Boroughly · Universities · King's College London

London · Strand Campus

Best areas to live for King's College London students

In short: King's Strand Campus is right in central London, beside Somerset House and within walking distance of Covent Garden, Waterloo and the City. Across the 12 areas below, an estimated room runs from about £1,000 a month in Peckham to £1,600 in Marylebone.

Campus
Strand Campus
Postcode
WC2R 2LS
Areas ranked
12
Cheapest room
Peckham · £1,000

Where the campus actually is

Strand Campus · Strand, London WC2R 2LS

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · open larger map

Check your site before you sign. King's also teaches from Guy's Campus (SE1 9RT), Denmark Hill (SE5 9RS). This page ranks areas around Strand Campus. If your department is elsewhere, the answer changes.

12 areas ranked by what a room costs

Cheapest first. These are the Boroughly areas within reach of Strand Campus, with a per-room rate for a shared house and a self-contained studio rate for each.

Areas near campus ranked by monthly room rent, cheapest first
#AreaRoomper monthStudioper monthTo campusdoor to doorRouteLate nights
1 PeckhamSouthwark · 5.3 km from campus £1,000 £1,450 42 minbus 63 → bus 1 Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
2 CamberwellSouthwark · 4.5 km from campus £1,025 £1,475 38 minbus 68 Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
3 East DulwichSouthwark · 6.1 km from campus £1,025 £1,475 47 minSouthern → Jubilee line → bus 176 Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
4 BrixtonLambeth · 5.5 km from campus £1,050 £1,525 36 minVictoria line → Circle line → 11 min walk Victoria line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
5 WhitechapelTower Hamlets · 3.9 km from campus £1,075 £1,550 28 minDistrict line → 11 min walk Windrush line Overground night service (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
6 Elephant & CastleSouthwark · 2.3 km from campus £1,125 £1,625 23 minbus 1 Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
7 KenningtonLambeth · 2.7 km from campus £1,125 £1,625 26 minNorthern line → bus 139 Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
8 VauxhallLambeth · 2.9 km from campus £1,150 £1,675 25 minSouth Western Railway → bus 243 Victoria line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
9 IslingtonIslington · 2.9 km from campus £1,250 £1,825 35 minbus 341 Victoria and Piccadilly line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
10 CamdenCamden · 3.6 km from campus £1,275 £1,850 35 min12 min walk → Northern line → 8 min walk Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
11 PimlicoWestminster · 2.8 km from campus £1,350 £1,975 29 minVictoria line → Circle line → 11 min walk Victoria line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
12 MaryleboneWestminster · 2.6 km from campus £1,600 £2,350 30 minbus 139 Jubilee and Central line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night

Three areas that look cheap and usually aren't

These areas advertise some of the lowest rents on the list. Once the journey is counted, they stop being the cheap option for someone at Strand Campus. That does not make them bad places to live — it means the headline rent is not the number to compare.

  1. East DulwichA room is about £1,025 a month, which puts it among the cheaper options here. The journey is 47 minutes each way, against 23 minutes from Elephant & Castle. Over a teaching year that difference is roughly 120 hours, before you add the fare for the extra distance.

Compare these areas side by side

The table above ranks on rent alone. Every area links to a full Boroughly guide with all seven life scores — safety, schools, green space, transport, diversity, LGBTQ+ friendliness and buzz — so you can see what the cheaper rent is costing you.

Head-to-head comparisons covering areas on this list:

Open the map and build your own shortlist

What to weigh up before you commit

The cheapest postcode is rarely the cheapest option overall. Add the travel cost to the rent before comparing anything, then add the time: an extra 20 minutes each way is roughly 130 hours over a teaching year. A more expensive room that removes that journey can be the better deal even in cash terms.

Check the route at the hour you will actually travel. Something that takes 25 minutes at midday can take 40 in the morning peak, and an evening lab or a late rehearsal puts you on a very different network. If you will be coming home after midnight, read the late-night column before the rent column.

Then look at what a viewing will not tell you. Boroughly's area guides score every one of these neighbourhoods on safety, green space, amenities and transport, using the same method as the rest of the site.

How these numbers were worked out

Browse more student locations

See all university guides or open the Boroughly map and build your own shortlist.

Check King's's own campus and accommodation information · KCLSU usually runs a housing advice service too.