LONDON, September 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

It's a question that provokes fierce debate between friends in pubs and parks across the city - where is the best place to live in London? You'll get loyalists from every part of the city carrying the flag for their borough - the East will claim they have the coolest bars in London, the South will point to their parks and neighbourhoods, the North will say it's forever had the balance of quality of life and affordability while the West will say you'll get the best of London with none of the downsides.

But if you're a first time buyer, thinking of upping sticks and moving home from your current borough, the 'facts' you'll hear from friends and acquaintances are not likely to give you a genuine picture of each area. Key criteria such as crime rates and school ratings won't be addressed when your friend is extolling the virtues of the local seafood restaurant that's just opened. To make these key stats easier to find and easier to compare between all the different boroughs, NatWest are introducing their London Borough Comparison Tool.

The tool collates data on house prices (flats, semi-detached & detached), crime rates, school ratings, travel costs, council tax cost and parking permit prices and displays it in an easily digestible and understandable manner. The tool is fully interactive and allows you to quickly click between data types. It makes comparing data between all 32 London Boroughs extremely easy and allows you to delve deeper and compare specific data of up to 3 London Boroughs at a time. Check out the London Borough Comparison Tool to see how your area stacks up against the rest.

So what can we learn about the London boroughs from this data?

Well, it may come as little surprise that Kensington & Chelsea take the crown for 'highest average house prices' with the average price of a detached house coming in at over £4 million. That level of expenditure might seem high but you will be living in area with some of the best schools in London - the borough comes second for school ratings. The best schools award goes to Sutton in the South West, with 75% of students achieving A-C grades at GCSE.

The cheapest borough in London for a house is Newham - and with average travel costs to central London keeping under a fiver it could be a great option for those looking for a bargain. If your main concern is low crime then your best bet is to choose a place out of the centre. Sutton and Bexley can both boast fewer than 5 crimes per thousand people.

Whatever your priorities are, the NatWest London Borough Comparison Tool will give you invaluable insight into each area and allow you to quickly and easily rate your options.

About the RBS Group

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Group is an international banking and financial services company. From its headquarters in Edinburgh, the RBS Group operates in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Asia, serving over 30 million customers worldwide.

The RBS Group provides a wide range of products and services to personal, commercial, large corporate and institutional customers through its two principal subsidiaries, The Royal Bank of Scotland plc and National Westminster Bank Plc, as well as through a number of other well-known brands including Citizens, Charter One, Ulster Bank, Coutts and Direct Line.

SOURCE RBS Group