If you’re considering a move this year, Garrington Property Finders' Best Places to Live in Scotland 2024 guide can help you identify places that offer the optimum blend of quality of life and strong value.
Garrington's data analysts have identified more than 160 cities, towns, and villages across Scotland that all score highly in at least one of four selection criteria – natural beauty, wellbeing, employment and connectivity plus value for money.
Top of this year’s ranking is Kirkintilloch in East Dunbartonshire, with three towns near Edinburgh making the top 15, including two in West Lothian.
This Best Places to Live 2024 index has been updated and expanded to factor in the price correction seen in some areas of Scotland during 2023. Despite the price inflation recorded at a national level, prices in several popular locations fell – making them even better value.
Garrington’s Best Places to Live in Scotland 2024 report is an impartial, objective ranking based on publicly available data. Their data team ranked 161 Scottish locations according to 12 separate criteria, including proximity to National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, air quality, crime figures, availability of high-paying jobs, transport and broadband connections.

13. Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. There is no history of Gaelic in Orkney. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name Kirkjuvágr, which later changed to Kirkvoe, Kirkwaa and Kirkwall. It saw the sharpest price correction in the top 15. The price of an average home in the town, which boasts an iconic harbourfront and what was voted Scotland’s Most Beautiful High Street in 2019, fell by 8.4 per cent. | Google Maps Photo: Google Maps

14. Barrhead
Barrhead’s strong performance in the employment and connectivity category, which measures proximity to high-paying jobs, transport and broadband connections, powered it to 14th place overall. The East Renfrewshire town is situated eight miles southwest of Glasgow city centre. | Google Maps Photo: Google Maps

15. Whitburn
The hometown of pop star Lewis Capaldi and iindie rockers The Snuts, this West Lothian town rounds off the top 15 best places to live in Scotland. This Best Places to Live 2024 index has been updated and expanded to factor in the price correction seen in some areas of Scotland during 2023. Despite the price inflation recorded at a national level, prices in several popular locations fell – making them even better value. | Google Maps Photo: Google Maps