Is East Kilbride a good place to live?

East Kilbride has an overall liveability score of 71 out of 100 (very good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 90% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on broadband and cost of living. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

South Lanarkshire records about 501 crimes per 10,000 people a year (2025/2026), giving East Kilbride a safety score of 52 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 East Kilbride from Met Office climate data for the location.

Average private rent in the South Lanarkshire area is about £881 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving East Kilbride a cost-of-living score of 78 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in South Lanarkshire is about £186,771 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +6.4% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

East Kilbride scores 52 out of 100 for safety - fair - measured from annual recorded crime per 10,000 residents across the South Lanarkshire council area (Scottish Government statistics). That puts it in the bottom 49% of every area in our index. A safety score is a comparison with other areas rather than a guarantee about a street. The figure covers the whole council, so it says nothing about differences between its towns.

The average property in South Lanarkshire costs about £186,771, which is 4.8 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 91 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 £1,083 a month at 6% over 25 years, £202 more than the £881 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 99.2% of premises in South Lanarkshire can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 89.9% 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.

76.2% of 16 to 64 year olds in South Lanarkshire are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 57 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 5.63 on Average highest SCQF qualification score of school leavers (2022/23-2024/25), giving an education score of 57 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 East Kilbride, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 4.89 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 6.5 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 100 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 331 mapped amenities, including 40 places to eat and drink, 111 shops, 144 parks and sports facilities and 10 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 53 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.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 3 GP surgeries, 2 pharmacies and 2 dentists. 4 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 41 out of 100. Facilities are counted from OpenStreetMap and the score describes how close services are, not waiting times, capacity or clinical quality.

The nearest railway station is East Kilbride Rail Station, about 1.3 km away, and there are 52 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 79 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.

East Kilbride is in the South Lanarkshire local authority, Scotland. It falls within the East Kilbride Central North ward and the East Kilbride and Strathaven 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 South Lanarkshire shares them. Education comes from the surrounding intermediate zone, and weather, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point.

East Kilbride scores 72 out of 100 on our students profile, which is weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. That is close to its general score of 71, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

East Kilbride scores 70 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 71, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area.

East Kilbride sits in the top 25% 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 education. It is furthest below on housing. 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 East Kilbride, the highest are Coatbridge (76 out of 100, about 9 miles away), Hamilton (74 out of 100, about 5 miles away) and Motherwell (74 out of 100, about 7 miles away). East Kilbride itself scores 71. 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 Brixham (Torbay, South West, England), Dunfermline (Fife, Scotland) and Kirkcaldy (Fife, Scotland). 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 South Lanarkshire 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.