What it's like to live in Perth

Housing in Perth and Kinross leans strongly towards ownership. Across the council area, 68.5% of homes are owned, 14.2% are privately rented and 16.8% are socially rented. That social rented share is well below the Scottish figure of 23.1%, so social housing is a smaller slice of the market here than in many parts of the country. For tenants, that makes a mutual exchange a genuinely useful route in.

Perth and Kinross Council is by far the largest social landlord, with around 8,398 homes. Caledonia Housing Association follows with 2,431, then Kingdom Housing Association with 1,058 and Hillcrest Homes (Scotland) with 1,054. Cairn Housing Association has a smaller presence at 126 homes.

The people around you skew a little older than the Scottish average. Across the council area, 25.6% are 65 or over and 27.9% are aged 45 to 64, while under-16s make up 15.2%, close to the national 15.8%. In practice that means settled, established neighbourhoods, with plenty of families too, particularly near the cluster of primary schools.

Families are well served for schools here. Within a short walk you have St Ninian's Episcopal Primary and Craigie Primary, both around 0.4 miles, with Glenearn Community Campus at 0.6 miles, Kinnoull Primary at 0.7 and Goodlyburn Primary at 0.8. That is five primaries inside a mile, which gives real choice, including denominational options.

Secondary schooling is just as close. Perth Academy is under a mile away, St John's RC Academy about a mile, Perth Grammar School 1.1 miles and Perth High School 1.2 miles. Bertha Park High School, the newest of the group, is around 2.5 miles out. Most teenagers here can walk or take a short bus ride to school.

Beyond the classroom, the AK Bell Library is a few minutes away and useful for homework, groups and free things to do in bad weather. The 4th Perth Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers meet about half a mile off, and the Y Centre is close to the middle of town. Perth Royal Infirmary being under a mile away is a quiet reassurance for parents.

Perth is unusually easy to get around without a car. The train station is about a third of a mile from the centre of PH1, and Perth Bus Station is even closer at roughly a fifth of a mile. Having both within a short walk of each other matters: it makes connecting between bus and rail straightforward, whether you are commuting, visiting family or heading further afield.

On foot, the city is flat and compact along the river. Supermarkets, pharmacies, the library, the shopping centre and the cinema all sit within half a mile of each other, so a weekly shop or an appointment rarely needs a journey. The riverside parks give you pleasant walking routes rather than just pavements.

If you drive, Perth's position at a Scottish crossroads is the main advantage, with routes heading in all directions from the city. Parking and traffic in the centre are the usual trade-offs of a compact place. For schools, most of the primaries and secondaries listed are within a mile or so, which keeps the school run short however you do it.

The parks are Perth's best asset. South Inch and North Inch are large open commons either side of the centre, both within about half a mile, and Norie-Miller Park, Bellwood Riverside Park and Camilla Bell Park add more green along and around the Tay. For running, dog walking, football or just getting the children outdoors, you are spoilt.

Indoors, Perth Playhouse covers the cinema side, and there is a decent spread of gyms: The Gym Group and Claymore Crossfit within a couple of hundred metres, plus Reformer Studio, Bannatyne's Health Club and Perth Railway Boxing Club all close to the centre.

For eating and drinking, the centre is dense with pubs and bars, including The Ball Room, the Robert Burns Lounge, The Silvery Tay, the Garden Bar and the Bee Bar, nearly all within a short stroll. If you want a later night, Ego Nightclub and The Ice Factory are both in town. Perthshire Creates Makerspace adds something more hands-on for anyone with a creative streak.

The job figures here are for the wider Perth and Kinross council area, and they look healthy. The employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds is 78.4%, noticeably above the Scottish figure of 74.6%. In September 2026, 2.3% of working-age residents were claiming unemployment-related benefits, compared with 3.2% across Scotland.

Perth itself acts as the service and administrative centre for a large, mostly rural council area of about 154,930 people. The presence of Perth Royal Infirmary and Murray Royal Hospital, the council, schools, shops and the St John's Shopping Centre points to health, education, public services and retail being significant sources of local work.

The age profile tells you something too. Just 22.5% of residents are aged 25 to 44, below the Scottish 26.1%, while 25.6% are 65 or over against 21% nationally. That is a slightly older working population than average. On the plus side, the train and bus stations sit side by side in the centre, which makes commuting out to other towns realistic if the right job is elsewhere.