Town

Living in Galashiels: Liveability Score 61/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Galashiels comes out at 61/100 on the 8 categories we can score here. Healthcare is where Galashiels most outperforms the national norm: 75/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. Economic health falls furthest short: 44/100 where the typical UK town reaches 67/100.

That is the highest score of the 3 places in the TD1 postcode district. That is 11 points above the national benchmark of 50, the top 10% of all UK towns and villages. Environment (85) also clears 80/100. For the surrounding area, see TD1 postcode district.

61
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.

Galashiels scores 61 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Galashiels.
Or compare:
TD1 1AA TD1 2AD TD1 3AA TD1 9AJ TD1 TD6

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
85
Air Quality NO₂ 3 · PM2.5 4.5 · PM10 7.5 µg/m³
83
Green Space 89
Parks Ample 11
Sports Pitches Ample 5
Allotments Adequate 3
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Adequate 3
Bowling Greens Adequate 3
Playgrounds Ample 26

Services

Schools
36
6 schools in area
5Good1Requires Improvement
  • Balmoral Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2010
    Good
  • Galashiels AcademySecondary · inspected 2013
    Good
  • Glendinning Terrace Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
    Good
  • Langlee Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2013
    Good
  • St Margaret's RC Primary School (Galashiels)Primary · inspected 2012
    Good
  • Tweedbank Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2012
    Requires Improvement
Healthcare
75
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service38.7 mi
Cumberland Infirmary49.1 mi
Hexham General Hospital50.9 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust30.8 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
4 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
71
Full fibre (FTTP)68.6%
available across Scottish Borders
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
89.5%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
91.1%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.9%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 420 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
44
Employment rate58.7%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed58.8%Unemployed2.9%Retired24.5%Student3.4%Other inactive10.4%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial35.3%Skilled & technical33.4%Routine & elementary31.4%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications28.8%
Home ownership55.4%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
72
Council tax Scottish Borders · 2025-26
A £995
B £1,160
C £1,326
D £1,492
E £1,960
F £2,425
G £2,922
H £3,655
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
53
Galashiels 0.5 mi
Tweedbank 1.5 mi
Stow 6.1 mi
J1 M8 29.5 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
74
Pubs & Bars Adequate 8
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 21
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 13
Retail Shopping Ample 141
Takeaways Ample 16
Fitness Ample 7

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Galashiels. 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

Darnick 45 2.3 mi away ⇄
Gattonside 49 2.7 mi away ⇄
Melrose 48 3.0 mi away ⇄
Clovenfords 41 3.2 mi away ⇄
Selkirk 55 4.7 mi away ⇄
Earlston 43 5.0 mi away ⇄
Newtown St Boswells 44 5.4 mi away ⇄
Stow (Scottish Borders) 40 6.2 mi away ⇄
Charlesfield 0 6.6 mi away ⇄
St Boswells 36 6.6 mi away ⇄
Lauder 41 7.5 mi away ⇄
Walkerburn 38 8.6 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Galashiels a nice place to live?

Galashiels is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Galashiels is 61/100, 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 Galashiels?

Among the top-rated schools in Galashiels are Balmoral Primary School, Galashiels Academy and Glendinning Terrace Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 6 rated schools in Galashiels in total.

Postcode districts in Galashiels

TD1 57 ⇄
TD6 46 ⇄

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