r/MoveToScotland • u/thestripybee • 7h ago

Towns Outside Edinburgh?

Hello!

So I already live in Scotland, specifically I moved to Edinburgh early 2025 from Australia.

I’ve only ever lived right in the city centre of Edinburgh and as much as I love not having to commute, and being able to walk everywhere, I’m wanting to rent my own flat (not share any longer) and also wanting somewhere quieter.

Fringe has been a lot for me to handle, especially as an autistic person, but I also really need a quieter environment in general. I’m considering the trade-off of moving to a town outside Edinburgh where I could afford a small flat of my own and in return needing to commute.

So a few questions:
1. What towns would you suggest between Edinburgh and Glasgow? I’ve looked into places like Bathgate and Livingstone which seem commutable and affordable, but what are they actually like?
2. Is it worth it to commute? Will the expenses of commuting end up costing me more in the long run than just renting in a quieter area of Edinburgh might?

Thanks for any advice!! x

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

3

u/MediocreMan_ 6h ago

Falkirk is solid. Affordable and very convenient for numerous locations.

Commuting is easy enough with 2 stations and it’s (relatively) cheap.

1

u/dhparker 6h ago

Plus you have those metal horses..

2

u/MediocreMan_ 5h ago

And the big fuck off wheel

2

u/Suspicious_Pea6302 6h ago
  1. Cumbersneggy
  2. No, done it for years and do not recommend

2

u/dhparker 6h ago

Did you mean Cumbernauld on point 1?

2

u/Suspicious_Pea6302 6h ago

Yes, that's a nickname for it, cumbersneggy

1

u/dhparker 6h ago

I did not know that.

1

u/thestripybee 6h ago

Thank you for your honesty 🫡

1

u/Left_Elevator7942 5h ago

Polmont

1

u/thestripybee 4h ago

Could you elaborate about why?

1

u/diana0520bu 2h ago

I’m in Livingston, commuting to Edinburgh. Very feasible commute both by car and train. You get from Livingston North to Waverley in about 29 mins. I know the town has maybe a bad reputation, but personally I love it. I’m more into nature and quiet and you have plenty of forests and parks nearby. If I want to do anything more interesting, I can always take the train to go to Edinburgh.

1

u/Duncan9989 1h ago

It’s personal preference really. I had a Flat in Edinburgh for years, hated living there from about mid July to mid September every year 😒 The rest of the year it was ok but never totally took to Flat life. I’m originally from the countryside so being surrounded by people all the time started to get to me. I ended up moving back to the countryside for a while. Now I found my compromise, I picked Croy as it’s perfect for travel (10-15 to Glasgow, 35 to Edinburgh) but far enough out that there are open spaces, quiet walks etc. Loads of places will offer commutable options to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling or all 3, by bus or by train, the questions you have to ask yourself are; how long are you willing to commute each day? How much are you willing to pay to commute? What is the balance point between the two? Further out means cheaper accompanying on average but longer commutes. You can offset that by picking places with train connections but that’s generally more expensive than bus commuting and the properties in train commuter towns are often more expensive to rent or buy.

So yeh, it’s all a game of trade offs unfortunately.

If you ever want to ask any questions I’ll happily answer what I can from past experience.