The best places to live in London

It’s more gradual regeneration than burst of gentrification in Wood Green. Cheap rents and house prices mean there’s a brilliant mix of generations and cultures rubbing shoulders. They have a lot to enjoy in their downtime – from a craft beer brewery in an industrial yard to a café on a parked-up double-decker bus. Cheap cinema and takeaway options abound, and you’re never too far from a lovely stroll with Ally Pally on the doorstep.

There’s more to N17 than its football team, and it’s well worth considering putting down roots here, whatever your loyalties. Roller Nation (a skating rink with a roll-in diner), top taprooms (Beavertown, Pressure Drop, Brewheadz) and Grow community garden all call the area home, while the nearby fresh-air filled spaces of Tottenham Marshes, River Lea country park and Walthamstow Wetlands give Tottenham it’s green credentials too.

The south London hub has gone through a wave of regeneration over recent years, but that doesn’t mean it’s all soulless chain restaurants and coffee shops. The area’s long-standing Sri Lankan community contributes a vibrant edge, and living in the area means you have both Tooting Market and Broadway Market on the doorstep. 

Whisper it, but Lower Sydenham might just be the next place to blow up a la Hackney Wick. SE26 (yep, postcodes do go up that high) is on a number of creatives' radars thanks to cheap industrial units and a thriving artist community courtesy of Sydenham Arts. Throw in some great pubs and green spaces and the deepest depths of south London certainly start to look very attractive for first-time buyers and beyond.

This south east London spot is on the up. Long known as a nice place you’d pass through, Ladywell Village is becoming a destination in its own right. There’s a swanky cinema on the horizon and in the meantime, there’s plenty to see and do, from enjoying the grassy expanse that is Ladywell Fields to chowing down on expertly scorched sourdough pizzas from Mamma Dough.

Many young families, activists and garden enthusiasts call this east London village home and it's little wonder why. If you're after long warm walks through Wanstead Park's famed bluebell woods or you've found yourself craving an area packed with community spaces, like the Social Knitworks group, this E11 spot might be right up your street.