Australia's most affordable and liveable suburbs revealed

UNITS continue to provide potential buyers with more options, with affordable suburbs for units far outpacing houses across Australian capitals.

According to PRD’s Affordable and Liveable Property Groups for 2H24, which looks at property trends across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, the percentage of affordable units sits at 48.7% compared to 29.2% for houses.

An affordable suburb is defined by the report as one that has a lower median house and unit price compared to the metro area as a whole.

Brisbane is the most affordable city for units at 60.3%, though its it the second most expensive for houses at 29.7%.

In Brisbane, the median house price in Inala is considered affordable at $700,000, with a rental yield of 3.5%, compared to Brisbane’s metro median of $1,000,000.

With Spring Hill’s unit median price affordable at $480,000, with a rental yield of 5.8%, compared to the city median of $730,000.

This as Brisbane overtook Canberra as the second most expensive city in the country, after home values lifted by 1.4% in May.

“Choosing an affordable and liveable suburb in Brisbane was the most difficult, due to property price growth in most of Brisbane’s suburbs and a low level of new residential stock planned,” read the report.

“Sydney and Melbourne proved easier, as many suburbs are still experiencing negative or low-price growth and a higher level of new residential stock in the pipeline.”

Sydney is the least affordable city for both houses and units at 12.1% and 41.4% respectively.

While affordability is hard to find in Sydney, Merrylands comes in at $1,250,000 with a 5.9% rental yield, compared to the metro median of $1,478,925.

For units, Granville boasts a $542,000 median and a rental yield of 6.0%, compared to Sydney’s unit metro median of $850,000.

Affordability has continued to fall out of reach across the country, as number of Australian suburbs with a median house or unit value at or above the million-dollar mark has hit an all-time high, at 29.3%.

Though at the same time, CoreLogic also found that almost 30% of all suburbs across Australia’s capitals and regional areas saw a loss in housing values over the three months to September this year.

Hobart is the most affordable capital for house buyers, with 40.4% of suburbs labelled affordable, likewise with units 40.4% are considered affordable.

Berriedale was the most affordable suburb for houses identified in Hobart, with a median price of $517,500 and a rental yield of 4.6%. This compared to Hobart’s $702,000 house median.

While for units, Glenorchy had a median price of $426,000 and a rental yield of 5.3%, compared to Hobart’s $545,000 median.

Melbourne had 34.5% of suburbs classified as affordable in the housing market and 47.3% for units.

Broadmeadows was the most affordable suburb listed for houses at $568,000 with a rental yield at 4.3%, compared to the metro median of $1,075,000.

For units, Williams Landing just beat out Broadmeadows with a median of $410,000 and a rental yield of 4.8%. Compared to the Melbourne median of $610,000.

“As per the 2023 and 1st half of 2024 guides, we had to sacrifice the unemployment rate in favour of ensuring a reasonable amount of ready-to-sell residential projects.”

“This suggests that home buyers need to travel longer distances to their jobs. This was particularly prevalent in Brisbane, followed by Hobart.”