Get all the data you need about the real estate market in Edinburgh
This blog post is updated regularly so the figures you see here reflect what the Edinburgh rental market looks like right now, in March 2026.
Whether you are looking at a one-bed flat in Leith or a family house in Corstorphine, the numbers below will give you a realistic starting point.
We have ranked every neighborhood and property type by gross rental yield, from the strongest to the weakest, so you can cut straight to what matters.
And if you're planning to buy a property in Edinburgh, you may want to download our real estate database about Edinburgh.
A quick summary table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh neighborhood with best rental yield | Dalry (avg. ~6.8% gross) |
| Edinburgh neighborhoods with weakest rental yields | New Town and Morningside (4.3% to 4.6% gross) |
| Average gross yield across Edinburgh | ~5.2% |
| Average net yield across Edinburgh | ~4.1% |
| Median purchase price in Edinburgh | ~£330,000 |
| Average monthly rent in Edinburgh | ~£1,450 |
| Average occupancy rate in Edinburgh | ~95% |
| Fastest-letting Edinburgh neighborhood | Leith (studios renting in ~11 days) |
| Slowest-letting Edinburgh neighborhood | New Town and Morningside (up to 24 days) |
| Highest occupancy Edinburgh market | Dalry and Leith studios (97%) |
| Best value high-yield Edinburgh segment | Small flats in Dalry, Leith, and Newington |
| Yield range across Edinburgh (dispersion) | 4.3% to 6.8% gross (2.5 percentage point spread) |
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Edinburgh neighborhoods and property types in 2026 ranked by rental yield
This table ranks the top neighborhoods and property types in Edinburgh by gross rental yield.
For each neighborhood and property type, the table includes average purchase price, average monthly rent, gross rental yield, net rental yield, annual fees, average occupancy, average time to rent, main rental demand, main risk, and investment profile.
By the way, you'll find much more detailed data in our real estate database about Edinburgh.
| # | Neighborhood | Property type | Gross rental yield | Net rental yield | Average purchase price | Average monthly rent | Ownership annual fees | Average occupancy | Average time to rent | Main rental demand | Main risk | Rental Investment Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dalry | 1-bed flat | 6.8% | 5.4% | £185,000 | £1,050 | £2,600 | 97% | 12 days | Young professionals | Older tenement repair bills | Top Pick |
| 2 | Dalry | 2-bed flat | 6.8% | 5.5% | £235,000 | £1,325 | £3,000 | 96% | 15 days | Flat-sharing professionals | Licensing and compliance drift | Top Pick |
| 3 | Leith | Studio flat | 6.6% | 5.1% | £155,000 | £850 | £2,300 | 97% | 11 days | Single professionals | New-build rent competition | Top Pick |
| 4 | Newington | 3-bed flat | 6.4% | 5.3% | £395,000 | £2,100 | £4,200 | 97% | 11 days | Students and postgrads | HMO rule changes | Top Pick |
| 5 | Leith | 1-bed flat | 6.1% | 4.9% | £215,000 | £1,100 | £2,600 | 96% | 14 days | Young professionals | Amenity-supply competition | Top Pick |
| 6 | Newington | 2-bed flat | 6.0% | 4.9% | £330,000 | £1,650 | £3,500 | 97% | 12 days | Postgraduates and couples | Student turnover spikes | Strong Potential |
| 7 | Portobello | 1-bed flat | 5.7% | 4.6% | £220,000 | £1,050 | £2,500 | 96% | 15 days | Seaside professionals | Thin resale pool | Strong Potential |
| 8 | Leith | 2-bed flat | 5.6% | 4.6% | £295,000 | £1,375 | £3,000 | 95% | 16 days | Couples and sharers | Bigger stock pipeline | Good Potential |
| 9 | Portobello | 2-bed flat | 5.6% | 4.6% | £295,000 | £1,375 | £2,900 | 95% | 17 days | Couples near the beach | Seasonal demand swings | Good Potential |
| 10 | Dalry | 3-bed flat | 5.5% | 4.4% | £315,000 | £1,450 | £3,400 | 95% | 18 days | Students and sharers | Higher wear and turnover | Good Potential |
| 11 | Corstorphine | 2-bed flat | 5.5% | 4.4% | £245,000 | £1,125 | £2,600 | 96% | 16 days | Airport and city commuters | Slower premium rent growth | Good Potential |
| 12 | Newington | 1-bed flat | 5.3% | 4.2% | £250,000 | £1,100 | £2,800 | 95% | 16 days | Single postgraduates | Policy-led supply shifts | Good Potential |
| 13 | Fountainbridge | 1-bed flat | 5.2% | 4.1% | £275,000 | £1,200 | £3,200 | 95% | 17 days | City-centre professionals | Service-charge inflation | Good Potential |
| 14 | Fountainbridge | 2-bed flat | 5.1% | 4.1% | £365,000 | £1,550 | £3,800 | 95% | 18 days | Professionals wanting centrality | Build-to-rent competition | Moderate Appeal |
