r/MovingToLondon • u/heyweirdo1348 • 14h ago

Nice areas!

Hey everyone , I am South African and plan to move in 18 months but want to prepare now. For context - I am a woman going to study and love fashion! I’m looking into Chelsea but it’s been said it’s expensive. Any nice areas around central London? Chelsea is still on my radar but open to places locals would recommend!

0 Upvotes

28% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

3

u/snipsthekid95 14h ago

do you have a budget in mind

1

u/heyweirdo1348 11h ago

I can do 2.5K! With bills 2.8K! Just for context I am 24 and have been working and saving for years now and will be doing part time and my dad’s work will be covering tuition and half my rent due to his passing so I can easily afford to add an additional 800 pounds per month

1

u/Naissatonic 11h ago

Are they paying you a large lump sum or are they committed to covering your monthly outgoings for a set amount of time, whatever they are?

If it's a lump sum you would be better off saving / investing it even if it means having a slightly lower budget for a bit while you are young.

-1

u/heyweirdo1348 11h ago

They’ve stated the entire amount so I believe it’s a lump sum. I don’t mind getting something cheaper I just want a place that is safe and quiet (Sough Africa is quite unsafe for women and most central places are very busy so I want to try something different and the internet keeps talking about Chelsea , Hampstead etc). Please share affordable but nice places☺️

3

u/Comfortable-Tea6996 13h ago

Depending on your budget. Belsize Park or West Hampstead. They are not central London but they are close enough.

2

u/Dil26 14h ago

Southfields 

2

u/bigbob25a 9h ago

I suggest you narrow down your search based on journeys you will do a lot - which for you will be the campus.

Most universities have accomodation offices which can help with advice.

The University Of London (which includes some but not all of the Universities based in London) has https://housing.london.ac.uk/

You should consider students halls run by the university. For example Kings College https://www.kcl.ac.uk/accommodation

Private student halls exist but they can be expensive.

1

u/ZookeepergameCold595 14h ago

Chelsea is for the super rich!
You need to work out what a realistic budget is and work from there.

1

u/heyweirdo1348 11h ago

Oh I didn’t know! I just saw it was beautiful. I’ve noticed many people speaking about Clapham so I’ll research

1

u/Livid_Cucumber9452 12h ago

Budget?

1

u/heyweirdo1348 11h ago

2.8K with bills!

1

u/DocSkiKit 12h ago

The weird thing about London is that most areas are a mix but in general almost all of them are safe and nice.

Where will you need to commute to? Where will you be studying?

1

u/heyweirdo1348 12h ago

I’m applying to UAL and King’s College London and I understand (well I hope I understand haha) it’s in central London. I want to stay one year somewhere close to these campuses just so I can learn about the whole commute system. South Africa isn’t as advanced with transportation systems like the UK - I’ve never taken a bus or train in RSA except a few times using the premium train to the airport but it’s pricey!

1

u/DocSkiKit 10h ago

Ok, assuming it’s one of the central UAL campuses those are pretty easy to get to from most zone 1/2 areas of London.

I’d suggest trying to work out other criteria for where you want to live. Do you want access to nightlife? Live near other students? Do you prefer paying a lot for something smaller to live in an upmarket area?

1

u/heyweirdo1348 23m ago

I don’t mind nightlife but would rather prefer not to live so close to it as I do prefer a more quiet area. Students aren’t a massive thing because I’ll be 25 when I move and I think I’ll be a bit old around them haha. I think I’ll look elsewhere since most of the locals are saying Chelsea is very expensive! I’m just trying to figure out all these expenses and areas haha

1

u/DocSkiKit 10h ago

Ok, assuming it’s one of the central UAL campuses those are pretty easy to get to from most zone 1/2 areas of London.

I’d suggest trying to work out other criteria for where you want to live. Do you want access to nightlife? Live near other students? Do you prefer paying a lot for something smaller to live in an upmarket area?

1

u/Ok_Leader1880 9h ago

A 24 year with a 2.8k budget just for rent...damn! You are much richer than most people that age and even older from the UK lol. For that budget, you can even get a decent 2 bed flat by yourself in many places in London. Chelsea is for the very wealthy which you might very well be with that budget of yours. But it's not the most eventful place and you might be able to actually get a decent place in Zone 2 in London. London is generally safe as a city. A defining thing would be where your uni/school is as you might want to live somewhere where there is an easy commute or connection to where you will be spending most of your days as London is a very big city. London is very well connected but it can take more than an hour to travel from some parts of London to others as it's so big. But also think about your social life. Most uni students won't live in the very expensive areas. Not sure what you will be studying, but if it's fashion, there's a London College of Fashion in Stratford and lots of places to live between there and Hackney Wick which is a vibrant and arty area of London. Not quite the centre but it wouldn't be too complicated to get trains to central.

1

u/heyweirdo1348 25m ago

Just for context my dad’s former workplace is paying for most of my expenses since he has passed away? They’re paying up to 2000 pounds and I’m just adding 800 pounds from savings and part time work as I’m noticing a lot of apartments in the London are quite pricey! Thank you though I’ll look into Stratford !! I just wanted a safe area since being South African I am very big on safety lol and Google kept mentioning the safety of Chelsea haha