Find all types of student accommodation in Edinburgh including student houses, student flats and student halls. Edinburgh is home to the world famous University of Edinburgh, just one of several universities in Scotland's capital city.
Find all types of student accommodation in Edinburgh including student houses, student flats and student halls. Edinburgh is home to the world famous University of Edinburgh, just one of several universities in Scotland's capital city.
Edinburgh is a city known for its history, from Greyfriars Bobby to streets linked with Harry Potter, but Edinburgh is popular among students as well as tourists. Daily life here quickly becomes a routine and the area is a place that you call home. Everything feels close, even with the hills, and you will find yourself walking between campus, cafés and familiar spots without thinking about it.
There is always something happening; the Fringe Festival in August fills the city with shows, street performances and crowds, while events like Beltane bring a different kind of energy to places like Calton Hill. You can also explore without spending much: museums, galleries and landmarks such as St Giles’ Cathedral and the Scott Monument are free to visit, and parks like Princes Street Gardens offer space to slow down.
Nature is part of student life here. Walk up Arthur’s Seat or Calton Hill for wide views across the city, or head out to Portobello Beach when you need a break. Closer to home, areas like Leith Walk are full of independent cafés and shops.
Getting around the city is simple, most places are within walking distance, with buses and trams covering longer journeys.
Edinburgh is cheaper than London in terms of rent and cost of living, but is still quite an expensive city to live in due to its popularity with tourists.
Nightlife in Edinburgh is great, ranging from jazz bars, cocktail bars, student clubs to atmospheric pubs. The night scene here has a very different character to other UK cities but remains extremely authentic, even if quite expensive. With so many options, you are spoilt with choice – many students love Sneaky Pete’s or Cabaret Voltaire for clubbing.
In the 2024/25 academic year, HESA reported that there were just under 24,000 students from outside of the UK studying in Edinburgh, proving the place to be very popular with internationals.
All of the universities in Edinburgh have a very strong reputation with the University of Edinburgh being a globally well-regarded institution and a top UK university. Heriot-Watt is also well-known for its STEM subjects. Edinburgh Napier is slightly less prestigious than the other two but has a great graduate outcome scoring and is still very respected.
According to our research, rent in Edinburgh costs approximately £1192 per month (again, very similar to Glasgow), which works out to be around £298 a week. This is 31% higher than the average.
Edinburgh is generally considered to be quite pricey amongst students as well as tourists. With the cost of living, cafes, restaurants, groceries and rent remaining higher than the national average. Despite this, Edinburgh is still cheaper than London and remainssimilarly priced to Glasgow.
Due to low-crime numbers, a night out is deemed safe in Edinburgh, however students should still remain aware of their surroundings on nights out.
Newington is popular amongst University of Edinburgh students. Marchmont, the old town, city centre, Grassmarket and Haymarket are also popular choices amongst all students.
Edinburgh is often rated as a low-crime city and therefore is quite a safe city for students to live in.
Edinburgh Universities
Edinburgh is home to four universities, including Heriot-Watt University and Queen Margaret University.
