Town

Living in Melrose: Liveability Score 48/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Melrose scores 48/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is lifestyle: 53/100 against a national town median of 21/100. Broadband falls furthest short: 34/100 where the typical UK town reaches 60/100.

Melrose places 3rd of 6 in the TD6 postcode district. Environment (84) also clears 80/100. On the national picture that lands Melrose in the middle half of all the places we score. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the TD6 postcode district.

48
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.

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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.

Melrose scores 48 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Melrose.
Or compare:
TD6 0AA TD6 6BQ TD6 9AA 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
84
Air Quality NO₂ 2.45 · PM2.5 4.447 · PM10 7.904 µg/m³
83
Green Space 85
Parks Ample 5
Sports Pitches Adequate 2
Allotments Some 1
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Adequate 4
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Adequate 4

Services

Schools
17
1 school in area · 4 within 4km
1Good
  • Melrose Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2012
    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 Service37.2 mi
Cumberland Infirmary48.4 mi
Hexham General Hospital49.5 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust28.1 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
Nearest GP surgeryEildon Surgery2.6 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
34
Full fibre (FTTP)68.6%
available across Scottish Borders
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
74.5%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
75.9%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 90 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
69
Employment rate53.2%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed53%Unemployed1.7%Retired34.1%Student3.3%Other inactive7.9%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial52.1%Skilled & technical30.7%Routine & elementary17.2%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications48.4%
Home ownership68.5%
Among the least-deprived 24% of areas in Scotland
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
35
Tweedbank 1.5 mi
Galashiels 3.5 mi
Stow 8.6 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
53
Pubs & Bars Adequate 3
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 10
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 2
Retail Shopping Ample 40
Takeaways Some 3
Fitness Adequate 3

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Melrose. 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 0.7 mi away ⇄
Gattonside 49 0.8 mi away ⇄
Newtown St Boswells 44 2.4 mi away ⇄
Galashiels 61 3.0 mi away ⇄
Earlston 43 3.6 mi away ⇄
St Boswells 36 3.7 mi away ⇄
Charlesfield 0 3.7 mi away ⇄
Selkirk 55 5.5 mi away ⇄
Clovenfords 41 6.1 mi away ⇄
Ancrum 31 7.8 mi away ⇄
Lauder 41 8.6 mi away ⇄
Stow (Scottish Borders) 40 8.6 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Melrose a nice place to live?

Melrose has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Melrose is 48/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Melrose?

Among the top-rated schools in Melrose is Melrose Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 1 rated schools in Melrose in total.

Postcode districts in Melrose

TD6 46 ⇄

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