Would you pay £3,744 a year for 10 extra minutes in bed? The effect of Tube journey times on London weekly rents We’d all like to live a bit closer to work, but how much are you willing to pay for the privilege? Is the extra time in bed worth the extra cost? We’ve redrawn the London Tube map to show how much weekly rents change as you move closer to more central locations. For each line, we took the station with the most expensive average weekly rent as a starting point. The map shows journey times from there to other stations, along with the average rents of one-bedroom properties nearby. It’s a well-worn cliché, but the map really shines a spotlight on the importance of location. Whether it’s closeness to work, affordability, or a mixture of the two you’re looking for, we’ve made it easier for you to find the next place you might call home. Use the map to see how much a few extra minutes in bed could cost you, or how much you could save by getting up a few minutes earlier.

On average, Londoners pay £7.20 for each minute shaved off their journey time. To put this into perspective, a paltry 10 extra minutes in bed can set you back £72 per week on average. That’s £3,744 each year, the equivalent of over 10% of the average London salary. However, pick your location carefully, and you don’t necessarily have to be a high earner to take advantage of shorter journey times.

You won’t be in the red if you’re living on it Taking into account journey time and average weekly rent, here are the top 10 locations that offer the best value in terms of both time and money.

Station Minutes From Line's

Most Expensive Station Average Weekly Rent (£) Underground Line Seven Sisters 15 209 Victoria Greenford 26 146 Central North Acton 19 214 Central Kingsbury 31 155 Jubilee Marylebone 5 342 Bakerloo Edgware Road 6 337 Hammersmith & City Edgware Road 7 337 Bakerloo East Acton 17 266 Central Redbridge 29 182 Central Hatton Cross 38 121 Piccadilly

The Central line surfaces as a clear winner, as Greenford, North Acton, East Acton, and Redbridge all feature in the top 10, with journey times to Oxford Circus of less than 30 minutes. So, if you want the time in bed, you should stick with red. Just stay clear of Loughton. That’s the wrong side of the red. Seven Sisters on the Victoria line takes the top spot, with a journey time to Green Park of only 15 minutes, and an average weekly rent of £209. While the rent may seem quite high, it’s still far below the average rent across the whole of London.¹

Life on a Northern line… Using the same methodology as above, here are the 10 worst performing locations for both time and money.

Station Average Weekly Rent (£) Minutes from Line's

Most Expensive Station Underground Line Hammersmith 484 25 Hammersmith & City Turnham Green 516 15 Piccadilly Old Street 496 16 Northern Moorgate 479 17 Northern Loughton 335 37 Central Leicester Square 562 5 Piccadilly Aldgate East 428 22 Hammersmith & City Covent Garden 541 6 Piccadilly Bank 497 12 Northern Hammersmith 484 13 Piccadilly

Two lines perform most poorly: Northern and Piccadilly. Piccadilly line stations Turnham Green, Leicester Square, Convent Garden, and Hammersmith all feature in the bottom 10, as do Northern line stations Old Street, Moorgate, and Bank. In the spirit of fairness, though, only Hammersmith and Turnham Green sit outside Zone 1, which might be why the others fare so badly for price. Hammersmith takes last place overall, with an average weekly rent of £484 — far above London’s average rent, and far more than it would have been during the days of Richie and Eddie. Hammersmith also has a comparatively long journey time to Great Portland Street (the most expensive area on the Hammersmith & City line), considering how much you have to pay. Unlike toothbrushes, pink and blue don’t mix well — not when it comes to the London Underground, at least.

The cheapest places… If affordability is a priority for you — and you don’t mind longer journey times — you’re in luck. Here are the places that offer more bang for your buck (you can sleep on the Tube, after all).

Station Underground Line Weekly Rent (£) Minutes From Line's Most Expensive Station Kenton Bakerloo 188 36 Greenford Central 146 26 Shepherd's Bush Market Circle 326 22 Elm Park District 134 85 Plaistow Hammersmith & City 234 35 Kingsbury Jubilee 155 31 Moor Park Metropolitan 173 41 Morden Northern 210 31 Hatton Cross Picadilly 121 38 Seven Sisters Victoria 209 15

The most expensive places… Here are the places that could see you paying through the nose. But, if you can’t put a price on as much sleep as possible, you might think they’re a steal.

Station Underground Line Weekly Rent (£) Oxford Circus Bakerloo 636 Oxford Circus Central 636 Great Portland Street Circle 542 Stamford Brook District 582 Great Portland Street Hammersmith & City 542 Green Park Jubilee 626 Great Portland Street Metropolitan 542 Leicester Square Northern 562 Hyde Park Corner Picadilly 679 Oxford Circus Victoria 636