{"id":24926,"date":"2026-05-05T18:25:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T12:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/?p=24926"},"modified":"2026-05-05T18:38:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T13:08:28","slug":"best-london-zones-to-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/best-london-zones-to-live\/","title":{"rendered":"Best London Zones to Live in as a\u00a0Student"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/best-london-zones-to-live\/#Understanding_London_Zones_for_Students\" >Understanding London Zones for Students&nbsp;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/best-london-zones-to-live\/#Zone_1\" >Zone 1&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/best-london-zones-to-live\/#Zone_2\" >Zone 2\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/best-london-zones-to-live\/#Zone_3\" >Zone 3&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/best-london-zones-to-live\/#Zone_4%E2%80%935\" >Zone 4\u20135&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/best-london-zones-to-live\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>London&nbsp;has an extensive system of public transit, and&nbsp;to&nbsp;make it more convenient, the city&nbsp;is divided into 9 major zones,&nbsp;with<em>&nbsp;<\/em>Zone 1 covering the central core<em>&nbsp;<\/em>and higher numbers extending outward.&nbsp;These zones are spread across an area of&nbsp;roughly&nbsp;600&nbsp;square miles&nbsp;and consist of&nbsp;the&nbsp;<strong>London Underground, Overground, DLR, Buses, and National Rail services<\/strong>!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>London\u00a0is home to more than\u00a0400,000 students\u00a0and over 40 universities!\u00a0Different zones are home to different universities, have different modes of transport, and\u00a0are best suited for different sets of people.\u00a0Therefore, in this blog, we shall try to understand the best\u00a0Zones for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/united-kingdom\/city\/london\">student accommodation\u00a0in London<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Understanding_London_Zones_for_Students\"><\/span>Understanding London Zones for Students&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These 9 zones in London&nbsp;have several different&nbsp;neighbourhoods&nbsp;and&nbsp;cater to the needs of students from all sorts of&nbsp;economic&nbsp;backgrounds!&nbsp;These zones are built in concentric circles, and&nbsp;<strong>Zones 1-5 are the best suited for students<\/strong>,&nbsp;as&nbsp;<strong>Zones&nbsp;6-9 are a bit far off the city<\/strong>, and students would need more than an hour to commute to the city center or their university.&nbsp;These zones have been explained&nbsp;briefly below and&nbsp;extensively&nbsp;in the sections underneath!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>London\u00a0Zone 1: Central, premium, best connectivity\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>London\u00a0Zone 2: Balanced lifestyle + affordability\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>London\u00a0Zone 3\u20135: Budget-friendly with longer commute\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Each zone has a different vibe,\u00a0a different\u00a0atmosphere,\u00a0offering unique\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/best-areas-for-students-in-london\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>student areas in London<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Zone_1\"><\/span>Zone 1&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Zone 1 is the heart of London and consists of some of the most\u00a0prestigious\u00a0neighbourhoods,\u00a0like\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/united-kingdom\/london\/place\/soho\">Soho<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/united-kingdom\/london\/place\/covent-garden\">Covent Garden<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/united-kingdom\/london\/place\/bloomsbury\">Bloomsbury<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>These\u00a0neighbourhoods\u00a0are the most expensive ones but boast convenience like no other area in the city!\u00a0<strong>Zone 1\u00a0is home to\u00a0some of the\u00a0top universities\u00a0<\/strong>in the country,\u00a0including\u00a0the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucl.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">University College London<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">King\u2019s College London<\/a>, and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">London School of Economics<\/a><\/strong>!