Best places in London for students
Persona weighting: Affordability (rent) 35%, Connectivity (broadband) 25%, Safety (low crime) 15%, Living cost (council tax) 15%, Schools (Ofsted Good+) 5%, Health (life expectancy) 5%.
Updated quarterly · from the latest government data releases.
What is the best place to live in London for students?
As of 2026-06-19, the best London local authority for students is Hillingdon, scoring 55.9/100 on the Gera Persona Fit index — a persona-weighted composite of rent, crime, Ofsted schools, broadband, life expectancy and council tax across 32 London local authorities. GeraRent recomputes it quarterly.
| # | Area | Persona Fit | GLS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hillingdon | 55.9 | 53.9 |
| 2 | Barking and Dagenham | 55.3 | 51.4 |
| 3 | Sutton | 54.1 | 53.6 |
| 4 | Redbridge | 53.8 | 54.4 |
| 5 | Bexley | 53.5 | 48.2 |
| 6 | Newham | 53.3 | 55.6 |
| 7 | Havering | 52.7 | 51.8 |
| 8 | Waltham Forest | 52.6 | 51.9 |
| 9 | Wandsworth | 52.2 | 59.0 |
| 10 | Bromley | 51.5 | 54.4 |
| 11 | Merton | 50.5 | 54.7 |
| 12 | Greenwich | 49.6 | 49.6 |
| 13 | Lewisham | 49.4 | 50.1 |
| 14 | Harrow | 49.3 | 53.4 |
| 15 | Westminster | 48.1 | 64.4 |
| 16 | Ealing | 48.0 | 50.7 |
| 17 | Hammersmith and Fulham | 47.7 | 55.9 |
| 18 | Brent | 47.5 | 50.7 |
| 19 | Southwark | 47.4 | 52.4 |
| 20 | Kingston upon Thames | 47.2 | 51.0 |
| 21 | Tower Hamlets | 47.1 | 51.4 |
| 22 | Hounslow | 47.0 | 50.7 |
| 23 | Enfield | 46.0 | 50.5 |
| 24 | Croydon | 45.4 | 42.3 |
| 25 | Camden | 45.2 | 55.9 |
| 26 | Hackney | 44.4 | 50.9 |
| 27 | Lambeth | 43.7 | 45.3 |
| 28 | Barnet | 43.3 | 50.8 |
| 29 | Haringey | 42.6 | 48.0 |
| 30 | Richmond upon Thames | 42.1 | 50.6 |
| 31 | Islington | 41.0 | 46.9 |
| 32 | Kensington and Chelsea | 36.6 | 51.5 |
Students in other regions
Found your area? Find a home there.
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Search rentals on GeraRentSources (all Open Government Licence v3.0):
- ONS — Price Index of Private Rents — as of May 2026.
- HM Land Registry — UK House Price Index — as of April 2026.
- MHCLG — Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England — as of 2026-27.
- Ofcom — Connected Nations (Gera Broadband Index) — as of July 2024.
- ONS — Life expectancy by local authority — as of 2017-19.
- Ofsted — State-funded school inspection outcomes — as of 31 May 2026.
- Home Office — Police recorded crime (PFA) + ONS population — as of Year ending December 2025.
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 © Crown copyright. Recorded-crime figures are neutral official statistics shown as context only and must not be used to characterise an area or its residents.