Think a big part of it is whether you are from London origionally, and whether you have extended family here. Both my wife and I were born and brought up in ED / Forest Hill, and as such, I feel a sense of roots in the area (we live in Sydenham which I love, but we rent). Next year we are hoping to get a finger nail grip on the bottom rung of the property ladder, and common sense is telling us to move away and get something decent for our limited budget. I can handle leaving, I've left before. BUT, my parents (ED) and my wife's dad (Sydenham) are close by and see a lot of our daughters. I love that they have this relationship (having only ever known one of my grandparents, who lived in Devon so I saw her once a year), not to mention the free childcare two days a week! I also get free transport in London because I've got crap eyes, and that would make a huge difference if I moved outside of zone 6 and lost that. I just wish I'd been sensible as a younger guy, but I basically pissed all my wages up the wall throughout my twenties. House prices in London are nothing short of crazy.