\u00a0There are a couple of good options for\u00a0<strong>private student\u00a0accommodation\u00a0London Zone 1<\/strong>\u00a0which are absolutely\u00a0loved\u00a0by students!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This&nbsp;<strong>Zone&nbsp;1&nbsp;has direct access to the Central, Northern, and Piccadilly lines<\/strong>&nbsp;of the Tube and is well connected through the iconic bus services of the city!&nbsp;This&nbsp;neighbourhood&nbsp;is home to some of the best&nbsp;tourist spots&nbsp;and clubs&nbsp;in the city!&nbsp;<strong>The Churchill Arms, Ronnie Scott\u2019s Jazz Club, and Cirque Le Soir&nbsp;<\/strong>are the most visited places in Zone 1 and stay packed with tourists and locals alike! The rent for&nbsp;<strong>student accommodation&nbsp;in&nbsp;London&nbsp;Zone 1 ranges between \u00a3350 and \u00a3600+\/wk<\/strong>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Zone_2\"><\/span>Zone 2\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The\u00a0area next\u00a0to\u00a0Central London,\u00a0<strong>Zone 2,\u00a0offers\u00a0students the best balance between convenient student life and good cost-of-living.<\/strong>\u00a0Some of the top\u00a0neighbourhoods\u00a0in this Zone are\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/united-kingdom\/london\/place\/camden-town\">Camden<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/united-kingdom\/london\/place\/shoreditch\">Shoreditch<\/a>, and Stratford<\/strong>, and have several great options for\u00a0<strong>student\u00a0accommodation\u00a0London\u00a0Zone 2.\u00a0<\/strong>The rent for\u00a0<strong>student accommodation\u00a0in\u00a0London\u00a0Zone 2\u00a0range\u00a0between\u00a0\u00a3350 and \u00a3450\/wk<\/strong>.\u00a0<strong>London Zone 2<\/strong>\u00a0is the best suited for the students\u00a0at\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qmul.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Queen Mary University of London<\/a>, City\u00a0University of London, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arts.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">University of the\u00a0Arts\u00a0London<\/a><\/strong>!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<strong>Northern, Central, and Jubilee lines of the Tube<\/strong>&nbsp;provide uninterrupted access to the rest of the city and are also a major&nbsp;hub&nbsp;for London overground&nbsp;services!&nbsp;This zone is famous for the&nbsp;<strong>Camden market<\/strong>, which has over 1000 shops,&nbsp;<strong>including vintage, craft,&nbsp;and vinyl stores, street food stalls<\/strong>, and&nbsp;a&nbsp;microbrewery!&nbsp;Zone 2 also houses some famous pubs in London,&nbsp;including&nbsp;<strong>XOYO&nbsp;and The Book Club Shoreditch<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Zone_3\"><\/span>Zone 3&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the best areas for\u00a0<strong>cheap student\u00a0accommodation\u00a0London Zone\u00a0<\/strong>is Zone 3. The best\u00a0neighbourhoods\u00a0in this area for\u00a0<strong>student accommodation<\/strong>\u00a0are\u00a0<strong>Clapham, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/united-kingdom\/london\/place\/greenwich\">Greenwich<\/a>, and Walthamstow<\/strong>. Students love\u00a0London Zone 3 because of its affordability and value for money, and it is home to the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gre.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">University of Greenwich<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ravensbourne.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Ravensbourne University London<\/a><\/strong>!\u00a0The rent for PBSAs in\u00a0<strong>London\u00a0Zone 3 ranges between\u00a0\u00a3200\u00a0and \u00a3350\/wk<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This zone has some of the best transport connectivity in the city,&nbsp;which consists of the&nbsp;<strong>Victoria and District lines of the tube<\/strong>, regular&nbsp;bus&nbsp;and railway connections,&nbsp;and the special&nbsp;<strong>DLR (Docklands Light Railway),<\/strong>&nbsp;which provides fast and reliable&nbsp;connectivity in the Greenwich area!&nbsp;The&nbsp;<strong>Greenwich market<\/strong>&nbsp;is the most popular go-to spot in this Zone and is&nbsp;<strong>famous for its art, craft, antiques, and eclectic street food<\/strong>! Some of the best&nbsp;<strong>pubs in Zone 3&nbsp;is&nbsp;Northcote&nbsp;Records<\/strong>, which is the best&nbsp;<strong>live music pub&nbsp;<\/strong>in the city, and the Prince of Greenwich!