East Lothian has been named as the most expensive council area in Scotland to buy a home over the last year, official figures have revealed.
According to the yearly property market report from the Registers of Scotland, which records all of the country’s property sales, East Lothian had the highest median home price of all local authorities at £283,227 in 2023–24.
It is perhaps unsurprising, with the area being home to North Berwick which was named as the best place to live in the UK in 2024 by the Sunday Times.
East Renfrewshire – last year’s most expensive council area – closely follows East Lothian with its median house price of £280,000. It is also the region which experienced the widest range of prices with 60% of sales between £160,000 and £455,000.
The report also highlights that 22% of all residential property sales in Scotland come from Glasgow and Edinburgh, which share the highest volume of sales, with the capital city the third most expensive council area in the country.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the scale, Inverclyde had the lowest median house price in the last year at £107,108 – a difference of £176,119 from this year’s most expensive council area.
Based on the median house price from 2023, here are the 14 most expensive council areas to buy a home in Scotland.
9. Stirling — £205,000
The Stirling Council area, including the city, has a median house price of £205,000 alongside the Highlands. | AFP via Getty Images
10. West Lothian — £200,000
The tenth most expensive council area in Scotland is West Lothian. Including towns such as Linlithgow and Livingston, the median price for property in this region is £200,000. | Andras - stock.adobe.com
11. Moray — £188,250
Another northern council region, Moray is among the most expensive areas in Scotland to buy a home with a median property price of £188,250. | cornfield - stock.adobe.com
12. Orkney Islands — £185,000
The median property price in the Orkney Islands is £185,000, meaning that across the last twenty years prices have gone up by 236% – one of the largest increases among Scottish local authorities. | Nikokvfrmoto - stock.adobe.com