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East London has a vibrant, creative feel and a reputation for being one of the trendiest areas in London for young people. If you’re looking for a place to live that will give you a packed social calendar and plenty of quirky locations to browse, then the east is definitely for you.
You won’t have to wander far to find cool places to hang out. There are bustling food markets, dozens of boutique shops, and a tonne of street art.
And in many places, the commute into Central London is just a few minutes.
So we’ve scoured the whole area to present you with a list of the best places to live in East London. Check it out below.
Shoreditch has a long and well-established reputation as one of the coolest places in East London. Or the whole of London for that matter.
Wander down almost any street and there’s always some street art to look at. And not just mindless daubings; top quality large format artwork from some the best artists in the game.
There’s always something to do in Shoreditch too. There are dozens of independent boutiques selling hand-crafted unique wares. There are many cafés, bars and restaurants for food and drink. And there’s always a pop-up street food market somewhere in Shoreditch. There’s the famous Brick Lane Market and the original BOXPARK.
Tube connections are great and include these lines:
These are accessed via nearby Shoreditch High Street, Liverpool Street and Old Street stations. And all are in Zone 1.
Shoreditch has to be one of the best places to live in East London. And there’s plenty of choice for renters too.
Large warehouses converted into luxury apartments are common in Shoreditch. And more recently so are new build apartment blocks.
The quality of these homes is very good – you’re likely to find a beautiful home if you’re looking in Shoreditch.
Naturally, there’s a price tag to go with that. And Shoreditch is one of the pricier areas to rent in East London.
Monthly rentals look something like this:
Canary Wharf is the high-rise bustling business district of East London. Its iconic skyscrapers put the neighbourhood on the map and make Canary Wharf one of the best places to live in East London.
If you want proximity to everything in the estate, then living in Canary Wharf will be a great choice. You can walk to work if you’re one of the 120,000 people who work here. And you can enjoy the many shops, restaurants, bars and other amenities in the area.
It’s very well connected too, with its four Zone 2 stations giving you access to the:
Which means you can get to most areas of London in half an hour or less.
There are a few options for renters in Canary Wharf. As you would expect from the skyline, most of these are fancy apartments in high rise buildings.
The quality is exceptional. Expect fully furnished apartments adorned with the best fixtures and fittings. And in many buildings you can expect to enjoy a range of free-to-use amenities, like roof terraces, lounges and even your own gym.
Rent prices are pretty high as you’d expect. Monthly rents are in the region of:
Bethnal Green is Shoreditch’s younger sibling. It’s just down the road from its trendy neighbour, and it’s fast becoming one of the best places to live in East London.
It offers both great daytime and night-time scenes. During the day you can wander its green parks, stop for a coffee at Bethnal Green’s numerous cafés, or check out some of the local street art.
At night choose from a number of trendy restaurants and bars, including half a dozen of the best in Paradise Row, a series of converted railway arches.
Bethnal Green is in Zone 2, so it’s easy to get to other areas of London. There are two Bethnal Green stations and Stepney Green is just a few minutes walk away too. These stations give you access to the:
So Bank is just 2 stops away. Perfect if you’re a City worker.
There’s plenty of choice for renters in Bethnal Green. And despite is close proximity to Central London via the Central Line, it’s pretty reasonably priced!
There are plenty of houses and flats to rent from private landlords. And there are also some new-build apartment blocks from build-to-rent developers.
Monthly rents look like this:
The Isle of Dogs sits right next to Canary Wharf between the big meadre in the River Thames. The area offers a much more relaxed experience than its bustling neighbour. But it’s still close enough that those living on the Isle of Dogs can benefit from it all.
In fact, the Isle of Dogs was voted as one of the best places to live in East London by the Sunday Times in 2019.
The island has a number of cosy cafés, quaint pubs and local restaurants. The Waterman’s Arms is a great pub to visit for a pint. Lotus is a pretty cool Chinese restaurant on a floating barge. And Mudchute farm is a great place to see some animals and pet a goat or two.
Commuting is pretty straightforward from the Isle of Dogs. Either jump on one of the regular buses up to Canary Wharf, or hop on the DLR at one of the four stations on the island. It’s all in Zone 2 as well, so commute times and travels costs will be low.
Renters have plenty of choice. There are some older terraced houses for private rent, or brand new apartment blocks and skyscrapers with homes to rent. And there’s more being built every year!
