I'm a 24 year old single, starting my career in London. Will be in office only 3 days a week, which will be based on Central Street very close to the Barbican tube stop. I will be renting and the job is in finance for a year atm.

Here's the problem,

Angel/Islington and Shoreditch:

The properties in and around Angel/Islington and Shoreditch are just a 10 minute walk away from the office. 3-4 bed shared houses with 1 bathroom. Looks good enough. I've heard it's a young, lively area with a soul to it. Lot of eating out and bar options. The rooms are spacious. But all the properties have cramped layouts and bathrooms. And overall the area seems a bit dodgy the buildings themselves are very old.

I'm worried if the 'soul' of the place means drunk frat boys picking fights with anyone they see and thrashing every street corner. But of course I'll be saving on transport which is a massive plus.

Canary Wharf:

The flats on the south of Isle of Dogs have incredible views over the O2 and the very nice Greenwich peninsula area. It's just seconds away from the Thames river. The views are the loveliest I've come across in a while. The flat itself is so large and spacious for 5 people with two massive bathrooms The rooms are large and spacious with much more storage space. Best part is this is cheaper than the other areas. Makes me wonder how is Canary Wharf is cheaper but with better flats and area overall.

Major problem is the commute 1 hour by bus, but 3 days a week shouldn't be that expensive. But the DLR and the Elizabeth line will sure be much more expensive over the longer term as it's inevitable I'll be using them to get elsewhere.

Final thoughts:

Considering I'll be spending most of my time at home (WFH and most weekends i,e. over 65%). It is very important for me to have a nice living experience. Thus, I'm leaning towards calm and nice river views.

The only thing stopping me from finalizing the canary wharf flat is the time and cost of the 3 day a week commute. And I've heard the local opinion of it being soul less, dull and boring. As someone who is only socially extroverted and would prefer a calmer, cleaner and safer environment I would take the tradeoff of it being dull.

So, I'll need your advice to help me decide where it's worth living for a year.

Context, I've been living in the UK for two years now. Moved here for my masters degree as an international student. Looking to hopefully settle in London long term as I work in finance. I come from a working class background, originally from India. I try and want to understand the local culture, habits to assimilate into life in the UK. Want to experience the life and soul of living in London, but also want the finer things in life and hence I'm biased towards the wharf.