What Could You Earn?
Estimated gross income for a typical 3-bedroom house in Scotland, based on median values. These are starting points. In the dashboard you can adjust everything to match your own property and circumstances.
Key Takeaways
- Short-term rental outperforms long-term in most of Scotland, but the mandatory licensing scheme and management overhead narrow the gap compared to England.
- Edinburgh has the highest nightly rates but is a designated Short-Term Let Control Area. Planning permission is required on top of licensing, making short-term rental difficult for investment properties.
- The Central Belt (Glasgow, Lanarkshire) offers the best balance: strong short-term premiums with relatively affordable entry prices and standard licensing only.
How Short-Term and Long-Term Compare by Area
Estimated monthly income for a 3-bedroom house in each area, before expenses. Click any area to see the full breakdown in the dashboard.
| City / area | Price | Long-term /month | Short-term /month | Short-term rules | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Edinburgh
Scotland
|
£265K | £1,864 | £6,843 | Low | View details → |
|
Glasgow
Scotland
|
£179K | £1,263 | £4,357 | Low | View details → |
|
Aberdeen
Scotland
|
£166K | £1,181 | £2,725 | Low | View details → |
|
Perth
Scotland
|
£171K | £1,076 | £3,459 | Low | View details → |
|
Fife
Scotland
|
£177K | £992 | £3,415 | Low | View details → |
|
Stirling
Scotland
|
£168K | £968 | £3,626 | Low | View details → |
|
Inverness
Scotland
|
£165K | £957 | £3,271 | Low | View details → |
|
Dundee
Scotland
|
£142K | £887 | £2,696 | Low | View details → |
All figures are estimates based on median values for a 3-bedroom house in each area. Individual properties will vary. Use the dashboard to adjust assumptions to your own situation.
Compare Any Location
The dashboard covers 8 local authorities across Scotland. Search for any area and adjust property price, rent, nightly rate, occupancy, mortgage rate, and expenses to match your investment.
Open DashboardData last updated: March 2026