Best areas to live for mid-late 20s in London?
European mates - I'll keep it short, lived in NY most recently and am now moving to London for a new job.
Looking for areas to live in that are similar to Chelsea / West Village / Meatpacking in NY, something ideal for people around their late 20s, give or take. Ideally a <30 minute walk to Soho / Mayfair, as the office is in between there.
Budget is around 4k GBP a month for rent, could go a bit higher so flexible (ideally a 2 bed 2 bath, is that possible?). Don't have any good idea of the London area (only travelled there a few days at a time), so would appreciate any recommendations.
As a NY transplant to London in the past few years, I am very curious to hear how those from London will respond to this (and who will probably disagree with everything I say). I made the move in my mid-30s so preferences and budget was a bit higher so I am not sure how much help I will be. At your age, general location, and stated preference for NY neighborhoods, I would probably pick something in Chelsea area. If you were someone who enjoyed the Brooklyn experience more in NY, I would advise you to live in East London and take the tube to work instead.
In terms of neighborhoods in London, they don't map particularly well to neighborhoods in NY. On top of that, there are at least a few absolutely beautiful streets / corners to live on in any neighborhood in London in a way that feels very foreign to NY (so many neighborhoods where it would be impossible to find anything nice). My best attempt would be:
Chelsea (NY) = Chelsea (London), pretty neighborhood / pretty good restaurants + pubs / very livable
Soho (NY) = Soho (London), a bit grimy / good restaurants + pubs / lot of high end shopping
Tribeca (NY) = Mayfair (London), not really a perfect comparison here, but it is nice and has tons of high end restaurants + shopping + most members clubs + lot of wealthy inhabitants / similar to how the West Village or some other parts of NY have some charm to it and Tribeca can feel a bit charmless, find this place to have less charm in what is an otherwise very charming city
Meatpacking (NY) = Knightsbridge (London), very polished to the point that it does not have a ton of character / v high end shopping / lots of foreigners
West Village (NY) = Notting Hill (London), think this is the best comparison I can come up with though I find the West Village to be nicer / have better restaurants + nightlife
UES (NY) = South Kensington (London), objectively nice + wealthy inhabitants / more families / great museums + park access / less cool restaurants
Brooklyn (NY) = East London, a bit of an edgy feel / all the coolest new restaurants / young people
My advice would be to sign a sublet / short-term stay for a few months and then figure out where you want to live. Unlike most apartments in NY, most in London are furnished so ... need to decide what you want. To close it out, I enjoyed living in New York quite a bit (lived in Chelsea / West Village) and I enjoy living in London even more. It really is a very charming city that feels like more of a collection of interconnected villages. When we moved here, we did a short-term let and thought we were dead set on living in Notting Hill and then ended up torn between places in Maida Vale / Belgravia / South Kensington which are all a bit different. Ultimately ended up in South Kensington / Chelsea location and no regrets.
Edit: Just polled my wife on neighborhood comparison and she disagreed on a lot of what I said (as is tradition). Her answer for you was Notting Hill. Her view was South Ken = UWS, Chelsea / Belgravia / Knightsbridge = UES, Mayfair = Midtown without 42nd St, SOHO = LES, Hampstead = Tribeca. She said Notting Hill is the clear West Village / Chelsea in the mix answer.
Whats your opinion on places like Fulham, Battersea, Clapham? Also curious on where you land on Islington?
To me as a native Londoner, Battersea/Nine Elms is probably one of the nicest places to rent/live (apartment wise) in London, it always surprises me how overlooked it is.
Battersea/Nine Elms I regard as a growing and wealthy area who want to live in semi-high rises and not so far from central London.
Don’t rate Clapham that highly in retrospect - mainly Australians and young finance professionals saving money living that far out. If you want a good feel of what Clapham is, go to Infernos on the weekend and I think it’ll make you think twice of moving there.
With a budget like that, Battersea is wonderful. You have a great mix of greenery/quietness/commutability. Could even look at Marylebone, Chelsea?
Curious how is Mayfair is similar to Midtown - isn’t that area mostly high end stores and residential?
Mid-20s, moved to London from NY a couple of years ago.
If you work in Mayfair, the best neighborhoods to live in are Chelsea, South Ken, and Marylebone. Those have the highest concentration of young professionals and are in general very livable areas with a lot of things to do w/o being overcrowded or too busy (certain parts of Marylebone exempted).
Don't live in Mayfair itself or Belgravia. Overpriced, filled with oligarchs (no normal people actually live there), and there's barely anything in the way of regular life things (cheap breakfast / lunch spots, grocery stores, normal neighborhood pubs, etc.)
Notting Hill is very cute and a great Sunday brunch but I think it's slightly too detached from Central (Soho / Mayfair) and you will find it annoying having to trek back after a night out. It's more of a family vibe. That said I was very close to living in Notting Hill when I first moved and it's a very livable place.
Don't be tempted by East London. Better prices and newer flats but the commute to Mayfair fucking sucks (either overcrowded tube every single morning or a bicycle ride through Oxford Street - good luck) and it's definitely less 'nice' than West London.
If you really can't handle the older / pre-war flats and need a NY-style new-build, Battersea or Little Venice in Paddington is probably your best bet for Mayfair office. But I would prefer a nice older flat in Chelsea over those.
Would agree with everything said here OP! When I worked in London, office was in the City so slightly different from your situation - but lived in Marylebone and absolutely loved it. South Kens / Chelsea can be very nice but surprisingly annoying to get to / from if you’re just looking at it from a map at the moment. East London / City is cool too but edgier, so depends on taste. If I was working in Mayfair I’d return to Marylebone. Happy to talk further on this if you’d like but the person above gave a great rundown tbh.
Soho is fun but a bit hectic / very touristy, I like more of a balance for my living - would rather live nearby and dip into the crazy areas when I’m in the mood. Mayfair is cool but certain parts very touristy/oligarchy, more of a weekend haunt for me. Even more so with Knightsbridge.
Can’t speak to Notting Hill as didn’t spend much time there but many seniors lived around there and from what I’ve heard is very very nice to live in, lots of Americans as well. Clapham / Brixton have gentrified a lot and become very hip like Shoreditch, very fun with a young crowd but not my vibe and quite expensive now. Not terrible commute to Mayfair but not the most convenient either. The pro in some of these areas is you’ll see the new build apartment complexes you’ll be more accustomed to if you’ve been living in a newer build in NYC - lots of product in the west end is older builds with renovated interiors.
I personally love the sound of being able to walk to the office as London is very walkable AND having that daily walk be through an area as picturesque as the west end… lucky you OP, well done!
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Bermondsey is good for Mayfair. Cheap too and lots of new builds nowadays. Best views in London from the river. Lived there for a bit a while back.
Con: there is nothing to do there. Have to walk to London bridge or get tube for restaurants/bars/other activities.
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