Looking at moving to South of England to get work but the rents are so high-For a bedroom! let alone a flat?

If I plan to work in London (seems to be where the jobs are located) what area could I expect to find a 2 bedroom flat (self contained not a houseshare) at a max budget of 550-600 quid within acceptable commuting distance .I am in the catch 22 of failing to get job interviews due to the fact I have not relocated there yet but fearing the high living costs if I don't get a decent job quite quickly. If that fails I will run out of money fast. I reckon the wages need to be high like 30k plus to even get a chance to establish oneself in the housing market if thats still possible in 2011 even with some savings . The average house prices & rents are killing - seems alot of people live in bedrooms sharing houses - what a rubbish way to live but there appears to be little choice unless you earn a fortune or had a foot in the market years ago. I am a UK national be the way but have lived abroad 8yrs .