Where is SOAS University of London?

Russell Square Campus is at 10 Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG.

What is the cheapest area to live near SOAS University of London?

Of the areas Boroughly covers near Russell Square Campus, Camberwell has the lowest estimated monthly room rent at around £1,025. The cheapest rent is not always the cheapest option once travel is included.

Boroughly · Universities · SOAS University of London

London · Russell Square Campus

Best areas to live for SOAS University of London students

In short: SOAS is in Bloomsbury at the north-west corner of Russell Square, within easy reach of Euston, King’s Cross and St Pancras. Across the 12 areas below, an estimated room runs from about £1,025 a month in Camberwell to £1,600 in Marylebone.

Campus

Russell Square Campus

Postcode

WC1H 0XG

Areas ranked

Cheapest room

Camberwell · £1,025

Where the campus actually is

Russell Square Campus · 10 Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG

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 Russell Square 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
#	Area	Roomper month	Studioper month	To campusdoor to door	Route	Late nights
1	CamberwellSouthwark · 6.0 km from campus	£1,025^†	£1,475^†	48 min	bus 436 → Northern line → 16 min walk	Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
2	ClaptonHackney · 6.7 km from campus	£1,025^†	£1,475^†	51 min	Weaver → Metropolitan line → 14 min walk	Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
3	Finsbury ParkIslington/Haringey · 5.0 km from campus	£1,050^†	£1,525^†	30 min	Victoria line → 18 min walk	Victoria and Piccadilly line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
4	KilburnBrent/Camden · 5.3 km from campus	£1,050^†	£1,525^†	37 min	Jubilee line → Metropolitan line → 14 min walk	Jubilee line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
5	Elephant & CastleSouthwark · 3.7 km from campus	£1,125^†	£1,625^†	36 min	bus 68	Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
6	Kentish TownCamden · 3.2 km from campus	£1,200^†	£1,750^†	30 min	Northern line → 18 min walk	Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
7	IslingtonIslington · 2.4 km from campus	£1,250^†	£1,825^†	30 min	bus 73 → 9 min walk	Victoria and Piccadilly line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
8	CamdenCamden · 2.1 km from campus	£1,275^†	£1,850^†	23 min	bus 1 → 10 min walk	Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
9	PaddingtonWestminster · 3.3 km from campus	£1,350^†	£1,975^†	32 min	District line → Hammersmith & City line → 14 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^†	33 min	Victoria line → 18 min walk	Victoria line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
11	St John's WoodWestminster · 3.4 km from campus	£1,450^†	£2,125^†	32 min	Jubilee line → Metropolitan line → 14 min walk	Jubilee line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
12	MaryleboneWestminster · 1.6 km from campus	£1,600^†	£2,350^†	25 min	8 min walk → bus 205 → 13 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 Russell Square Campus. That does not make them bad places to live — it means the headline rent is not the number to compare.

ClaptonA room is about £1,025 a month, which puts it among the cheaper options here. The journey is 51 minutes each way, against 23 minutes from Camden. Over a teaching year that difference is roughly 140 hours, before you add the fare for the extra distance.
CamberwellA room is about £1,025 a month, which puts it among the cheaper options here. The journey is 48 minutes each way, against 23 minutes from Camden. Over a teaching year that difference is roughly 125 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:

Kentish Town vs Camden

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

Areas are the Boroughly areas nearest the campus postcode, then filtered to those with rent data and ranked cheapest first.
Rent marked † figures are modelled from Boroughly's two-bedroom estimate for the same area, not observed listings. Use them to compare areas against each other, not as a quote. Two-bed figures come from the same dataset as the rest of the site.
Commute is a door-to-door public transport journey from the centre of each area to the campus postcode, requested from Transport for London's journey planner for a weekday arrival at 09:00. Your own door will differ by a few minutes.
Late nights: Night Tube and night Overground run Friday and Saturday only. Night buses run every night across London. Check TfL before relying on any of it.
All of this is a comparison aid. Before signing anything, use your university's accommodation service — most run free contract checks and approved-landlord lists.

Browse more student locations

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

Check SOAS's own campus and accommodation information · SOAS Students' Union usually runs a housing advice service too.