Boroughly · Universities · RADA

London · Malet Street

Best areas to live for RADA students

In short: RADA is based around Malet Street and Chenies Street in Bloomsbury, close to UCL and central London’s theatre and arts districts. Across the 12 areas below, an estimated room runs from about £1,025 a month in Camberwell to £1,600 in Marylebone.

Campus
Malet Street
Postcode
WC1E 7JN
Areas ranked
12
Cheapest room
Camberwell · £1,025

Where the campus actually is

Malet Street · Malet Street, London WC1E 7JN

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · open larger map

12 areas ranked by what a room costs

Cheapest first. These are the Boroughly areas within reach of Malet Street, 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 CamberwellSouthwark · 6.0 km from campus £1,025 £1,475 44 minbus 36 → Northern line → 13 min walk Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
2 Finsbury ParkIslington/Haringey · 5.0 km from campus £1,050 £1,525 29 minVictoria line → 17 min walk Victoria and Piccadilly line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
3 KilburnBrent/Camden · 5.1 km from campus £1,050 £1,525 35 minJubilee line → Metropolitan line → 12 min walk Jubilee line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
4 Crouch EndHaringey · 6.3 km from campus £1,050 £1,525 45 minbus 41 → Northern line → 13 min walk Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
5 Kentish TownCamden · 3.1 km from campus £1,200 £1,750 28 minNorthern line → 13 min walk Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
6 IslingtonIslington · 2.5 km from campus £1,250 £1,825 29 minbus 73 → 8 min walk Victoria and Piccadilly line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
7 Maida ValeWestminster · 3.8 km from campus £1,250 £1,825 39 min11 min walk → Bakerloo line → Metropolitan line Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
8 CamdenCamden · 2.0 km from campus £1,275 £1,850 23 minbus 1 Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
9 PaddingtonWestminster · 3.1 km from campus £1,350 £1,975 30 minDistrict line → Hammersmith & City line → 12 min walk Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
10 PimlicoWestminster · 3.7 km from campus £1,350 £1,975 31 minVictoria line → 17 min walk Victoria line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
11 St John's WoodWestminster · 3.2 km from campus £1,450 £2,125 30 minJubilee line → Metropolitan line → 12 min walk Jubilee line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
12 MaryleboneWestminster · 1.4 km from campus £1,600 £2,350 23 min8 min walk → bus Y18 → 11 min walk 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 Malet Street. That does not make them bad places to live — it means the headline rent is not the number to compare.

  1. Crouch EndA room is about £1,050 a month, which puts it among the cheaper options here. The journey is 45 minutes each way, against 23 minutes from Camden. Over a teaching year that difference is roughly 110 hours, before you add the fare for the extra distance.
  2. CamberwellA room is about £1,025 a month, which puts it among the cheaper options here. The journey is 44 minutes each way, against 23 minutes from Camden. Over a teaching year that difference is roughly 105 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 RADA's own campus and accommodation information.