Boroughly · Universities · University of the Arts London

London · Central Saint Martins, King's Cross

Best areas to live for University of the Arts London students

In short: UAL is six colleges spread right across London, from Central Saint Martins at King's Cross to Camberwell, Chelsea, LCC at Elephant & Castle, LCF in Stratford and Wimbledon. Your college, not UAL as a whole, should decide where you live. Across the 12 areas below, an estimated room runs from about £1,025 a month in Clapton to £1,600 in Marylebone.

Campus
Central Saint Martins, King's Cross
Postcode
N1C 4AA
Areas ranked
12
Cheapest room
Clapton · £1,025

Where the campus actually is

Central Saint Martins, King's Cross · Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, London N1C 4AA

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · open larger map

Check your site before you sign. UAL also teaches from London College of Communication (SE1 6SB), London College of Fashion, East Bank (E20 2AR), Chelsea College of Arts (SW1P 4JU), Camberwell College of Arts (SE5 8UF), Wimbledon College of Arts (SW19 3QA). This page ranks areas around Central Saint Martins, King's Cross. 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 Central Saint Martins, King's Cross, 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 ClaptonHackney · 5.5 km from campus £1,025 £1,475 49 minbus 253 → Mildmay → bus 259 Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
2 Golders GreenBarnet · 6.2 km from campus £1,025 £1,475 32 minNorthern line → 14 min walk Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
3 Finsbury ParkIslington/Haringey · 3.4 km from campus £1,050 £1,525 24 minVictoria line → 14 min walk Victoria and Piccadilly line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
4 Crouch EndHaringey · 4.8 km from campus £1,050 £1,525 42 minbus 41 → bus 390 Night buses only - the nearest Night Tube or night Overground station is a bus or taxi ride away.
5 KilburnBrent/Camden · 4.9 km from campus £1,050 £1,525 38 min11 min walk → Thameslink → 17 min walk Jubilee line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
6 DalstonHackney · 3.6 km from campus £1,125 £1,625 33 minMildmay → bus 259 → 10 min walk Windrush line Overground night service (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
7 Kentish TownCamden · 1.9 km from campus £1,200 £1,750 27 min17 min walk → bus 390 Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
8 HighburyIslington · 2.6 km from campus £1,200 £1,750 34 min12 min walk → Great Northern → Victoria line Victoria line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); Windrush line Overground night service (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
9 IslingtonIslington · 1.5 km from campus £1,250 £1,825 25 minbus 19 → Northern line → 14 min walk Victoria and Piccadilly line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
10 CamdenCamden · 1.3 km from campus £1,275 £1,850 20 minbus 1 → 11 min walk Northern line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
11 St John's WoodWestminster · 3.4 km from campus £1,450 £2,125 34 minJubilee line → Metropolitan line → 14 min walk Jubilee line Night Tube (Fri/Sat); night buses every night
12 MaryleboneWestminster · 2.6 km from campus £1,600 £2,350 32 min8 min walk → bus 205 → 12 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 Central Saint Martins, King's Cross. That does not make them bad places to live — it means the headline rent is not the number to compare.

  1. ClaptonA room is about £1,025 a month, which puts it among the cheaper options here. The journey is 49 minutes each way, against 20 minutes from Camden. Over a teaching year that difference is roughly 145 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.

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 UAL's own campus and accommodation information · Arts SU usually runs a housing advice service too.