What it's like to live in Ealing

Ealing's housing is mostly private. Across the borough, 46.2% of homes are owned and 34% are privately rented, which is high. Social renting accounts for 17.5%, split roughly evenly between council homes at 8.5% and housing association homes at 9%, so it is broadly in line with the England average of 17.1%.

The London Borough of Ealing is the largest social landlord with 11,259 homes, followed by Peabody Trust with 4,814, A2Dominion Homes with 2,642, Notting Hill Genesis with 2,130 and London & Quadrant with 1,288. Most tenants here will be with one of those five.

Average weekly social rents in the borough for 2024/25 were £122 for a one bed, £139 for two and £155 for three. Demand is real: 7,813 households were on the council's housing register at the end of March 2025, and a register is not a simple queue.

There is a good cluster of schools close in. Christ the Saviour Church of England Primary School is 0.1 miles away, with Durston House Junior School and Clifton Lodge Preparatory School both around 0.3 miles. For older children, St Benedict's School is 0.5 miles, Ada Lovelace Church of England High School 0.6, and Notting Hill and Ealing High School and The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls both 0.7. Some of these are independent or faith schools, so check admissions rules carefully rather than assuming distance alone decides it.

For the rest of family life, the greens do the heavy lifting. Haven Green, Tortoise Green and Ealing Green are all within a third of a mile, and Walpole Park at 0.4 miles is the biggest nearby.

Around 19.5% of borough residents are under 16, slightly above the England figure, so there are plenty of children about.

Transport is Ealing's strongest card. Ealing Broadway is 0.1 miles from the centre, with Ealing Common and North Ealing both around 0.7 miles, West Ealing at 0.8 and South Ealing at 0.9. Five stations within a mile is rare, even in London, and it means you usually have a choice of route if one line is disrupted.

On foot, the centre is genuinely walkable. Supermarkets, chemists, the library and the shopping centre are all within a few hundred metres of the station, so plenty of households here manage fine without a car.

If you do drive, be realistic. Central Ealing traffic is slow at peak times and parking near the Broadway is competitive and often restricted. Check what parking comes with any home you are considering before you commit, because it varies street by street.

Ealing Picturehouse is 0.2 miles from the centre, with Odeon Luxe Acton a little over a mile away, so cinema trips are easy. Pubs are plentiful: The North Star, Laine Brewing Company, The Shanakee, The Lodge Tavern and Stack are all within a short walk, and The Red Room covers later nights.

For exercise, Nuffield Health, Gymbox, PureGym and Tri Yoga are all clustered around the Broadway, which keeps prices and options competitive.

Shopping is a mix. The Arcadia Shopping Centre is right in the centre and The Oaks is 1.5 miles away, while Morrisons, M&S Food, Tian Tian Market, Planet Organic and a Little Waitrose cover the weekly food shop. Community life runs through places like St Andrew's United Reformed Church Centre, Ealing Village Clubhouse and the Colin Bryant Community Centre.

Ealing's job picture is a London one: most people commute rather than work on their doorstep. The rail links make that practical, and 59.3% of adults in the borough are in work, a touch above the England figure of 57.4%.

The flip side is worth knowing. Unemployment in the borough runs at 5.2% against 3.5% for England, and in August 2026 about 6.4% of working-age residents were claiming unemployment-related benefits, compared with 4% nationally. So while plenty of people are employed, the labour market here is not easy for everyone.

Locally, retail and hospitality around the Broadway and the shopping centres provide jobs, and the hospitals at Cygnet Hospital Ealing and Clayponds Hospital are nearby. If your work is central London or along the rail corridor, this is a sensible base.