Town

Living in Cowdenbeath: Liveability Score 55/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Cowdenbeath is 55/100, built from 7 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is transport: 57/100 against a national town median of 21/100. Economic health falls furthest short: 31/100 where the typical UK town reaches 67/100.

That makes it the 2nd highest-scoring of the 4 places in the KY4 postcode district. That puts Cowdenbeath in the top quarter of the UK towns and villages we score. Wider context for the surrounding area: KY4 postcode district.

55
OUT OF 100
Average
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Cowdenbeath scores 55 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Cowdenbeath.
Or compare:
KY4 0AA KY4 4AD KY4 8AA KY4 9AA KY4

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
—

Crime is scored from the last 12 months of police street-level data. Police Scotland does not publish this, and there is no Scottish equivalent of the Police UK open data service, so crime has been left out of the score for this area. This is a gap in published data, not a sign of low crime.

Environment
78
Air Quality NO₂ 7 · PM2.5 4.6 · PM10 8.2 µg/m³
79
Green Space 73
Parks Ample 12
Sports Pitches Ample 12
Allotments None
Golf Courses Adequate 2
Tennis Courts Some 1
Bowling Greens Adequate 2
Playgrounds Ample 17

Services

Schools
49
7 schools in area · 11 within 4km
1Outstanding6Good
  • Crossgates Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Outstanding
  • Beath High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • Cowdenbeath Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2015
    Good
  • Foulford Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • Hill of Beath Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
    Good
  • Lumphinnans Primary & Community SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Good
  • St Bride's R C Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Good

Score reflects proximity-weighted access to rated schools within 4km: areas with more nearby schools score higher regardless of settlement boundary.

Healthcare
48
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service76.7 mi
Cumberland Infirmary83.8 mi
Hexham General Hospital91 mi
Hospital waitsThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust56.5 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks72.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs78.5%
1 GP surgery in area 5 within 4km
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

A&E, dentist and pharmacy data, and CQC ratings, are currently available for England only, not Scotland.

Broadband
74
Full fibre (FTTP)69.2%
available across Fife
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
86.8%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
86.8%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.9%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 262 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
31
Employment rate58.2%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed58.2%Unemployed2.4%Retired22.5%Student3.1%Other inactive13.8%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial27.4%Skilled & technical32.1%Routine & elementary40.4%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications17.6%
Home ownership59.5%
Among the most-deprived 30% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
62
Council tax

Council tax data not yet available for this area.

Energy South Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band C
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
57
Cowdenbeath 0.4 mi
Lochgelly 2.2 mi
Dunfermline Queen Margaret 3.7 mi
J4 M90 2.4 mi
J3 M90 2.9 mi
J4 M90 2.9 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
50
Pubs & Bars Adequate 8
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 7
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 22
Retail Shopping Ample 79
Takeaways Ample 17
Fitness Adequate 3

Places like Cowdenbeath Pro

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Cowdenbeath. HM Land Registry's Price Paid dataset covers England and Wales only. Scottish sales are recorded separately by Registers of Scotland, which we don't yet include. This is a gap in the data we hold, not a sign of an inactive market.

Nearby places

Lochgelly 60 1.9 mi away ⇄
Crossgates (Fife) 47 2.0 mi away ⇄
Kelty 49 2.7 mi away ⇄
Kingseat (Fife) 58 2.7 mi away ⇄
Ballingry and Lochore 49 3.7 mi away ⇄
Aberdour 40 3.9 mi away ⇄
Cardenden 47 4.0 mi away ⇄
Bowhill 48 4.0 mi away ⇄
Dunfermline 67 4.5 mi away ⇄
Bowershall 0 4.6 mi away ⇄
Dalgety Bay 50 4.9 mi away ⇄
Burntisland 56 5.1 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Cowdenbeath a nice place to live?

Cowdenbeath is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Cowdenbeath is 55/100, placing it among an average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Cowdenbeath?

Among the top-rated schools in Cowdenbeath are Crossgates Primary School, Beath High School and Cowdenbeath Primary School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 7 rated schools in Cowdenbeath in total.

Postcode districts in Cowdenbeath

KY4 51 ⇄

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