Monthly rents are very reasonable, especially compared to Canary Wharf next door. Average rents are somewhere in the region of:
Over the last decade or so, Stratford has fast become one of the best places to live in East London.
That’s in part due to amazing shopping, but also its Olympic legacy after hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.
Pick through hundreds of shops across two massive shopping centres. Wander through acres of landscaped parkland in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Or take advantage of the numerous fitness centres that were created for the Olympics in 2012.
In terms of transport, Stratford is on the back edge of Zone 2 and its 4 main stations give you access to the:
So it’s a very well connected place to live!
There were around 3,000 brand new apartments created for the Olmypics in 2012. These all became homes to rent after the athletes had departed. And Stratford’s been adding to that number ever since!
You can find houses to rent in Stratford, but you’re more likely to end up renting a swanky apartment in a high rise tower.
And in many of these you can enjoy some shared amenities. A roof terrace overlooking Stratford and the rest of London sounds pretty good, right?
Rental prices in Stratford are cheaper than you’d expect for such a prime area. But they have grown substantially over the last decade (as you’d expect) and will keep growing. Average rents are:
Hackney is a great choice if you’re looking for a vibrant neighbourhood with tons of cool places to hangout. It’s brimming with creativity and a popular choice with the artistic crowd.
There’s a mixture of hip cafés, pubs, bars and eateries, alongside green parks and waterways. This gives Hackney the best of both worlds – urban excitement and rural relaxation.
If you wanted to head out of Hackney, then there are two Tube stations: Hackney Central and London Fields. Both are in Zone 2 and both are on the Overground, although different lines heading to different destinations.
This means that you can be in Moorgate or Highbury & Islington in just 3 stops, transferring to other lines from there.
There’s always been tons of choice for renters in Hackney. There’s plenty of private rented housing of varying quality. But there are a few new build blocks popping up these days. And this is bound to speed up over the coming years.
Prices are pretty average for this area of Zone 2:
Just north of Stratford you can find Walthamstow. This area of East London is far more residential than other areas. But it’s a good choice if you’re looking for a clear separation between work and home life.
Walthamstow has access to more green spaces that its rivals, as it’s further away from Central London. The Lee Valley Park includes wetlands and reservoirs, and Epping Forest is just a couple of stops away on the Tube.
The area is well connected with 5 local Overground stations. The main one – Walthamstow Central – is also the terminus for the Victoria Line. This means you can get all the way to Oxford Circus in just 18 minutes!
Being a very residential area, there’s a lot of choice for renters in Walthamstow. And as it’s slightly further out (although still Zone 3) the rents are a little bit cheaper. These factors make Walthamstow one of the best places to rent in East London.
In terms of the homes on offer, there’s an abundance of Victorian terrace housing from private landlords. But there’s also some larger apartment blocks popping up in the centre of Walthamstow.
Prices are in the region of:
Believe it or not, Stoke Newington is fast becoming one of the best places to live in East London. Renters are flocking to the area for the marginally cheaper rents and the unique bohemian charm.
It’s a more laid back neighbourhood than nearby Hackney. There are lots of quirky independent shops and funky cafés where you can grab a coffee and a cake.
It also has a nice park – Clissold Park – as well as a pretty striking woodland cemetery, Abney Park, which is worth a walk around.
Stoke Newington is also home to an all-organic market. The only one in London in fact! Check out Stoke Newington farmers’ market to find some amazing produce.
In terms of transport it’s a little more limited than other areas of East London. It has one station – aptly called ‘Stoke Newington’ – which is on the Overground. But it’s still just a 25 minute journey into Bank. So very commutable if you work in the City of London.
Stoke Newington has a smattering of Georgian homes but a lot of grand Victorian terrace houses. A lot of these have been split four ways into apartments now, and many are offered out for rent.
There are also a couple of larger apartment blocks popping up in the neighbourhood but they’re few and far between. So finding a high quality apartment to rent with all the perks of a build-to-rent building might be a tall order.
Prices are pretty reasonable:
East London is the ideal place to live right now. If you’re looking for the perfect mix of a vibrant, creative atmosphere, a great social scene, fast links into Central London, and reasonably priced apartments to rent, then East London is a great fit!
Check out the developments we have across East London below.
And let us know your favourite places in East London – message us via @RightDotRent.
Mark Flint
Mark regularly contributes to the Right Rent blog; sharing all the latest news, crafting informative articles and sourcing the very best rental content for our readers.
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