[theorique]

So for £230 per month in London, you get an unpleasant, unsafe, tiny, and marginal place to live.

Given that it's one of the most expensive cities in the world to live ("typical" 2BR apartments in nice areas are more like £400-600 per WEEK), I can't say I'm surprised.

The ways people are willing to trade off comfort to live in the center of things sometimes surprises me, but not that much.

[barrkel]

You can get a 3-room house with garden and parking for less than £300 per week. I know because that's what I have; 10 minutes by motorbike to Old Street, or 40 minutes by public transport.

The wildcard is your qualification of "nice area". There's a very wide scale, and what would qualify as "nice" somewhere else will be a lot more expensive here. I've never felt physically in danger, though I have had motorcycles stolen.

[theorique]

As an admitted tourist, my most tangible reference point was my friend's place in Marylebone, for which I believe he was paying about £500 pw. It was a 2 BR in a quiet, clean building but not over-the-top luxurious. I suspect the price came from the central location in City of Westminster.

Similar to NYC / SF prices if you do the conversion.

[DanBC]

In theory it also has a lot of regulation and enforcement, so it's a bit surprising that these kinds of slums still exist.

Except it's not that surprising because we see people renting out garden sheds and lock-up garages as housing.