Town

Living in Oban: Liveability Score 46/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Oban scores 46/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Lifestyle is where Oban most outperforms the national norm: 53/100 against a median of 21/100 across UK towns. Furthest below the national norm is broadband, at 10/100 against a town median of 60/100.

That puts Oban in the middle half of the UK towns and villages we score. For the surrounding area, see PA34 postcode district.

46
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.

Oban scores 46 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Oban.
Or compare:
PA34 4AA PA34 5AA PA34 9AN PA34 PA37

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
77
Air Quality NO₂ 3 · PM2.5 3.8 · PM10 5.7 µg/m³
86
Green Space 58
Parks Ample 10
Sports Pitches Ample 6
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Some 2
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 18

Services

Schools
32
5 schools in area
5Good
  • Oban High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2014
    Good
  • Park Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Rockfield Gaelic UnitOther · inspected 2016
    Good
  • Rockfield Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2016
    Good
  • St Columba's Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2015
    Good
Healthcare
47
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary142.9 mi
Community Paramedic Service157.4 mi
Hexham General Hospital164.7 mi
Hospital waitsUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust126.8 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks69.4%
A&E seen within 4 hrs64.2%
1 GP surgery in area
GP capacity1,577 patients per GP

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

Broadband
10
Full fibre (FTTP)21.8%
available across Argyll and Bute
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
4.4%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
4.4%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.6%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 237 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
54
Employment rate63.3%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed63.4%Unemployed1.9%Retired23.4%Student2.1%Other inactive9.3%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial32.3%Skilled & technical34.8%Routine & elementary32.8%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications29.9%
Home ownership58.8%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
71
Council tax Argyll & Bute · 2025-26
A £1,084
B £1,265
C £1,445
D £1,626
E £2,136
F £2,642
G £3,184
H £3,984
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
34
Oban 0.2 mi
Connel Ferry 4.5 mi
Taynuilt 9 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
53
Pubs & Bars Ample 10
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 32
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 9
Retail Shopping Ample 110
Takeaways Ample 12
Fitness Some 1

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Oban. 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

Dunbeg 35 2.8 mi away ⇄
Connel 34 4.4 mi away ⇄
North Connel 28 4.6 mi away ⇄
Benderloch 0 6.6 mi away ⇄
Taynuilt 45 9.1 mi away ⇄
Ardfern 37 16 mi away ⇄
Duror 0 17 mi away ⇄
Salen 43 20 mi away ⇄
Strontian 43 20 mi away ⇄
Ballachulish 42 22 mi away ⇄
Strachur 27 23 mi away ⇄
North Ballachulish 0 23 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Oban a nice place to live?

Oban has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Oban is 46/100, 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 Oban?

Among the top-rated schools in Oban are Oban High School, Park Primary School and Rockfield Gaelic Unit, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 5 rated schools in Oban in total.

Postcode districts in Oban

PA34 45 ⇄
PA37 37 ⇄

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