Town

Living in St Andrews: Liveability Score 54/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

St Andrews scores 54/100 overall, across 7 scored categories. Lifestyle is where St Andrews most outperforms the national norm: 75/100 against a median of 21/100 across UK towns. Broadband falls furthest short: 44/100 where the typical UK town reaches 60/100.

No other settlement in the KY16 postcode district scores higher. St Andrews leads all 6. On lifestyle specifically, St Andrews sits 11 points above the KY16 district figure of 64/100. Environment (82) and economic health (82) sit at 80/100 or above. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the KY16 postcode district.

54
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.

St Andrews scores 54 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with St Andrews.
Or compare:
KY16 0AA KY16 6AP KY16 8AA KY16 9AA KY16

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
82
Air Quality NO₂ 3.4 · PM2.5 4.1 · PM10 7.8 µg/m³
83
Green Space 79
Parks Ample 22
Sports Pitches Ample 27
Allotments Some 1
Golf Courses Ample 10
Tennis Courts Ample 12
Bowling Greens Adequate 2
Playgrounds Ample 18

Services

Schools
29
4 schools in area
4Good
  • Canongate Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2017
    Good
  • Greyfriars RC Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
    Good
  • Lawhead Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2016
    Good
  • Madras CollegeOther · inspected 2014
    Good
Healthcare
56
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service78.2 mi
Hexham General Hospital97.7 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital98.6 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust49.6 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
2 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
44
Full fibre (FTTP)69.2%
available across Fife
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
61.2%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
61.2%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 371 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
82
Employment rate34.4%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed34.4%Unemployed4.4%Retired18.9%Student38.2%Other inactive4.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial51.2%Skilled & technical26.7%Routine & elementary22.1%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications38.9%
Home ownership52.3%
Among the least-deprived 20% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
53
Council tax

Council tax data not yet available for this area.

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
43
Leuchars 4.4 mi
Cupar 7.9 mi
Broughty Ferry 9.6 mi
J9 M90 22.7 mi
J9 M90 22.8 mi
J11 M90 23.1 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
75
Pubs & Bars Ample 23
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 56
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 8
Retail Shopping Ample 120
Takeaways Ample 14
Fitness Adequate 4

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for St Andrews. 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

Strathkinness 36 2.7 mi away ⇄
Leuchars 35 3.9 mi away ⇄
Guardbridge 35 4.1 mi away ⇄
Balmullo 34 5.7 mi away ⇄
Drumoig 35 6.8 mi away ⇄
Ceres 28 7.1 mi away ⇄
Cupar 54 8.2 mi away ⇄
Tayport 42 8.3 mi away ⇄
Anstruther 50 8.7 mi away ⇄
Crail 40 8.7 mi away ⇄
Pittenweem 50 8.8 mi away ⇄
Newport-on-Tay 45 8.9 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is St Andrews a nice place to live?

St Andrews is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for St Andrews is 54/100, 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 St Andrews?

Among the top-rated schools in St Andrews are Canongate Primary School, Greyfriars RC Primary School and Lawhead Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 4 rated schools in St Andrews in total.

Postcode districts in St Andrews

KY16 50 ⇄

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