| 15 | Corstorphine | 3-bed house | 5.1% | 4.2% | £390,000 | £1,650 | £3,300 | 95% | 18 days | Families and relocators | Higher maintenance capex | Moderate Appeal |
| 16 | Portobello | 3-bed house | 5.0% | 4.1% | £435,000 | £1,800 | £3,600 | 95% | 18 days | Families seeking the coastline | Lower tenant turnover flexibility | Moderate Appeal |
| 17 | Marchmont | 3-bed flat | 4.9% | 4.0% | £485,000 | £2,000 | £4,400 | 96% | 14 days | Students and academics | Higher common repair costs | Strong Potential |
| 18 | Marchmont | 4-bed flat | 4.9% | 4.1% | £620,000 | £2,550 | £5,200 | 94% | 20 days | Students and group sharers | Licensing and repair exposure | Moderate Appeal |
| 19 | Corstorphine | 4-bed house | 4.8% | 4.0% | £520,000 | £2,100 | £4,200 | 95% | 19 days | Families near schools | Higher vacancy risk | Moderate Appeal |
| 20 | Fountainbridge | 3-bed flat | 4.8% | 3.9% | £510,000 | £2,050 | £4,600 | 94% | 20 days | Corporate sharers | Large-unit demand volatility | Moderate Appeal |
| 21 | Stockbridge | 1-bed flat | 4.8% | 3.7% | £295,000 | £1,175 | £3,200 | 95% | 18 days | Affluent singles | High entry pricing | Moderate Appeal |
| 22 | Marchmont | 2-bed flat | 4.8% | 3.8% | £390,000 | £1,550 | £3,600 | 96% | 15 days | Students and young couples | Older tenement upkeep | Good Potential |
| 23 | Morningside | 1-bed flat | 4.7% | 3.6% | £285,000 | £1,125 | £3,100 | 95% | 18 days | Professionals near amenities | Premium pricing pressure | Moderate Appeal |
| 24 | Stockbridge | 2-bed flat | 4.6% | 3.6% | £395,000 | £1,525 | £3,900 | 95% | 19 days | Couples and professionals | Premium service charges | Moderate Appeal |
| 25 | New Town | Studio flat | 4.6% | 3.4% | £240,000 | £925 | £3,000 | 95% | 20 days | Corporate singles | High purchase basis | Limited Appeal |
| 26 | Stockbridge | 3-bed flat | 4.5% | 3.6% | £575,000 | £2,150 | £5,000 | 94% | 22 days | Affluent families | Thin tenant pool | Limited Appeal |
| 27 | Morningside | 2-bed flat | 4.5% | 3.5% | £390,000 | £1,450 | £3,600 | 95% | 20 days | Downsizers and professionals | Slower rent uplift | Limited Appeal |
| 28 | New Town | 1-bed flat | 4.4% | 3.3% | £325,000 | £1,200 | £3,600 | 94% | 22 days | Corporate renters | High service charge drag | Limited Appeal |
| 29 | Morningside | 3-bed house | 4.3% | 3.5% | £625,000 | £2,250 | £5,000 | 94% | 24 days | Families in school catchments | High capital outlay | Limited Appeal |
| 30 | New Town | 2-bed flat | 4.3% | 3.4% | £495,000 | £1,775 | £4,600 | 94% | 24 days | Executives and diplomats | Lower yield ceiling | Limited Appeal |
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Key insights about rental yields in Edinburgh
Insights
- Dalry 1-bed and 2-bed flats both hit 6.8% gross yield, making them the strongest performers in Edinburgh by a clear margin over the city average of around 5.2%.
- A Leith studio at £155,000 beats a Leith 1-bed flat at £215,000 purely on yield math: the smaller entry price more than compensates for the lower rent.
- Newington 3-bed flats produce a 6.4% gross yield and rent in just 11 days on average, yet they carry real HMO compliance risk that smaller flats do not.
- Portobello offers a 5.6% to 5.7% gross yield alongside genuine lifestyle demand from seaside-seeking tenants, which is rare for a suburban Edinburgh neighborhood at that price point.
- Marchmont 3-bed flats yield 4.9% and rent in only 14 days, nearly as fast as Leith, driven by consistent academic and student demand near the university corridor.
- Fountainbridge looks central and modern, but service-charge inflation pulls net yields down to 3.9% to 4.1%, which is noticeably lower than the gross figures suggest.
- Corstorphine 2-bed flats yield 5.5% net against 4.2% for Corstorphine 4-bed houses. Smaller is simply more efficient in this western Edinburgh suburb.
- Stockbridge, Morningside, and New Town all sit in the 4.3% to 4.8% gross range, confirming that Edinburgh's most prestigious postcodes reward capital quality rather than rental income.
- The gap between the best Edinburgh gross yield (6.8% in Dalry) and the worst (4.3% in New Town and Morningside) is 2.5 percentage points, a wide spread for a single city.
- University-linked neighborhoods like Newington and Marchmont maintain occupancy rates of 96% to 97%, compared to 94% in prime areas like New Town and Stockbridge.
- Smaller flats consistently keep a tighter gap between gross and net yield than larger ones, because ownership costs scale up faster than rents as you move into bigger property types.
