Living in Edinburgh as a student is easiest when home sits close to campus. Marchmont is a 5-10 minute walk from the University of Edinburgh, while cheaper or quieter areas trade extra travel for space.
Picture an offer letter in one hand and a map of unfamiliar districts in the other. The real decision is how much daily travel, rent pressure and noise each area brings. A fuller neighbourhood comparison sits in the guide to the best areas to live in Edinburgh as a student. This page sorts the city by what a student usually wants first.
Choose a route by your main priority
Most students weigh the same few things: time to lectures, rent, atmosphere and what is on the doorstep. Each route below starts from one priority and points to the section that develops it.
- Walk to lectures. Start with Marchmont and Tollcross, the two areas in the pack with the shortest quoted walks to the university. The neighbourhood sections explain what each costs you in return.
- Keep rent down. Start with Newington, which Campusboard describes as very affordable, then read the housing section to compare like with like.
- Want quiet evenings. Start with Morningside, described as a quieter setting, and check the commute before committing.
- Want the historic centre on your doorstep. Look at the New Town, but plan for higher rent and a longer walk.
- Want to know what the city offers outside the classroom. Go straight to the sections on green space, the Old Town and evenings out.
The city students arrive in
Edinburgh is a capital city that Unihomes, which advertises student accommodation, calls fairly compact. The same source says the city is home to 4 major universities and an art school, and that together they attract around 60,000 students a year.
Those two facts shape everyday life in different ways. A compact city means the gap between a flat and a lecture hall is usually a matter of minutes on foot or by bus, so the sensible way to compare areas is by route and time rather than by distance on a map. A large student population means that shops, pubs, cafes and student housing are all set up around students, which makes it easier to find a flat and a social circle but also means you will share popular areas with many others.
Because everything is close, a poor housing choice is easier to fix than in a sprawling city. Even so, a tenancy is a commitment, and the cheapest way to avoid regret is to test the commute before you sign.
Student neighbourhoods and what each one trades off
Campusboard’s guide to where students live in Edinburgh gives walking or travel times to the University of Edinburgh for several areas, and those figures drive the choices below. Treat them as typical journeys rather than guarantees, since the exact street and your lecture building change the real time.
Marchmont
Campusboard calls Marchmont one of the most popular areas for students in Edinburgh. It is filled with old Victorian tenement flats with shops around most corners, and it takes only 5-10 minutes to walk to the University of Edinburgh.
This combination suits students who want to leave home shortly before a lecture and pick up groceries on the way back. The trade-off is that a popular student district is a lively one, so it is a better fit if you want company nearby than if you want silence. The dedicated guide to living in marchmont edinburgh students goes into the area in more detail.
Tollcross and Bruntsfield
Tollcross is another walking option: Campusboard puts it at only 10-15 minutes on foot to George Square, the heart of the central campus. It also sits near the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links, where, in the source’s words, you can play miniature golf in your spare time.
That proximity to open space is the area’s main selling point beyond the commute. If you want a short walk to class and somewhere green to decompress, Tollcross competes directly with Marchmont. Neighbouring Bruntsfield is covered in its own guide to living in bruntsfield edinburgh student.
Newington
Newington takes between 10-25 minutes to reach the University of Edinburgh, according to Campusboard, and its rents are very affordable, so it suits a spectrum of student budgets. The source also notes many shops and supermarkets in the area.
The wide time range is the key decision point. A flat at the near end of that range behaves like Marchmont for commuting, while one at the far end asks for a daily bus or a longer walk. If rent is your first priority, Newington is where to start, but check the exact address against your timetable. The guide to living in newington edinburgh student covers the area in more detail.
Morningside
Campusboard describes Morningside as a nice area that is perfect for those looking for a quieter setting. It suits postgraduates, students who prefer a calmer home after a day on campus, and anyone who would rather travel a little for peace than live in the busiest student streets. Because the source does not quote a journey time for it, work out the route to your own department before you commit.
