Best suburbs in Adelaide for young professionals
Cafés, public transport and how much life is actually happening on the street.
Adelaide (93/100), Hawthorn (91/100), Leabrook (91/100) lead this ranking of 274 Adelaide suburbs.
By BestSuburbs research · Updated October 2026
Part of Adelaide suburb rankings · all Adelaide lists
Which Adelaide suburbs are best for young professionals?
How do the top 25 compare, measure by measure?
| # | Suburb | Cafés | Transit | Activity | Median house price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Adelaide | 100 | 87 | 92 | $1,555,000 |
| 2 |  Hawthorn | 89 | 95 | 90 | $1,810,500 |
| 3 |  Leabrook | 92 | 92 | 90 | $1,997,500 |
| 4 |  Glenelg | 100 | 97 | 70 | $2,775,000 |
| 5 |  Torrens Park | 90 | 83 | 91 | $2,460,000 |
| 6 |  Tusmore | 93 | 88 | 80 | $2,925,000 |
| 7 |  Semaphore | 98 | 87 | 72 | $1,325,000 |
| 8 |  Wayville | 96 | 92 | 61 | $2,516,500 |
| 9 |  Kensington Gardens | 76 | 78 | 92 | $2,265,000 |
| 10 |  Malvern | 90 | 80 | 72 | $2,410,000 |
| 11 |  Glandore | 90 | 88 | 64 | $1,318,000 |
| 12 |  Colonel Light Gardens | 84 | 85 | 72 | $1,668,000 |
| 13 |  Goodwood | 96 | 84 | 61 | $1,355,000 |
| 14 |  Alberton | 80 | 69 | 90 | $1,550,000 |
| 15 |  Clarence Gardens | 84 | 95 | 60 | $1,490,000 |
| 16 |  St Morris | 98 | 54 | 86 | $1,334,500 |
| 17 |  Linden Park | 80 | 78 | 80 | $1,950,000 |
| 18 |  Dulwich | 94 | 71 | 72 | $2,050,000 |
| 19 |  Old Reynella | 70 | 82 | 84 | $930,000 |
| 20 |  Firle | 94 | 80 | 62 | $1,675,000 |
| 21 |  North Adelaide | 96 | 49 | 90 | $4,270,000 |
| 22 |  Hyde Park | 99 | 68 | 62 | $1,688,000 |
| 23 |  Hampstead Gardens | 87 | 97 | 44 | $1,342,500 |
| 24 |  Glenelg South | 94 | 80 | 53 | $4,575,000 |
| 25 |  Melrose Park | 92 | 85 | 44 | $1,247,500 |
Showing the top 25 of 274 ranked suburbs. Scores are percentiles against every other suburb in Adelaide: 100 is the best in the city, 50 is mid-table. Click any suburb for its full profile.
Why do these 10 suburbs suit young professionals in Adelaide? (October 2026)
Updated 17 October 2026 · one sentence of real reasons per suburb, from the data on this page.
- Adelaide ★ 93
Adelaide takes #1 on 98% of it within 400 m of a park, with 7 government primary schools and 7 secondary inside the suburb, and 157 cafés.
- Hawthorn ★ 91
At #2, Hawthorn combines 33 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 95 and 83% of it within 400 m of a park, and 2 cafés.
- Leabrook ★ 91
At #3, Leabrook combines a recorded crime rate of about 19 offences per 1,000 residents (safety score 86/100) and 89% of it within 400 m of a park, and 19 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 92.
- Glenelg ★ 89
Glenelg takes #4 on 28 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 97, with 13 cafés, and 1 government primary school inside the suburb.
- Torrens Park ★ 88
Torrens Park (#5) scores on a recorded crime rate of about 38 offences per 1,000 residents (safety score 63/100) and 36 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 83, and 3 cafés.
- Tusmore ★ 87
At #6, Tusmore combines a recorded crime rate of about 27 offences per 1,000 residents (safety score 76/100) and 86% of it within 400 m of a park, and 19 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 88.
- Semaphore ★ 86
What lifts Semaphore to #7 is 7 cafés; it also has 24 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 87, and 80% of it within 400 m of a park.
- Wayville ★ 83
#8 Wayville — 95% of it within 400 m of a park, plus 28 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 92, and 4 cafés.
