Locals have always known it, and now it's official. Stockbridge has been named the best place to live in Edinburgh in ESPC's first Best Edinburgh Neighbourhoods Index.
The new annual index ranks the city's areas on property prices and affordability, transport links, green space, schools, local amenities, community spirit and crime rates. Stockbridge came out on top with 4.51 out of 5. That's a clear lead over second-placed Portobello on 4.24.
Stockbridge scored highest for walkability, safety and community spirit. It's easy to see why. The Water of Leith runs through the middle. Inverleith Park and the Royal Botanic Garden are on the doorstep, and Princes Street is only a short walk away. Raeburn Place and St Stephen Street are lined with independent shops, cafés and restaurants, and the Sunday market brings the whole neighbourhood together every week.
Paul Hilton, chief executive of ESPC, said location matters more than anything when people choose a home. He explained that the index combines ESPC's property price data with what its member estate agents see every day about where buyers most want to live. He called Stockbridge "a very worthy winner."
ESPC's Best Edinburgh Neighbourhoods Index 2026
Stockbridge – 4.51
Portobello – 4.24
Morningside – 4.21
Corstorphine – 4.16
5–7. South Queensferry & Dalmeny, Leith, and Colinton & Fairmilehead – 3.71 eachCurrie, Balerno & Juniper Green – 3.69
Liberton & Gilmerton – 3.43
Trinity – 3.24
Leith was the most affordable area in the top ten, with an average selling price of £261,024, about £46,000 below the Edinburgh average of £307,347. Colinton and Fairmilehead was the most expensive, averaging £432,514. Our neighbours in Trinity also made the list in tenth place.
The full index, with a breakdown of each area, is available at espc.com.
What makes Stockbridge feel like home is the people and the independent businesses that keep it running, from the cafés you visit every morning to the shops where the staff know your name.
Explore them all in our A–Z directory.
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