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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Ranking of cities in Scotland for 2026. Aberdeen leads with a cost index of 95 and rent of £750/month.
Aberdeen ranks #1 with a cost index of 95 and rent of £750/month.
The median city is Glasgow — cost index 90, rent £850/mo.
Average cost index across these cities: 97 (-2 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 65/100. Top: Aberdeen at 66/100.
Safest city: Edinburgh (72/100 safety score).
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. Aberdeen stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 95 and median income of £34,000, it offers below-average costs relative to the rest of United Kingdom. That's a difference you notice every single month.
On quality of life, Edinburgh leads with a composite score of 67/100 — reflecting its safety (72), healthcare (80), and walkability (84) metrics. And there's one more thing: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
Aberdeen — cost index 95, rent £750/mo, income £34,000, QoL 66/100.
Glasgow — cost index 90, rent £850/mo, income £31,000, QoL 62/100.
Edinburgh — cost index 105, rent £1,100/mo, income £35,000, QoL 67/100.
Aberdeen ranks #1 in Scotland for this analysis with a cost index of 95 and median income of £34,000.
In Aberdeen, rent would be about 18% of your gross monthly income on £50K. Well within the recommended 30% threshold.
The region average QoL score is 61/100. Aberdeen leads with 66/100, reflecting its safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include ONS, Land Registry, HMRC.
Aberdeen (ranked #1) has a cost index of 95 and rent of £750/mo. Edinburgh (#3) has index 105 and rent £1,100/mo — a 10-point gap.
This analysis uses data from ONS, Land Registry, HMRC to rank cities in United Kingdom. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.