Town

Living in Melbost: Liveability Score 31/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Melbost is 31/100, built from 8 categories. Measured against other towns, bills stands out most: 67/100 where the typical UK town scores 47/100. Furthest below the national norm is broadband, at 9/100 against a town median of 60/100.

Melbost places 7th of 10 in the HS2 postcode district. That sits 19 points below the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the bottom 10% of the towns and villages we score. Below 30/100: schools (6), transport (12), lifestyle (15) and healthcare (19). Wider context for the surrounding area: HS2 postcode district.

31
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
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.

Loading map…

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.

Melbost scores 31 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Melbost.
Or compare:
HS2 0AA HS2 9AA HS2

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
68
Air Quality NO₂ 1.7 · PM2.5 3.3 · PM10 5 µg/m³
88
Green Space 19
Parks None
Sports Pitches None
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds None

Services

Schools
6

School inspection data is not available for this area.

Healthcare
19
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service260.8 mi
Cumberland Infirmary262.2 mi
Hexham General Hospital275.6 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust234.6 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
Nearest GP surgeryThe Group Practice1.7 mi
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

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

Broadband
9
Full fibre (FTTP)9.6%
available across Na h-Eileanan Siar
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
14.9%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
14.9%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
80.1%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 6 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
53
Employment rate62%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed62.6%Unemployed1.1%Retired24.4%Student1.9%Other inactive10.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial34%Skilled & technical32.7%Routine & elementary33.2%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications30.4%
Home ownership65.3%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
67
Council tax Na h-Eileanan Siar · 2025-26
A £925
B £1,080
C £1,234
D £1,388
E £1,824
F £2,256
G £2,718
H £3,401
Energy North Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band E
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
12
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

No nearby stations or motorway junctions found.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
15
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes None
Supermarkets & Convenience None
Retail Shopping None
Takeaways None
Fitness None

Places like Melbost Pro

Pick the categories you want to beat. Pro members see the most similar settlements that score higher in all of them.

Find somewhere like Melbost, but with a higher score in …

ProSimilar settlements is a Pro featureUpgrade to Pro

House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Melbost. 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

Sandwick (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) 0 1.1 mi away ⇄
Stornoway 42 2.2 mi away ⇄
Tong 32 2.2 mi away ⇄
Aird Tong 31 2.4 mi away ⇄
Swordale 0 2.6 mi away ⇄
Lower Bayble 37 4.0 mi away ⇄
Col 29 4.5 mi away ⇄
Upper Bayble 0 4.6 mi away ⇄
Liurbost 27 7.0 mi away ⇄
North Tolsta 41 10.0 mi away ⇄
Barvas 0 12 mi away ⇄
Bragar 38 14 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Melbost a nice place to live?

Melbost has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Melbost is 31/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

Postcode districts in Melbost

HS2 30 ⇄

Check your exact postcode

Get a personalised score for any UK postcode, tailored to what matters most to you.

Score my postcode