Moving to Edinburgh from London

[glawalba]

DP and I are both financial services professionals. Our jobs can be done fully remotely and there is a growing sector in Edinburgh. We have lived between London and Singapore for the past fifteen years. We love London but we are looking for somewhere new to live. We have no links to Scotland. So we feel we would be happy either in Edinburgh or Glasgow. We love the vibe of both places. We could also afford to own a lovely lateral apartment or house compared to our 90s flat in Canary Wharf. Moving to a semi in the suburbs in London is not for us.

Has anyone successfully made a move? We are social people, and DP is good at making friends through his temple.

Edinburgh is very cosmopolitan with people living here from all over the world. I came here when I was much younger so can’t comment on moving as a professional but it is an amazing place to live. It can be cold and windy in the winter just to warn you. What kind of temple is it?

Edinburgh is much smaller than London and you can basically be in the countryside or on the beach in 20 min. There is less going on, but for a city it's size it has an amazing amount of culture. It is not as multicultural as London, but I would say very welcoming. At least in my experience.
If you have kids I would check out the Scottish schooling system as it's different from English schools. Possibly a consideration on when you plan to move as kids start later here.

There is also a subgroup on Mumsnet, called Scotsnet, where lots of people ask about similar moves. So you could have a look at past threads. Think quite a few people make the London to Edinburgh move.

Edinburgh and Glasgow are both great cities, but simply cannot compete with what London has to offer (speaking as someone who moved from London to Glasgow (and lived in Edinburgh previously)). Yes you'll get a nicer flat/house, but you'll find life a lot duller and the weather poor.

The proximity to the coast/countryside is, however, a huge plus if that's of interest. But if you're city people, stay in London.

Consider that in Scotland your higher rate tax starts at around £43k, yes....