Town

Living in Sandbank: Liveability Score 32/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Sandbank is 32/100, built from 8 categories. Measured against other towns, bills stands out most: 76/100 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.

That makes it the 4th highest-scoring of the 5 places in the PA23 postcode district. Against the wider PA23 district average of 43/100, that is 11 points below. That sits 18 points below the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the bottom 10% of the towns and villages we score. For the surrounding area, see PA23 postcode district.

32
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.

Sandbank scores 32 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Sandbank.
Or compare:
PA23 7AA PA23 8AA PA23 9AG PA23

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
78
Air Quality NO₂ 2.2 · PM2.5 4 · PM10 6.6 µg/m³
85
Green Space 59
Parks Adequate 2
Sports Pitches Some 1
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Some 1
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Some 1

Services

Schools
15
3 schools in area · 6 within 4km
3Good
  • Dunoon Grammar SchoolSecondary · inspected 2020
    Good
  • Sandbank Primary Gaelic UnitPrimary · inspected 2020
    Good
  • Sandbank Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2020
    Good

Score reflects proximity-weighted access to rated schools within 4km: areas with more nearby schools score higher regardless of settlement boundary.

Healthcare
18
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary107.2 mi
Community Paramedic Service126.3 mi
Hexham General Hospital130.9 mi
Hospital waitsNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust98.1 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks64.3%
A&E seen within 4 hrs62.6%
Nearest GP surgeryDr Tittmar and Partner1.4 mi
GP capacity1,577 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)21.8%
available across Argyll and Bute
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
0%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
0%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
88.4%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 35 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
44
Employment rate47.4%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed47.3%Unemployed2.3%Retired37.4%Student2.6%Other inactive10.4%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial39.1%Skilled & technical37.9%Routine & elementary23%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications35.5%
Home ownership76%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
76
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 D
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
11
Gourock 5 mi
Inverkip 5.7 mi
Fort Matilda 5.8 mi
J31 M8 15.2 mi
J31 M8 15.6 mi
J30 M8 18.4 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
8
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes Some 1
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 2
Retail Shopping Some 1
Takeaways Some 1
Fitness None

Places like Sandbank 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 Sandbank, 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 Sandbank. 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

Strone 28 1.4 mi away ⇄
Dunoon 44 1.7 mi away ⇄
Kilcreggan 33 4.0 mi away ⇄
Gourock 56 4.7 mi away ⇄
Rosneath and Clynder 30 5.7 mi away ⇄
Inverkip 38 5.7 mi away ⇄
Innellan 38 6.0 mi away ⇄
Wemyss Bay 36 6.7 mi away ⇄
Greenock 61 6.7 mi away ⇄
Rhu 32 6.9 mi away ⇄
Shandon 37 7.1 mi away ⇄
Toward 35 7.9 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Sandbank a nice place to live?

Sandbank has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Sandbank is 32/100, 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 Sandbank?

Among the top-rated schools in Sandbank are Dunoon Grammar School, Sandbank Primary Gaelic Unit and Sandbank Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Sandbank in total.

Postcode districts in Sandbank

PA23 43 ⇄

Check your exact postcode

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

Score my postcode