New Town and Leith
The New Town is, in Campusboard’s words, definitely one of the most expensive areas a student could live in, and the journey to the University of Edinburgh is around 25-30 minutes if you are walking. It makes sense mainly for students who value the setting enough to pay extra for it and who are happy to use transport rather than walk each day.
Leith is a separate option with its own character, and the guide to living in leith as a student sets out what to weigh before choosing it.
Comparing the main areas side by side
The table brings the quoted journey times and cost notes together so you can see where each area sits.
| Area | Journey to the university | Cost and character | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marchmont | 5-10 minutes walking | Victorian tenement flats with shops nearby; very popular with students | Best for walking to lectures and sociable student streets |
| Tollcross | 10-15 minutes walking to George Square | Near the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links | Good for a short commute with green space close by |
| Newington | 10-25 minutes | Very affordable rents; many shops and supermarkets | Best for tighter budgets; check the exact address against your timetable |
| New Town | 25-30 minutes walking | One of the most expensive areas for students | Only worth it if the setting justifies the rent and the walk |
| Morningside | Not quoted; check your own route | Quieter residential setting | Suits students who want calm evenings |
The journey times and area descriptions come from Campusboard’s guide to where students live in Edinburgh.
Getting around Edinburgh
Unihomes says it is easy to get from point A to B in Edinburgh by walking, by bike, or by efficient and reliable public transport. That puts three tools at your disposal, and the right mix depends on where you live and where your teaching happens.
Walking
Walking is the default for Marchmont and Tollcross, where the quoted journeys are 5-10 minutes and 10-15 minutes respectively. At those lengths there is little reason to pay for transport on an ordinary day. The longer 25-30 minute walk from the New Town is still manageable, but it becomes a real daily commitment and is the point at which many students start looking at buses instead.
Cycling
Unihomes lists cycling alongside walking and public transport as an easy way to get around. A bike is most useful in the middle band of commutes, such as the longer end of the Newington range, where walking is slow but a bus fare each day adds up. Whether the terrain on your route suits you is something to check yourself before buying one.
Buses and trains
Public transport is the fallback for longer commutes and for trips across the city. Because the pack gives no verified bus or rail timings, compare the operators’ own timetables for your exact route before you sign a tenancy, and treat the walking figures above as the reliable baseline. If a flat only works with a bus pass, add that cost to your budget alongside rent, which the cost of living in edinburgh for students guide helps you do.
Housing, bills and renting
Much of the student housing described in the pack is tenement flats, and Marchmont’s Victorian tenements are the clearest example. Tenement flats are shared in the sense that you will usually live close to neighbours, so noise and access are worth asking about when you view.
Unihomes states that the accommodation it advertises includes bills, with everything covered by the monthly rent. That detail matters when you compare listings, because a rent that includes bills and a rent that does not are different prices. Always ask what a quoted rent covers before treating two flats as equivalent, and keep in mind that Unihomes is describing its own listings rather than every tenancy in the city.
For the numbers behind rent across areas, the guide to average student rent edinburgh is the place to look. If you have not yet found somewhere, how to find a flat in edinburgh as a student walks through the search itself. Combine the two with the commute times in the table, and you can narrow the field to a handful of areas quickly.
Things to do outside lectures
Edinburgh gives students plenty to do within walking distance of their flats, from hill walks to galleries to cheap pubs. The sections below group the supported options by the kind of evening or afternoon they suit, and the full list lives in the guide to things to do in edinburgh for students.
Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park
Unihomes recommends climbing to the top of Arthur’s Seat for wondrous views, and describes Holyrood Park as a great place for picnics and a walk with some fresh air. Together they give students a free way to leave the library behind without leaving the city.
The hill suits a half-day when the weather is clear, while the lower paths of the park suit a shorter break between classes or a weekend picnic with friends. Choose the summit for the view and the park for an easy hour outdoors.
