Is Aberdeen City a good place to live?

Aberdeen City has an overall liveability score of 69 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 85% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on broadband and local amenities. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

Aberdeen City records about 667 crimes per 10,000 people a year (2025/2026), giving Aberdeen City a safety score of 40 out of 100. Figures are from Scottish Government statistics; Police Scotland does not publish street-level data to police.uk.

The weather section shows annual sunshine, rainfall and typical temperatures for Aberdeen City from Met Office climate data for the location.

Average private rent in the Aberdeen and Shire area is about £849 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Aberdeen City a cost-of-living score of 79 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Aberdeen City is about £131,855 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed -7% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Aberdeen City scores 40 out of 100 for safety - fair - measured from annual recorded crime per 10,000 residents across the Aberdeen City council area (Scottish Government statistics). That puts it in the bottom 10% of every area in our index. A safety score is a comparison with other areas rather than a guarantee about a street. Aberdeen City is drawn tightly around the city, so its rate is not diluted by surrounding towns and countryside the way neighbouring councils' rates are, which is much of why it scores low.

The average property in Aberdeen City costs about £131,855, which is 3.4 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 100 out of 100. Mainstream lenders usually cap borrowing at around four to four and a half times income, so a ratio above that generally means a larger deposit, a second income or a cheaper property than the local average. With a ten per cent deposit, repaying the rest costs about £765 a month at 6% over 25 years, £84 less than the £849 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 98.4% of premises in Aberdeen City can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 91.9% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 93 out of 100 (Ofcom Connected Nations). These are council-area availability figures - the share of premises able to order each service, not the speed any single line achieves - so check the exact address with the Ofcom broadband checker before committing to it.

77.3% of 16 to 64 year olds in Aberdeen City are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 60 out of 100. UK local authorities typically range from about 62% to 82%. This is a whole-authority figure, so it describes the local labour market rather than any one town within it.

The intermediate zone around this point records 5.12 on Average highest SCQF qualification score of school leavers (2022/23-2024/25), giving an education score of 37 out of 100. Each nation publishes its own attainment measure and they are not interchangeable, so education scores compare within England, Scotland or Wales and not across them. Scottish attainment is resolved to the intermediate zone around this point, which is finer than the council average used in England and Wales.

For the 1 km grid square containing Aberdeen City, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 4.78 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 12.21 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 97 out of 100; an area meeting both guideline levels scores 100. These are modelled background concentrations for the square, not a reading taken at the roadside.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 1,657 mapped amenities, including 434 places to eat and drink, 953 shops, 163 parks and sports facilities and 31 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 90 out of 100. Counts come from OpenStreetMap and are measured at this exact location rather than averaged across the council, so they reflect how well served this particular spot is. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The nearest railway station is Aberdeen Rail Station, about 0.7 km away, and there are 106 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 96 out of 100. Stops come from the DfT NaPTAN dataset and are counted for this exact point, so the figure measures access rather than how frequently anything runs.

Aberdeen City is in the Aberdeen City local authority, Scotland. It falls within the George St/Harbour ward and the Aberdeen South parliamentary constituency. Cost of living, housing, affordability, employment, broadband and crime figures in this report are published at local-authority level, so every postcode and town inside Aberdeen City shares them. Education comes from the surrounding intermediate zone, and weather, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point.

Aberdeen City scores 74 out of 100 on our students profile, which is weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. That is 5 points above its general score of 69, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

Aberdeen City scores 71 out of 100 on our young professionals profile, which is weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. That is close to its general score of 69, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area.

Aberdeen City sits in the top 37% of the 539 UK areas we have scored. The median area in the index scores 67 out of 100. It is furthest above the benchmark for its nation on lifestyle, transport and employment. It is furthest below on housing and safety. Categories are compared against the area's own nation where the samples allow it, because crime and school attainment are measured differently either side of the border.

Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Aberdeen City, the highest are Aberdeen (70 out of 100, about 0 miles away), Arbroath (70 out of 100, about 45 miles away) and Montrose (69 out of 100, about 34 miles away). Aberdeen City itself scores 69. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Preston (Preston, North West, England), Gateshead (Gateshead, North East, England) and St. Helens (St. Helens, North West, England). Similarity is the average gap across every category both areas have data for, with immediate neighbours excluded, so these are places that score alike rather than places that look alike or sit nearby.

Weather, local amenities, healthcare access, transport access and air quality are measured for this exact point. Cost of living, affordability, housing, employment, broadband and crime come from official statistics for the Aberdeen City council area, so nearby postcodes and towns in the same council share those figures. Education comes from the surrounding intermediate zone of roughly 2,500 to 6,000 residents. The "How detailed is this report" section explains each level.