One report showed that the town of Girvan is Scotland most affordable seaside town to live in - welcome news for the town which could do with all the positives it can get.
However, statistics released by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation this week give a depressing picture of South Ayrshire with Girvan and Maybole among the places with the lowest life expectancy for males in South Ayrshire.
Girvan has been named Scotland's most affordable seaside town, based on average house price, but the town also has an alarming life expectancy rate amongst the male population.
In figures released by the Bank of Scotland last weekend, Girvan topped the list in the fourth quarter of 2009.
To achieve Girvan's 2.97 house price to earnings ratio, the average house price is divided by average earnings for all full-time employees.
The figures show that Girvan could be an attractive place to live for people in full-time employment and could bring much-needed people to the town seeking a place to live near the sea.
Behind Girvan are Wick, with a ratio of 3.00, and Saltcoats, at 3.15.
Martin Ellis, housing economist at Bank of Scotland, said: "Living on the Scottish coast offers many attractions, including a typically high quality of life and attractive surroundings.
"As a result, property in seaside towns is often very popular with homebuyers.
"Whilst property in Scottish seaside towns can be more expensive than elsewhere, exceptional value for money can still be found for those searching to realise their dream of living near the sea."
House prices increased by a third in more than a half of Scottish seaside towns between 2004 and 2009.
Average house prices in all seaside towns surveyed increased by 37 per cent, outpacing the 33 per cent rise in Scotland as a whole.
And the findings are a welcome boost for the town's economy which has suffered with job losses and the loss of amenities recently.
Elsewhere, the statistics released by Bank of Scotland follow a report from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation about the area's health in which Girvan and Maybole were revealed to have the lowest life expectancy rates amongst males in South Ayrshire.
The north Carrick town has a life expectancy rate of just 67.6 while in Girvan Glendoune it was 68.3.
The figures mean that South Ayrshire is now on the same level as Glasgow's East End which has traditionally had some of the poorest areas in Scotland with some of the lowest life expectancy figures in the nation.
Also among the areas with low life expectancy were the Wallacetown, Newton, Lochside, Braehead and Whitletts areas of Ayr.
South Ayrshire Council's housing convenor, Douglas Campbell said people in the area did not want charity, what they wanted was the council, the health board and the police to work with them to solve local problems.