With the population of Edinburgh continuing to grow year on year, and the city facing a housing emergency, many people who work or have social connections in the city are choosing to live just outside the Capital where house prices are less expensive.
The list of Edinburgh’s best commuter towns was put together by food tech company Selecta Group, which offers convenience food services and coffee brands in the workplace and public spaces.
The study uses the latest city and country-level data available for key categories including train travel time to city centres, annual season ticket cost, school ratings, crime ratings and available wellness facilities, to rate the most desirable commuter towns to Edinburgh from best to worst.
Among the towns on the list are Musselburgh, Gorebridge, Galashiels, Linlithgow and Cowdenbeath, all just a short train journey from Edinburgh.
9. West Calder
West Lothian town West Calder, home to the Five Sisters Zoo (pictured) has a population of 6,500, the lowest on the Selecta list, where it scored 2.79 out of 10 and came ninth. The average house price here is £258,583 and the town benefits from five health and wellbeing facilities and one National Trust property. It is 23 minutes by train from Edinburgh and an annual season ticket costs £1,760. Photo: John Devlin
10. Galashiels
Galashiels rounds off the top 10 Edinburgh commuter towns list by Selecta, with a score of 2.78 out of 10. The average house price here is £167,280 and the Borders town benefits from two health and wellbeing facilities and four National Trust properties. It was fifth on the Instagram list, with an impressive 36,400 posts of the photogenic town. Another town to benefit from the reopening of the Borders Railway in 2015, Galashiels is 52 minutes from Edinburgh, with a season ticket for the train costing £2,840. Photo: Bill McBurnie