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Zone_4%E2%80%935\"><\/span>Zone 4\u20135&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another one of the best\u00a0<strong>London Zones for student\u00a0accommodation<\/strong>\u00a0are\u00a0Zones\u00a04 and 5. These are\u00a0located\u00a0a\u00a0bit\u00a0far\u00a0away from the city center and require\u00a0roughly\u00a0<strong>30\u00a0minutes of travel time to Central London<\/strong>. Some of the best\u00a0neighbourhoods\u00a0for student properties in this zone are\u00a0<strong>Wembley, Croydon, and Barking<\/strong>,\u00a0and it also houses top\u00a0universities like the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwl.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">University of West London<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lsbu.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">London South Bank University<\/a><\/strong>!\u00a0The rent for\u00a0<strong>student\u00a0accommodation\u00a0in\u00a0London\u00a0Zones 4 and 5 ranges between \u00a3300 and \u00a3400\/wk<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although&nbsp;the Metropolitan and District lines of the London Underground provide great connectivity throughout the city, students&nbsp;generally prefer&nbsp;the National Rail services for faster commuting.&nbsp;Opened in 2018,&nbsp;<strong>The&nbsp;Boxpark&nbsp;Wembley<\/strong>&nbsp;is one of the&nbsp;newest locations for&nbsp;Boxpark&nbsp;in the city&nbsp;and&nbsp;features at least&nbsp;<strong>20 street food traders, 3 bars,<\/strong>&nbsp;and incredible entertainment options.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being an international student stepping\u00a0in\u00a0a city as happening\u00a0as\u00a0London, it is also essential to your research about the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/areas-in-london-for-students\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>safest Vs\u00a0dangerous\u00a0areas in London for students<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u00a0are\u00a0a plethora of options for\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/country\/united-kingdom\">student\u00a0accommodations\u00a0in\u00a0the UK<\/a><\/strong>, and London has the best of those!\u00a0These\u00a0Zones\u00a0in London have everything that a student might need as a student in the city, and Zones 1 to 5 are the best suited for students in the city! Some\u00a0have\u00a0affordable property options, while\u00a0others\u00a0are convenient and\u00a0save commuting time and\u00a0<strong>cost\u00a0of living in London<\/strong>.\u00a0It is important to choose the right zone in the city, and therefore, students must\u00a0make a\u00a0decision wisely based on their budget,\u00a0university,\u00a0and preferences!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-wp-embed is-provider-university-living-blogs-universityliving-com wp-block-embed-university-living-blogs-universityliving-com\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"d4J4w83tG9\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/student-accommodation-near-londons-universities\/\">Best Student Accommodation Near London\u2019s Top Universities<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Best Student Accommodation Near London\u2019s Top Universities&#8221; &#8212; University Living Blogs | Universityliving.com\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/accommodation\/student-accommodation-near-londons-universities\/embed\/#?secret=TXYWktTjsX#?secret=d4J4w83tG9\" data-secret=\"d4J4w83tG9\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>London&nbsp;has an extensive system of public transit, and&nbsp;to&nbsp;make it more convenient, the city&nbsp;is divided into 9 major zones,&nbsp;with&nbsp;Zone 1 covering the central core&nbsp;and higher numbers extending outward.&nbsp;These zones are spread across an area of&nbsp;roughly&nbsp;600&nbsp;square miles&nbsp;and consist of&nbsp;the&nbsp;London Underground, Overground, DLR, Buses, and National Rail services!&nbsp;&nbsp; London\u00a0is home to more than\u00a0400,000 students\u00a0and over 40 universities!\u00a0Different zones [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":24929,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[81,229],"class_list":{"0":"post-24926","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-accommodation","8":"tag-london","9":"tag-united-kingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24926"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24932,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24926\/revisions\/24932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}