The Royal Mile and the Old Town
The Royal Mile is described by Unihomes as a walk alongside history, with some great shops to explore, leading to Edinburgh Castle. It is the obvious first outing for a new arrival and a good one to repeat with visiting family. Students can browse for free, so the cost comes only from what you choose to buy.
For culture without a ticket, Unihomes says the National Galleries of Scotland are sure to be a great day out, especially because they are free. The Botanic Gardens are, according to the same source, home to one of the largest plant collections in the world, which makes them a good quiet counterpart to the busier centre.
Festivals, pubs and evenings out
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is, in Unihomes’ description, a joyous weekend where thousands of people flock to see the performances. Students who live in the city get the festival on their doorstep, though crowds are part of the experience.
For budget-friendly evenings, Unihomes names the Pear Tree and the Three Sisters as popular for their low prices. Student-priced venues are a sensible starting point while you learn the city, and the student discounts edinburgh guide shows where else a student card is worth carrying.
Green space close to your flat
Not every outing needs a trip across town. Students in Tollcross have the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links close by, and the miniature golf at Bruntsfield Links makes a cheap, casual afternoon. If your priority is a flat with green space on the doorstep, that area is worth shortlisting.
Studying in the city
Unihomes notes that Edinburgh is bustling with cafes for students to spend hours on their laptops. That gives you alternatives when your flat is noisy or your library seat is taken, and it is a reason to value an area with several cafes within walking distance.
Match the place to the task. Cafes suit reading, drafting and casual group work, while quieter rooms suit exam revision and long concentration. A flat close to campus gives you the freedom to move between them during the day without losing time travelling. The guide to the best places to study in edinburgh compares libraries and other study spaces in more depth.
Money, work, food and safety
Rent is the largest single decision, but it is not the only one. The cost of living in edinburgh for students guide pulls the main running costs together, and it pairs naturally with the commute choice, since a cheaper flat further out can be offset by transport.
If you plan to earn alongside your studies, the guide to part time jobs for students in edinburgh lists realistic options. For food, Newington’s many shops and supermarkets make it a practical base, and the guide to the cheapest supermarket edinburgh compares where to shop.
Safety is a reasonable concern for anyone moving to a new city, and the guide to is edinburgh safe for students covers it directly, so you can weigh it alongside the other factors rather than guessing.
A sensible order for your first weeks
Settling in goes best when you take decisions in a sensible order, because early choices such as the flat constrain later ones such as transport and budget.
- Confirm what your rent covers. Ask whether bills are included before comparing flats, since Unihomes notes that its listings include them in the monthly rent.
- Test the commute. Walk or travel the route from a possible flat to your first lecture, at the time you would normally leave, and compare the result with the quoted times in the table.
- Explore the nearest green space. Find your closest park or hill and use it as a break from study, whether that is Holyrood Park, the Meadows or Bruntsfield Links.
- Join the social calendar. The edinburgh freshers week guide explains how to make the most of the opening days and meet people early.
- Set a weekly budget. Combine rent, transport and food into one figure, then use discounts and free attractions such as the National Galleries of Scotland to stretch it.
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many students are there in Edinburgh? | Unihomes says Edinburgh’s 4 major universities and an art school attract around 60,000 students a year to the city. |
| Which area is best for a quiet life? | Campusboard describes Morningside as perfect for those looking for a quieter setting, so it is a good starting point for students who want calm evenings. |
| Which area is cheapest? | Campusboard calls Newington’s rents very affordable, and says the New Town is among the most expensive areas for students. |
| What can I do for free outside lectures? | Walks in Holyrood Park, the climb up Arthur’s Seat and visits to the National Galleries of Scotland, which Unihomes says are free. |
| Is it easy to travel around the city? | Unihomes describes it as easy to get around by walking, cycling or efficient and reliable public transport, which suits a fairly compact capital. |
