North Berwick - do you live there?

Linlithgow is lovely and has what you sound like you're looking for, although not the coast. It's a lovely place. I live ten minutes from the bypass (sheriffhall roundabout junction) and honestly it's a huge ballache. Some days I sail down, others you get there and there's been an incident meaning you add at least 30 minutes to the journey. You could look at Colinton area or similar? Lots of lovely areas around the Pentlands. Airport easy reach.

@Carowe I think to make life simpler you would be much better finding a house on the west side of the airport than the east side. Linlithgow or Polmont would be good and you would find a lovely house within your budget. Linlithgow is a lovely town and sounds like the type of place you perhaps are looking for Polmont maybe less so but still nice. You could even venture away (Falkirk, Larbert,for example) as the M9 provides good links.

Yeah.... You will NEVER do NB to Edinburgh airport in 45 mins. Unless you've got a helicopter. The road isn't amazing to the A1, and then the bypass is hell to get all the way around, unless it's 3.30am, of course. I used to drive from Fife to NB twice a week for work, and it took at least 1.5 hours, usually.

My sister lives in NB, and I love it there. (She is one of the local primary teachers.) They wouldn't be able to afford the house they have now, but they live quite centrally. It's a great place, but over-run in the summer. Parking is awful, and the beaches do get busy. Still wouldn't put me off, but I wouldn't be buying somewhere, thinking it's all gravy for getting to and from the airport.

I live in Fife, and would also recommend. Aberdour is lovely (and very desireable), and easier access to the airport, I'd wager.

North Berwick is expensive (but by London terms) and posh. There's very little diversity if that's important to you. Linlithgow has a very similar vibe, but not by the sea. I was also going to suggest South Queensferry if that's the kind of the plsce you're looking for. They're all much the same.

NB is the wrong side of the city for the airport, 40 minutes would be quick, if you get stuck on the bypass you could be anywhere between 1 and 2 hours. Occasionally more there's a big issue - recent flooding people were on the bypass for 5hrs! Honestly I would consider more to the west of Edinburgh if the airport is what you need.

We're not far from NB (45 min perhaps) and to be honest I'd go for it. During Covid we holidayed there and the town is lovely. We talked about moving there at one point but it's a bit pricey for us and both of us need to be in an office in Edinburgh a few times a week and all the logistics wouldn't really work, adding in school runs. Your budget is good and I think you'd work out the commute. The bypass is unpredictable. From where I live it can vary from 20 min drive to my office using the bypass to an hour depending on traffic.
The weather is worse and we pay more tax though.

OP portobello or Joppa might be a good option and less of a commute. espc.com/property/20-esplanade-terrace-joppa-edinburgh-eh15-2es/36243058

Another one saying that Airport to NB in 40 minutes, is NEVER going to happen. It is a long slog.

South Queensferry and Cramond are lovely, but CRAZY expensive.

If you go over the bridge into Fife (takes one minute!), house prices fall off a cliff, and you are still very close to the airport. Beautiful homes with sea views.

What is your budget for a house? I'm guessing quite healthy if you're in London. To tickle your taste buds, looks at these 2 streets on Rightmove :

Carlingnose Point in North Queensferry
Donibristle Gardens in Dalgety Bay

Enormous houses with sea views. Some with swimming pools.

There's no way that's a 40minute commute to EDI, I live 6 miles from EDI in the city and it takes 30minutes during the day, 20minutes in the dead of night. It's 35 miles and a part of that isn't on the bypass / dual carriageway so there's no way you'd do it in 40 minutes even with no traffic on the road.
NB is a nice place for a day out but personally i think i'd get cabin fever if I lived there. It's quite small and feels tantalisingly close to Edinburgh but without actually being Edinburgh, and it pretty much carries Edinburgh house prices. The train service isn't the most frequent and for connections to the east coast mainline to London you have to backtrack on yourself into Edinburgh or drive to Dunbar but very few trains stop there.

BIL lives in North Berwick - I've been there a couple times and love the quaintness of it.

BIL has two young boys and apparently plenty do them to do!

PP's are right that 40 minutes to the airport is crazy ambitious. The time on Google Maps right now is 1 hour 1 minute. The roads can be very unpredictable if there's an accident/breakdown/big event going on.

I agree that living on completely the wrong side of town for the airport seems unnecessarily painful. I’d look at Cramond maybe?

Remember the Education system is very different here. The legal system too. You will pay more tax. It's cold.

There is no way it’s 40 mins from NB to the airport - that’s probably only possible late at night with no traffic! I live 10 mins from the airport and that can take 20 in traffic or if there is an incident.

South Queensferry is an amazing place to live for a family.

Getting through Sherriffhall roundabout (where the A7 crosses the bypass) is really unpredictable. Not just in rushour but all day. For me it’s not that you get stuck it’s that it’s hard to predict how stuck you’ll get. And traffic can crawl past the next two junctions (straiton and Lothianburn often for no apparent reason).

Dalgety Bay! I still think of it as a big housing estate. When I was growing up nearby it didn’t have any shops, or a station, or schools, or a doctor! I’m glad it’s much better now. It’s in a lovely part of the world.

Lovely place to live. If I could afford it I’d live there in a heartbeat!

I agree with posters above saying look further east. Balerno, Cramond, South Queensferry would be much better for airport access but depends on the shifts.

I grew up in NB and family still live there. It is a lovely place to live and a great place to grow up.
It has grown a lot since I lived there but it is still lovely and the train to Edinburgh is such a benefit. It is true that it gets very busy in the summer and parking can be a nightmare. I would rather live in the town and be able to walk myself.
The schools are good.

Not sure what kind of shifts your dh does but NB to the airport daily would be awful. Unless after 8pm or before 7am.