leak and insurance rented a flat south on the river Thames. Views were lovely and it was easy and quick to get the river Uber to work in the City. New Battersea power station development was v buzzy and lovely riverside park nearby. For your budget you have lots of options.

Thames Uber doesn’t go to Moorgate where op is working. South of the Thames is great but I would want Northern Line to Moorgate possibly via London Bridge.

Your budget is healthy but look out for service charges, council tax and other hidden charges on the building.

I don't have your budget (nowhere near!) but if I could live just outside the "City of London" I'd pick Clerkenwell, or Rotherhithe 😍 if you don't mind the Tube. Parts of Oval are nice too, with a quick, if busy Tube in. Angel maybe?

Friends of mine have just rented a 2 bed with a balcony right by Borough Market for a similar budget. Very doable!

Barbican, it's lovely.

If you're prepared to swap the walking in 30 minutes for a tube ride (or a bike ride) and the chance to walk home in 50 if the weather is nice then Oval is lovely - right by a pretty park, short walk to the river/Tate Britain and pubs cafes and restaurants etc all in walking distance both at Oval and Little Portugal. The downside is that the tubes can be full at rush hour.

This is a particularly nice development in an old school building if you like the style of the Barbican - you'll probably be able to see Big Ben from the window

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147150095#/?channel=RES_LET

It’s a bit of a hike to an underground station unfortunately. Bus routes easier.

I recommend sticking to the 30 min walk limitation. I live a 25 min walk from work and changing frim a tube commute has been wonderful, there has been a dramatic decrease in my stress levels and the exercise has made a real difference. It's not the norm in London and most people accept they have to commute by tube or train, but that's usually because of financial reasons and you have the choice. You will probably work long hours and having a short walk (or Uber) home, and not having to face public transport disruptions, and annoying people on the tube, will make that much easier.

Angel, Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, Spitalfields and Barbican would be good options. Almost everywhere in London has some green space - you don't need a huge park in your doorstep, and there will be smaller parks and squares anywhere.

I'd stick to being near a tube (within 10 mins walk) and not too far east, and north of the Thames. If you are renting, it's easy enough to try one area and then move if you feel you want somewhere with a different vibe.

Angel - specifically towards the north end of Upper Street where you'll access the wonderful Highbury Fields. Angel very buzzy and great options for connections with Angel tube plus Highbury & Islington. Quick tube or walk to Moorgate. Also useful for walking along to canal to Kings X, Camden etc or going out in Hoxton / Old Street / Shoreditch etc which is where most big nights out happen at this age / stage.

Moorgate is connected to the Elizabeth Line through Liverpool St, so Canary Wharf would be good, you could also look at the Royal Arsenal which would be a very short commute and you have the Thames Path and more.

Alexandra Palace (locally known as Ally Pally) I have friends living there and working just round the corner from Moorgate, they love it and their commute is 30 mins I think
Also, I agree with others upthread, parks and green spaces everywhere in London, in case you are thinking your balcony might be your only readily available outside space, it's unlikely to be the case.
I also agree it's better to be walking distance and avoid the tube if you can, it's pretty horrendous during rush hour. https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/ this page has walking times between stations, so could be useful. Towards the bottom of the page.