- Kensington Gardens ★ 82
Kensington Gardens takes #9 on a recorded crime rate of about 24 offences per 1,000 residents (safety score 81/100), with 26 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 78, and 69% of it within 400 m of a park.
- Malvern ★ 81
#10 Malvern — 22 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 80, plus 2 cafés, and 1 government primary school inside the suburb.
Why each of the top 10 suburbs for young professionals in Adelaide ranks where it does
Written from this page's own data: each figure below is the suburb's own value, set against the Adelaide median where we hold one.
1. Adelaide
Adelaide is #1 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 93/100. It combines 157 cafés (8.63 per 1,000 residents), a transit score of 87 and an activity score of 92. The trade-off: it scores 0/100 for safety, so it is weaker there. It covers 10.4 km² with about 18,202 residents (census).
2. Hawthorn
Hawthorn is #2 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 91/100. It combines 2 cafés (0.9 per 1,000 residents), a transit score of 95 and an activity score of 90. It covers 1 km² with about 2,221 residents (census).
3. Leabrook
Leabrook is #3 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 91/100. It combines 2 cafés (1.25 per 1,000 residents), a transit score of 92 and an activity score of 90. It covers 0.6 km² with about 1,605 residents (census).
4. Glenelg
Glenelg is #4 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 89/100. It combines 13 cafés (3.78 per 1,000 residents), a transit score of 97 and an activity score of 70. The trade-off: it scores 3/100 for safety, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.7 km² with about 3,440 residents (census).
5. Torrens Park
Torrens Park is #5 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 88/100. It combines 3 cafés (1.12 per 1,000 residents), a transit score of 83 and an activity score of 91. The trade-off: it scores 4/100 for parks, so it is weaker there. It covers 1.7 km² with about 2,687 residents (census).
6. Tusmore
Tusmore is #6 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 87/100. It combines 2 cafés (1.33 per 1,000 residents), a transit score of 88 and an activity score of 80. The trade-off: it scores 27/100 for parks, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.6 km² with about 1,503 residents (census).
7. Semaphore
Semaphore is #7 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 86/100. It combines 7 cafés (2.55 per 1,000 residents), a transit score of 87 and an activity score of 72. The trade-off: it scores 30/100 for safety, so it is weaker there. It covers 1 km² with about 2,749 residents (census).
8. Wayville
Wayville is #8 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 83/100. It combines 4 cafés (2.08 per 1,000 residents), a transit score of 92 and an activity score of 61. The trade-off: it scores 3/100 for safety, so it is weaker there. It covers 1 km² with about 1,922 residents (census).
9. Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens is #9 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 82/100. It combines 1 cafés (0.4 per 1,000 residents), a transit score of 78 and an activity score of 92. The trade-off: it scores 14/100 for parks, so it is weaker there. It covers 1.1 km² with about 2,498 residents (census).
10. Malvern
Malvern is #10 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 81/100. It combines 2 cafés (0.74 per 1,000 residents), a transit score of 80 and an activity score of 72. The trade-off: it scores 4/100 for parks, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.9 km² with about 2,713 residents (census).
How do these suburbs compare head to head?
What else do people ask about suburbs for young professionals in Adelaide?
What are the best suburbs in Adelaide for young professionals?
On our October 2026 data the top five are Adelaide (93/100), Hawthorn (91/100), Leabrook (91/100), Glenelg (89/100), Torrens Park (88/100), out of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs.
How is this ranking calculated?
Cafés per 1,000 residents, public transport access, and GPS activity heat — the last being a measure of how much walking, running and riding actually happens there, rather than how it is marketed. 274 of 274 Adelaide suburbs had enough data to be ranked. Updated October 2026.
Is this ranking sponsored?
No. No ranking on this site is sold or sponsored. It is computed from open data: GPS activity traces, official crime statistics, the ABS census and OpenStreetMap.
What other Adelaide rankings are there?
Sources: open GPS activity traces, official crime statistics, ABS census,
OpenStreetMap (ODbL). Sale prices: SA Government Metropolitan Median House Sales, April–June 2026 quarter (2Q 2026) — © Government of South Australia (Land Services SA), Metropolitan Median House Sales, CC BY 4.0. Quarterly median house sale price per suburb, metropolitan Adelaide. Units are not in this dataset. Figures marked as low-volume rest on fewer than 10 sales that quarter. No ranking on this site is sold or sponsored.
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