Best Places to Live in London for Students

London is a city of many faces—and when you’re a student here, choosing the right one to wake up in makes all the difference. Will you be sipping overpriced oat flat whites in Shoreditch, or catching the last bus back from Brixton? Living five minutes from lectures or twenty from your favourite late-night falafel spot?

From leafy suburbs with indie cinemas to fast-paced neighbourhoods that never sleep, the capital offers a postcode for every personality—and budget. Whether you're heading to Imperial, Goldsmiths, UCL, or somewhere in between, this guide rounds up the top neighbourhoods students actually want to live in, with all the practical details you won’t find on a uni prospectus.

Ready to find your London base? Here’s where to look. Skip to the end to read our handy cheat sheet for the best neighbourhood for your University.

Top Areas to Live in London for Students

From buzzing nightlife to budget-friendly calm, here are the London neighbourhoods that students actually love living in—curated by vibe, transport, and distance from the books.

Camden

Best for: Creative students, gig-goers, and anyone allergic to early nights
Vibe: Gritty meets cool, with punk-rock roots and smoky basement bars
Transport: Northern Line, loads of bus routes

Camden is all attitude. Home to tattoo parlours, late-night falafel, and more vintage than you’ll ever need, it’s a playground for students who like their neighbourhoods loud and lived-in. You’re close to UCL, SOAS, and Central Saint Martins—with Regent’s Canal and Primrose Hill for the occasional soft-focus Sunday. Rent isn’t the cheapest, but the culture’s priceless.

Stratford

Best for: Students at UEL, Loughborough London, Queen Mary, and anyone on a tighter budget
Vibe: High-rise regeneration with a sporty edge
Transport: Jubilee, Central, DLR, Overground

Stratford used to be a punchline. Now it’s a playground—with the Olympic Park, Westfield shopping centre, and rows of new student flats. It's sleek, safe, and surprisingly green. Plus, you’ve got easy links to east and central London. Bonus: the rooftop views from some of the high-rises are genuinely cinematic.

Peckham

Best for: Goldsmiths, UAL, and students who thrive in chaotic brilliance
Vibe: Artsy, multicultural, delightfully messy
Transport: Overground, buses galore

Peckham is where the art kids go to grow up. Between plantain stalls, dive bars, and rooftop cinemas, it has a heartbeat all its own. Rent’s still reasonable (for now), and you're just a short hop from Camberwell, New Cross, and Elephant & Castle. Come for the jerk chicken, stay for the sense of place.

Holloway

Best for: Students at London Met or UCL on a budget
Vibe: Underrated and well-connected
Transport: Piccadilly Line, quick ride to King’s Cross

Not the sexiest postcode, but a practical gem. Holloway is close to Islington’s charm without the eye-watering rent. Think: classic London terraces, Turkish grocers, and actual space. Bonus points for fast Tube access and a solid pub-to-student ratio.

Elephant & Castle

Best for: King’s, London South Bank, or anyone craving city-centre chaos
Vibe: Under construction—but weirdly loveable
Transport: Bakerloo, Northern, Thameslink

It’s noisy, it’s messy, it’s changing by the minute—and that’s the appeal. Elephant & Castle is midway between the South Bank’s gloss and the grit of south London. There are towers full of students, more late-night food than your loan can handle, and a Tube station that gets you anywhere.

Hammersmith

Best for: Imperial, BIMM, and health-sciences students who fancy west-side living
Vibe: Riverside rambles meet big-brand convenience
Transport: Piccadilly, District, Hammersmith & City lines; endless buses

Hammersmith straddles that sweet spot between villagey calm and big-city buzz. Walk the Thames Path at sunset, catch a gig at the Apollo, then hop on a night bus back from Soho in under half an hour. Rents aren’t bargain-basement, but flat-shares in the handsome red-brick terraces feel grown-up without being eye-wateringly dear.

Brixton

Best for: King’s, LSE, UAL—and anyone who lives for live music and late nights
Vibe: Afro-Caribbean heartbeat, technicolour murals, and a food scene that never sleeps
Transport: Victoria Line’s southern terminus; 24-hour buses straight to the West End

Brixton fizzes with attitude. Grab jerk chicken at 2 a.m., browse vintage vinyl at Pop Brixton, or dance off exam stress at the legendary Academy. The prices creep up each year—but split four ways in a Victorian terrace, it’s still doable, and utterly electric.

