Town

Living in Edinburgh: Liveability Score 76/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Edinburgh comes out at 76/100 on the 8 categories we can score here. Lifestyle is where Edinburgh most outperforms the national norm: 97/100 against a median of 21/100 across UK towns. Notably, nothing falls below 64/100. Most UK towns have at least one category in the 30s or worse.

That sits 26 points above the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the top 5% of the towns and villages we score. Healthcare (91), transport (85), environment (83) and broadband (83) also clear 80/100. For the surrounding area, see EH1 postcode district.

76
OUT OF 100
Good
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.

Edinburgh scores 76 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Edinburgh.
Or compare:
EH1 1AD EH1 2AA EH1 3AA EH1 9AG EH1 EH10 EH11 EH12

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
83
Air Quality NO₂ 9.1 · PM2.5 4.9 · PM10 8.3 µg/m³
77
Green Space 99
Parks Ample 252
Sports Pitches Ample 418
Allotments Ample 60
Golf Courses Ample 22
Tennis Courts Ample 186
Bowling Greens Ample 66
Playgrounds Ample 282

Services

Schools
66
Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 102 in area
7Outstanding92Good3Requires Improvement
  • Castleview Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2013
    Outstanding
  • Cramond Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Royal Blind SchoolOther · inspected 2018
    Outstanding
  • Stenhouse Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Outstanding
  • Stoneyhill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2013
    Outstanding
  • The Royal High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2022
    Outstanding
  • Trinity Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Outstanding
  • Abbeyhill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2013
    Good
  • Balerno Community High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2011
    Good
  • Balgreen Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
Healthcare
91
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service62.7 mi
Cumberland Infirmary69.3 mi
Hexham General Hospital76 mi
Hospital waitsThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust48.9 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks72.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs78.5%
21 GP surgeries in area
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

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

Broadband
83
Full fibre (FTTP)83%
available across City of Edinburgh
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
94%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
94.5%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.6%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 11,677 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
64
Employment rate61.1%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed61.1%Unemployed2.7%Retired18.3%Student9.4%Other inactive8.4%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial51.8%Skilled & technical27.5%Routine & elementary20.7%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications50.2%
Home ownership58.4%
Among the least-deprived 35% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
77
Council tax City of Edinburgh · 2025-26
A £1,043
B £1,216
C £1,390
D £1,564
E £2,055
F £2,542
G £3,063
H £3,832
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
85
Haymarket 0.4 mi
Edinburgh Waverley 1.3 mi
Slateford 1.4 mi
J1 M8 4.3 mi
J2 M8 6.7 mi
J1 M90 7.2 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
97
Pubs & Bars Ample 478
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 1353
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 451
Retail Shopping Ample 3309
Takeaways Ample 552
Fitness Ample 172

Places like Edinburgh Pro

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Edinburgh. 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

Riccarton 58 4.6 mi away ⇄
Danderhall 62 4.6 mi away ⇄
Loanhead 55 4.7 mi away ⇄
Bilston (Midlothian) 54 4.9 mi away ⇄
Bush 54 5.4 mi away ⇄
Ingliston 49 5.7 mi away ⇄
Roslin 52 5.8 mi away ⇄
Bonnyrigg 63 6.2 mi away ⇄
Musselburgh 63 6.3 mi away ⇄
Ratho 47 6.6 mi away ⇄
Dalkeith 58 6.7 mi away ⇄
Rosewell 48 6.8 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Edinburgh a nice place to live?

Yes, Edinburgh is a nice place to live. Our liveability score for Edinburgh is 76/100, placing it among one of the better-scoring areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Edinburgh?

Among the top-rated schools in Edinburgh are Castleview Primary School, Cramond Primary School and Royal Blind School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 102 rated schools in Edinburgh in total.

Postcode districts in Edinburgh

EH1 75 ⇄
EH10 78 ⇄
EH11 79 ⇄
EH12 75 ⇄
EH13 71 ⇄
EH14 72 ⇄
EH15 72 ⇄
EH16 73 ⇄
EH17 70 ⇄
EH2 76 ⇄
EH21 62 ⇄
EH22 58 ⇄
EH3 78 ⇄
EH4 75 ⇄
EH5 75 ⇄
EH6 76 ⇄
EH7 77 ⇄
EH8 75 ⇄
EH9 78 ⇄
EH91 74 ⇄
EH99 75 ⇄

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