- Edinburgh's short-term let restrictions, particularly in central and tourism-sensitive areas, have pushed more supply back into the long-term rental market, which partly explains the strong occupancy figures in neighborhoods like Leith and Dalry.
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About our methodology
We also believe it is important to show our reasoning. It is one of the ways we make our work solid, transparent, and rigorous, just as you will see in our real estate database about Edinburgh.
First, please note that this data is updated regularly, so what you see here reflects the current values as of today.
In order to get reliable data, we applied a strict source filter. We only used authoritative, verifiable sources, not random listings or unsupported figures. More on that point below.
For each Edinburgh neighborhood and property type, we aggregated the freshest purchase price and monthly rent data available. When possible, we cross-checked multiple sources to confirm the same range.
This allowed us to estimate rental yield before costs. That is the gross yield, based on annual rent versus purchase price.
We then estimated rental yield after costs. That is the net yield, after recurring ownership and operating expenses.
These expenses vary across Edinburgh neighborhoods. That is why two areas with similar rents can still produce different net returns.
For example, modern central blocks in Fountainbridge carry higher service charges, while older Edinburgh tenements in Dalry and Marchmont may have larger common repair bills. In high-turnover student markets like Newington, vacancy and turnover costs can also be higher.
We also estimated ownership annual fees by combining the main recurring costs linked to each asset. This includes Scottish property taxes (council tax), building insurance, a maintenance allowance, and service charges where relevant for factored or modern properties.
These estimates were not applied as one flat number across the city. They were adjusted by neighborhood and property type to better reflect local Edinburgh ownership conditions, including the specific demands of the Scottish Repairing Standard for landlords.
This table should therefore be read as a structured market estimate, not as an exact guarantee of future performance. Honesty, quality, and rigor are at the core of our work, and they are also what you will find in our real estate database about Edinburgh.
What sources have we used to write this blog article?
Whether it's in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our real estate database about Edinburgh, we rely on verifiable sources and a transparent methodology.
We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we've listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.
| Source | Why it's reliable | How we used it |
|---|---|---|
| Office for National Statistics (Edinburgh housing) | The UK's official statistics office, so it's the cleanest city-level benchmark available. | We used it for the official Edinburgh house-price and Lothian rent anchor close to March 2026. We cross-checked all neighborhood estimates against this citywide range to make sure nothing was out of step. |
| Registers of Scotland | The official property transaction registry for Scotland, so it reflects real completed sales. | We used it as the official sales evidence base behind current pricing. We cross-checked portal-level neighborhood prices against registered transactions to make sure figures were grounded in reality. |
| ESPC House Price Report (Feb 2026) | The best-known Edinburgh property marketplace, with market tracking grounded in local sales evidence. | We used it for the latest Edinburgh-region selling-price trend heading into March 2026. We calibrated neighborhood purchase-price estimates up or down from the broader Edinburgh baseline using ESPC data. |
| Citylets Edinburgh PRS Report Q2 2025 | One of the most established Scottish lettings datasets, published quarterly with postcode-level detail. | We used it for Edinburgh rents by bedroom count, time to let, and postcode yield comparisons. We treated it as the main rental-market backbone for gross yield and occupancy assumptions across the city. |
| Citylets Edinburgh PRS Report Q1 2025 | The same quarterly dataset from the prior quarter, useful for spotting short-term volatility. | We used it to check whether Q2 2025 figures were outliers or part of a stable pattern. We used both quarters together to smooth the rent assumptions we projected into March 2026. |
| Savills Edinburgh market page | A major international property adviser with strong Edinburgh market coverage and prime neighborhood expertise. | We used it for context on prime versus mainstream Edinburgh neighborhoods. We relied on it to explain why New Town, Stockbridge, and Morningside show stronger prices but softer yields. |
| Scottish Landlord Register | The official mandatory landlord registration system for Scotland. | We used it for the mandatory fee structure all Edinburgh landlords must pay. We included these fees as one of the building blocks inside the annual ownership-cost estimates. |
| Scottish Government Repairing Standard guidance | The formal statutory guidance covering landlord repair obligations across Scotland. | We used it to reflect the real maintenance and compliance burden on Edinburgh landlords. We widened annual cost assumptions for older tenements and larger family properties where this obligation is most demanding. |
| City of Edinburgh Council short-term lets policy | The local authority policy source for Edinburgh short-term let regulation, updated May 2025. | We used it for the regulatory backdrop affecting investor behavior and rental supply in central Edinburgh. We factored it into the risk scoring for central and tourism-sensitive neighborhoods like Leith and Fountainbridge. |
| Rightmove sold prices (multiple Edinburgh neighborhoods) | One of the UK's largest property portals, with sold-price pages widely used for area benchmarking. | We used Rightmove sold-price pages for Dalry, Leith, Newington, Portobello, Corstorphine, Fountainbridge, Marchmont, Stockbridge, Morningside, and New Town as neighborhood-level sold-price anchors. We cross-checked every figure against ESPC, ONS, and Registers of Scotland before turning them into March 2026 estimates. |
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