This Is Officially The Best Place To Live In London

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2019

Yes, 2018’s London hotspot – home to the Fashion and Textile Museum, the Bermondsey ‘beer mile’ and Maltby Street food market – has been pipped to the post by Isle of Dogs. The Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide 2019 takes into consideration a large number of factors including jobs, crime rates, house prices and schools, and this year the Docklands district came out on top.

The guide described the destination as “a hidden, tranquil riverside retreat that feels worlds apart from the capital – particularly along the Thames Path, which is lined with converted wharf buildings, parks and majestic views back to the City and of Greenwich at the southern tip. On a sunny day, the promenade feels like the Thames Riviera, as walkers and joggers head past smart low-rise flats.”

It’s not hard to see why Isle of Dogs took the crown this year. Less than 15 minutes by DLR from the City and well connected to Greenwich and Stratford, the area is home to the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre, Mudchute Park & Farm and the Forge, a series of artist studios and exhibition spaces housed in a Victorian ironworks. There’s also a great selection of restaurants –not least The Gun on the riverside – an Everyman cinema, independent theatre The Space and, in neighbouring Stratford, upcoming outposts of the V&A and Sadler’s Wells.

Unfortunately, this prestigious accolade comes with a rather hefty price tag. The average starter home will set you back around £526,160 – not great news for the typical millennial hoping to buy their first place.

Further down the list, Crystal Palace was praised for having “the whole package: the park, the café society, the sports facilities, the antique furniture shops, the period houses, the panoramic views of the London skyline and an Overground station”. Blackheath also made the cut, for its “cosy village vibe in southeast London, with 211 acres of windswept common for ruddy-cheeked jogging and dog-walking”.

Want to start planning which part of London to relocate to? Here’s the top ten in full:

1. ISLE OF DOGS, EAST LONDON

Average starter home price: £526,160 

2. BATTERSEA, SOUTH-WEST LONDON

Average starter home price: £626,953

3. BELGRAVIA, CENTRAL LONDON

Average starter home price: £2,138,108

4. BERMONDSEY, SOUTH-EAST LONDON

Average starter home price: £638,530

5. BLACKHEATH, SOUTH-EAST LONDON

Average starter home price: £544,510

6. CRYSTAL PALACE, SOUTH-EAST LONDON

Average starter home price: £359,524

7. EAST FINCHLEY, NORTH LONDON

Average starter home price: £434,570

8. HIGHBURY, NORTH LONDON

Average starter home price: £569,112

9. LEYTON, EAST LONDON

Average starter home price: £353,089

10. TEDDINGTON, SOUTH-WEST LONDON

Average starter home price: £433,305