Scotland’s capital is a city of international renown. With more to see, do and explore than you could hope to achieve in a single visit, there are plenty of reasons why more people want to move here. Whether you’re new to this part of the world, or have had your eye on it for some time, come and explore the best new homes in City of Edinburgh with us.
New homes in City of Edinburgh: 5 best developments
Get started in your search for the ideal Edinburgh home with our list of its top-ranked developments on HomeViews. As always, this list is purely determined by the reviews given by verified residents of the developments themselves.
*PLEASE NOTE these rankings take into account how recently reviews have been submitted, so may not match the overall star ratings shown. More recent reviews are given a greater weighting to reflect current building performance.
Where is the City of Edinburgh?
The ‘City of Edinburgh’ is classed as both Scotland’s capital city and its own council area, one of 32 in Scotland. It was historically part of the county of Midlothian (also known as Edinburghshire pre-1921). You’ll find the city on the eastern edge of Scotland, on the southern side of the Firth of Forth estuary.
Why live in the City of Edinburgh?
Edinburgh is deserving of its international reputation as a city of culture, beauty, history and inclusivity. People from all over the world flock here in their millions every year to soak up this storied atmosphere. When they leave, most will consider coming back, and many will consider moving here for good.
Despite its popularity, the city of Edinburgh doesn’t have that large a population. Only around half a million people call it home. This means that despite being an exceptional place to live, it’s not a sprawling city that suffers from overcrowding. However, when the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the largest arts festival in the world – is on, visitors invariably outnumber the locals! Pre-pandemic, the 2019 Fringe hosted 750 shows, performing to crowds exceeding 850,000, drawn from all around the world.
As well as major annual festivals, Edinburgh is a cultural haven for events of all sizes occurring every day of the year. You have so much choice here when it comes to world-class museums, art galleries, theatres and venues of historical importance. Even Edinburgh Castle, the city’s spectacular centrepiece, plays host to The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, an annual extravaganza of international military bands, and artistic performance teams that has to be seen to be believed.
Packed with history, Edinburgh also has a bright present and future. It’s well-off for green space, and you can even hike up to Arthur’s Seat, an ancient volcano, which has its base near the city centre. Edinburgh is a thoroughly walkable city too. Lose yourself in its winding streets, it’s half the fun of walking about the capital!
As for education, Edinburgh enjoys excellent schools at both the primary and secondary levels. For higher education, it also boasts five campus universities, each of them highly respected in the UK and internationally.
What are average property prices in the City of Edinburgh like?
Sadly, all of this doesn’t come cheap. Edinburgh is one of the most expensive cities in the UK to live, work and buy homes. In June 2024, the average house price for Edinburgh was around £366,000, according to Rightmove. This places it some way above the UK average of £282,000 and almost double the average price for Scotland (£190,000).
Renting in Edinburgh is not cheap either. Rents have risen nearly 50% during the past decade. Today, renting a one-bedroom property in Edinburgh will set you back around £1,695 PCM on average. Still, you can’t beat Edinburgh location-wise. If you want to be part of a vibrant, beautiful and immensely characterful city, Edinburgh is all of these things and more.
Make sure you check back on our expanding list of the top-ranked new homes in City of Edinburgh. We’re always adding new developments, and verified residents are keen to share their thoughts on where they live.
HomeViews is the only independent review platform for residential developments in the UK. Prospective buyers and tenants use it to make an informed decision on where to live based on insights from carefully verified resident reviews. Part of Rightmove since February 2024, we’re working with developers, house builders, operators, housing associations and the Government to give residents a voice, recognise high performers and to help improve standards across the industry.
