I recently accepted an offer in London, and am actively seeking advice on where to live. I will be on £32k (my biggest constraint!) and working in the city (Blackfriar's/St. Paul's). I would like to be relatively nearby, but also want a self-contained neighborhood with plenty of cool bars, restaurants, etc. Any ideas?

Well it rather depends on your personal circs doesn't it ? Are you married/ living with someone ? Do you have children ? How much space do you need etc etc

Definitely. I am single, unmarried, and 24. I won't require much space - a studio or small one-bedroom should be sufficient.

For your budget I would say some options are a flatshare of some sort in suburbs/docklands or a self contained studio is one of the slightly iffy ( but probably acceptable) areas like Lewisham which would be an easy commute in to work.Go out further and the transport vs accomodation cost tradeoff can be a problem and you may find yourself worse off even if you live in a more affordable flat.My suggestion - do a budget, figure out how much you're willing to spend and then spend an hour or so surfing this site :http://www.loot.com/propertyGood luck.

Why live on your own? If you can find someone to share with, or even better two friends, then something nice around Clapham could easily be in reach - no more than 30 minutes door to door for around £125 a week per person.Living on your own makes things much more expensive and is unnecessary for most people starting out

don't take the job, you will be completely skint...

>> don't take the job, you will be completely skint...Don't be ridiculous, you can easily survive on £32K in London.Your budget will probably limit you to South of the river, but this is no bad thing. Look for somewhere with access to Blackfriars overland, such as Denmark Hill or (I think) Clapham high street area.Agree with other posters, that a flat-share is the way to go.Good luck! Come with a positive attitude and you will have a great time in London!

You definitely need to look at your finances and set (and stick to) a budget. Having said that, it's something you should prioritise as after a long, long, long day at the office you need to go home to somewhere you feel happy and comfortable. I lived in Crouch End and thought it was a great place to live. You could probably afford somewhere on your own in Finsbury Park.

Baker St, Marlyeborne, Notting Hill,South ken are all nice areas to stay. No point going home to a depressing neighborhood like the ones mentioned above. First priority should be accomodation, your home and then save on other luxuries save as cable and going out.

No point loving somewhere "nice" if you have no money to actually DO anything afterwards, though - and if you were really living it up it wouldn't even matter where you were sleeping. The areas ACN mentions are all pretty expensive, and he/she displays his/her ignorance in claiming that Clapham, Denmark Hill and Crouch End are depressing (although they may have a point with parts of Lewisham and Finsbury Park).Strategist, your salary works out at about £1900 a month net, though, so you should be alright. You can quite afford to spend £600 a month on rent so could if you wish live in a houseshare pretty much where you want - or your own flat somewhere less fashionable - or somewhere in between, a houseshare somewhere decent but with a bit more disposable income. Up to you to decide on your balance of priorities. Personally I would get more pleasure out of a £100 night out than a slightly better postcode.

Note that the "better" neighbourhoods can sometimes be a bit staid and dull, and lack cool bars and restaurants.