Cost of living in Highland
Single: 1-bed home. Couple: 2-bed home. Family: 3-bed home with one child. Estimates use average local rent, Band D council tax, and standard figures for groceries, transport and childcare.
Rent in Highland
The average monthly rent in Highland is £739.
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)
Scottish rent figures are based on Broad Rental Market Area (BRMA) averages from the Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics and ONS PIPR, not directly at council level. Councils within the same BRMA share the same headline figure.
Earnings in Highland
The average annual salary for residents of Highland is £31,416.
The average salary is the middle value: half of residents earn more and half earn less. The mean salary adds up everyone's pay and divides it by the number of people, so a few very high earners pull it up. We use the middle value as the average throughout this site.
Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)
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Average house prices in Highland
Source: ONS / HM Land Registry. Historical trend based on quarterly rolling-year average prices.
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Climate and weather in Highland
Summer daytime highs in Highland typically reach 16.6°C in July, dropping to around 5.2°C in January. Highland is much wetter than average for the UK, with rain falling on about 4.1 days a week. It gets around 59% more rainfall than the UK average. The area gets less sunshine than average for the UK, averaging around 4.1 hours per day in summer. Expect frost on around 120 days per year, mostly between October and May.
| Month | Daytime high | Rainfall | Rain days | Sunshine | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.2°C | 220mm | 20 | 28h | 19 |
| Feb | 5.5°C | 176mm | 18 | 56h | 18 |
| Mar | 7.1°C | 154mm | 18 | 89h | 16 |
| Apr | 9.8°C | 110mm | 15 | 133h | 12 |
| May | 12.9°C | 105mm | 15 | 173h | 8 |
| Jun | 14.9°C | 100mm | 15 | 134h | 3 |
| Jul | 16.6°C | 109mm | 16 | 124h | 1 |
| Aug | 16.3°C | 131mm | 17 | 121h | 1 |
| Sep | 14.2°C | 147mm | 16 | 97h | 3 |
| Oct | 10.7°C | 196mm | 20 | 66h | 7 |
| Nov | 7.5°C | 192mm | 20 | 38h | 13 |
| Dec | 5.4°C | 211mm | 20 | 22h | 19 |
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How this is calculated
Climate data is based on Met Office 30-year averages (1991-2020), calculated from 1052 observation grid points covering the Highland local authority area.
Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid , 1991-2020 averages. Crown copyright. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Council tax in Highland
Band D council tax in Highland is £1,634 per year.
Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government
Energy costs in Highland
A typical household in Highland pays approximately £1,723/year (£144/month) for gas and electricity.
Energy region: North Scotland
This estimate is based on the Ofgem price cap for a typical dual-fuel household using 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas per year, paying by Direct Debit. Your actual costs will depend on your usage, tariff, and whether you're on a fixed deal.
Source: Ofgem Energy Price Cap, Q4 2026
Water costs in Highland
The combined water and waste water charge from Scottish Water for a Band D home is £652/year (£54/month).
Water company: Scottish Water
In Scotland, water and waste water charges follow the council tax band and are billed with council tax. A lower band pays less and a higher band pays more. A home with one adult gets 25% off, as with council tax: £489 a year (£41 a month). Our single-person monthly cost uses that figure.
Source: Scottish Water 2026-27 charges for a Band D home (water £301.95 and waste water £350.37 a year, billed with council tax)
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Broadband in Highland
Highland has 62.1% full fibre coverage and 62.1% gigabit-capable coverage across residential premises.
Full fibre take-up: 42% of premises with full fibre available have taken it up.
"Gigabit-capable" means a connection of 1 Gbit/s or faster is available at the premises (full fibre or upgraded cable). "Full fibre" is fibre-to-the-premises specifically. "No decent broadband" counts premises below the 10 Mbit/s down / 1 Mbit/s up Universal Service Obligation.
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Source: Ofcom Connected Nations 2025, July 2025
Crime in Highland
There were 430 recorded crimes per 10,000 people in Highland, which is below the Scotland average of 569. Highland ranks #24 out of 303 areas for lowest crime rate.
Recorded crime statistics reflect crimes reported to and recorded by police. They may not capture the full picture of crime in an area, and recording practices vary between forces.
Source: Home Office police recorded crime, 2025-26
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