Side-by-side comparison

NW3 vs NW10

Belsize, Camden compared with Harlesden & Kensal Green, Brent, scored on the things families actually care about.

The short verdict

NW10 (Harlesden & Kensal Green) wins on safety, giving it the higher Family Score. NW3 still has its own appeal; see the breakdown below.

Category by category

Every score is a percentile within our London cohort: higher is better. Trophies mark the area that's clearly ahead (within 3 points we call it a tie).

Safety

Inverted crime rate from data.police.uk, latest available month.

NW3
49
NW10
80
Green space

Access to parks and open space within walking distance.

NW3
100
NW10
100
Family life

GP surgeries, libraries, supermarkets and parks within 1km.

NW3
80
NW10
80
Commute

Fastest door-to-door time to one of six central hubs (Waterloo, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Canary Wharf, Paddington, Victoria), arriving by 08:15. Source: TfL Journey Planner.

NW3
Good · 25–35 min
32 minto Paddington
Faster commute
NW10
Average · 36–45 min
39 minto Paddington
Council Tax (Band D)

Annual bill incl. GLA precept, 2025/26. Where an outcode straddles boroughs, every touching borough is listed.

NW3
Camden£1,963
Barnet£2,157
Lower bill
NW10
Brent£2,232
Family density

% of households with dependent children at the representative LSOA. Source: ONS Census 2021 (TS003). Ranked within the SettleWithUs London cohort.

NW3
High · 28–34%
34.5%of households with kids
NW10
Very high · Over 35%
40.8%of households with kids
More family-dense

What's within walking distance

Raw counts within 1km, useful when the percentile scores look close but the on-the-ground feel isn't.

NW3
Parks
6
GP surgeries
4
Libraries
0
Supermarkets
10
Crimes/mo
0
NW10
Parks
10
GP surgeries
5
Libraries
0
Supermarkets
56
Crimes/mo
0

Generated 12 October 2026.

How we score NW3 and NW10

The short answer to the questions families ask us most when comparing two areas.

How is the overall Family Score for NW3 and NW10 calculated?
The overall Family Score is a weighted blend of four sub-scores: safety, green space, family life (GP surgeries, libraries, supermarkets, parks within 1km) and commute. Safety carries the most weight, because it's what most families ask about first. School catchments are shown separately via School Owl. Each sub-score is a percentile within our London cohort, so a 90 means "top 10% of London postcodes we've scored", not an absolute rating.
What does "better for families" actually mean here?
It means the area scores higher on the blend of factors most families weigh when relocating with children: neighbourhood safety, access to parks and green space, and everyday family infrastructure like GP surgeries and supermarkets within walking distance. It's not a verdict on culture, nightlife, or whether you'll personally feel at home. Those are subjective and we don't pretend to score them.
Where does the data come from?
School catchment guidance is powered by School Owl. Crime is from data.police.uk, latest available month. Parks, GP surgeries, libraries and supermarkets are counted from OpenStreetMap within a 1km radius of the postcode centroid. Commute times come from TfL Journey Planner — door-to-door from the representative postcode to six central hubs, arriving by 08:15 on a weekday.
Why is the difference between NW3 and NW10 sometimes only a few points?
Because they're scored on the same London-wide curve. Two neighbouring postcodes often share the same schools, the same green space, and the same crime patterns, so their scores end up close. We call any gap under 3 points a tie. Within that range, the right pick depends on which trade-off matters more to your family.

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