Living in London off a PhD salary

Rent a room in a house would be my best advice - and not necessarily a student house either. I've found you get some very good deals from renting a room in a family/professional home.

Yeah, I think these kind of options will be very limited if my bf decides to move too though.

Well, on the plus side, a one bedroom flat is half price when there's two of you!

sounds like I'd be right at home coming from Birmingham!

You just need to be a bit 'streetwise' and careful living in areas like that one, there are some street robberies and things like that. It's best to not be out on the streets alone late at night for example.

Congrats on your PhD place.

My friend said she hasn't really encountered any crime so I think it may have a worse rep than it deserves.

I don't really mind where I live as long as it is affordable! I lived in a 'rough' area of Leeds for a bit with no issues.

Thanks! I'm so excited!

It must be exciting. What will be your area of research?

For sure the rep of some 'rough' areas gets exaggerated and also a lot of places near the centre of London that used to be seen as very bad have moved upmarket in recent years, especially in NE and E London. Ele & Cas is probably not one of them though. It's more of a statistical thing - Southwark and Lambeth both have high crime rates, but a lot of it is concentrated in certain streets and small neighborhoods.

It's really quick into town by tube from there though.

did you get the ucl phd after all? - well done!! what's the topic?

have you thought about halls for the first year? it sounds like a retrograde step but if there are central/convenient postgrad halls that would be less hassle than private renting and you'd have the first year to meet people, suss out good places to live etc etc

Thanks!!! Yeah they said if I didn't hear by Friday I hadn't got a place but then at half 8 in the evening Sunday they were like 'oh here's your offer' haha!

I can't do halls because it's split between 9 institutions so I don't base at my supervisors Uni until around Easter.

that is evil....

hmm. tricky to pick where to live then. when i was at UCL the general view was that the transport links were better from north london, but if you end up somewhere else that might not be the case

Yeah I'm most likely to end up at UCL or ZSL but maybe Kings.

My dad said south of the river is cheaper?

I haven't lived in London for years, but that certainly used to be the general view. I used to live Harringay/Wood Green way and that wasn't too bad and on the tube and bus routes. I think all of London is pretty mental for housing costs these days though.

whats peoples perceptions of Dalston? and is it cheap for a MSc student? so my budget is slightly less than a PhD salary!

I have friends who live in Dalston and it's definitely much nicer than it used to be a few years ago. However that means it's an up-and-coming trendy area these days and the prices are rising accordingly. If you shop around on the outskirts you may be able to find a bargain, but you're probably going to find yourself in a neighbouring area if you're looking for something cheap in that direction.

Thanks for your reply! Is it a safe area though? Its one of the areas I'm looking at but due to its location and relative affordability it makes it quite ideal!

I have friends who live in Dalston and it's definitely much nicer than it used to be a few years ago. However that means it's an up-and-coming trendy area these days and the prices are rising accordingly. If you shop around on the outskirts you may be able to find a bargain, but you're probably going to find yourself in a neighbouring area if you're looking for something cheap in that direction.

whats peoples perceptions of Dalston? and is it cheap for a MSc student? so my budget is slightly less than a PhD salary!

Interesting to know that Dalston is gentrified too. I remember that it used to be arty with immigrants as evidenced by small ethnic shops. So Dalston experiences the same fate as Crouch End. Where do artists live and work in London? It must be tough for them to make a mark and afford rent for housing/work shop.