Greenwich

Best for: University of Greenwich, Goldsmiths, and students who’d trade neon lights for river views
Vibe: Maritime charm, market stalls, and park-side picnics
Transport: DLR, Thames Clipper boats, Elizabeth Line at nearby Woolwich

Greenwich is proof that you can have postcard looks without decamping to the countryside. Think baroque architecture, craft markets, and hilltop panoramas over Canary Wharf—plus enough cosy pubs to keep seminar groups well hydrated. Commutes into central London are painless, but the relaxed pace feels like a worlds-away breather.

Whitechapel

Best for: Queen Mary, UCL medical students on placement, and east-enders on a budget
Vibe: Gritty history meets glossy new builds; unbeatable curry houses
Transport: Elizabeth Line, District, Hammersmith & City, and Overground

Once Jack the Ripper’s stomping ground, now a heady mix of galleries, street art, and sizzling Bangladeshi restaurants. Whitechapel’s rental prices are kinder than Shoreditch next door, and the new Elizabeth Line rockets you to Paddington or Heathrow in record time. Student halls dot the area, but warehouse conversions give it that extra edge.

The Ultimate London Student Neighbourhood Cheat Sheet

Not sure where to begin your flat hunt? We've done the legwork for you. Below, you'll find a curated cheat sheet matching top London universities with the neighbourhoods that make student life easier, buzzier, or just a little more beautiful.

Each uni gets three picks:

Best commute – close enough to roll out of bed and into lectures
Lively nearby spot – for post-exam pints and dancing ‘til the Tube reopens
Quiet/posh option – if your loan (or parents) stretch a little further

Whether you're mapping your journey from lectures to late nights—or plotting your escape to somewhere more serene—this guide gives you the lay of the land, London-style.

University	Best Commute Neighbourhood	Nearby Lively Neighbourhood	Nearby Quiet/Posh Neighbourhood
BIMM University	Fulham	Hammersmith	Parsons Green
Birkbeck, University of London	Bloomsbury	Soho	Fitzrovia
BPP University	City of London	Shoreditch	Barbican
Brunel University London	Uxbridge	Ruislip	Northwood
St George's, University of London	Tooting	Clapham	Wimbledon
Goldsmiths, University of London	New Cross	Peckham	Blackheath
Imperial College London	South Kensington	Notting Hill	Chelsea
King's College London	Waterloo	Elephant & Castle	Bermondsey
Kingston University	Kingston	Surbiton	Richmond
London Metropolitan University	Holloway	Camden	Highgate
London School of Economics	Holborn	Soho	Marylebone
London South Bank University	Elephant & Castle	Brixton	Kennington
Middlesex University	Hendon	Camden	Mill Hill
Northeastern University – London	Spitalfields	Shoreditch	Aldgate
Queen Mary University of London	Mile End	Bethnal Green	Victoria Park
Ravensbourne University London	North Greenwich	Greenwich	Blackheath
Regent's University London	Regent’s Park	Camden	Marylebone
Richmond, The American International University in London	Kensington	Hammersmith	Chelsea
SOAS, University of London	Bloomsbury	Camden	Fitzrovia
St Mary's University, Twickenham	Twickenham	Richmond	Strawberry Hill
University College London (UCL)	Bloomsbury	Camden	Primrose Hill
University of East London	Docklands	Stratford	Canary Wharf
University of Greenwich	Greenwich	Deptford	Blackheath
University of Law	Moorgate	Shoreditch	Islington
University of Roehampton	Roehampton	Putney	Barnes
University of the Arts London	Elephant & Castle	Peckham	Vauxhall
University of West London	Ealing	Acton	Chiswick
University of Westminster	Marylebone	Soho	St John's Wood

Where you plant your suitcase can shape your entire London story—lecture sprints, late-night takeaways, lazy Sunday walks and all. Use the cheat sheet as a compass, but trust your instincts (and budget) when you step off the Tube. Whichever postcode you pick, the city’s vast, vibrant mosaic is only ever a short ride away.

Happy hunting—and see you at the night bus stop.

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