Adelaide is cheaper to rent in. Melbourne and Adelaide compared on the measures we can hold level across states: rent, household income, house prices where open data exists, parks and cafés. Medians are taken over each city's scored suburbs, from official data and OpenStreetMap.
By Formada3D research · Updated 10 October 2026
| Measure | Melbourne | Adelaide |
|---|---|---|
| Median suburb rent (per week) | $408 | $330 |
| Median household income (per week, 2021 census) | $2,044 | $1,604 |
| Rent as a share of household income | 20% | 21% |
| Median house price (median suburb) | $1,295,500 | $988,625 |
| Median age | 38 | 40 |
| Park hectares per 1,000 residents (median suburb) | 2.8 | 1.8 |
| Cafés per 1,000 residents (median suburb) | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Suburbs scored | 216 | 274 |
Adelaide is cheaper to rent in. The median Adelaide suburb rents for $330/wk against $408/wk in Melbourne, about 19% less. Melbourne is where households earn more ($2,044/wk against $1,604/wk in Adelaide). Measured against local household income, rent takes about 20% in Melbourne and 21% in Adelaide.
The median house price in the median Adelaide suburb is $988,625, against $1,295,500 in Melbourne. Periods differ by state: Melbourne is Oct–Dec 2025 (Victorian Property Sales Report), Adelaide is Apr–Jun 2026 (SA Government Metropolitan Median House Sales), so treat the gap as indicative, not exact.
Melbourne is greener per resident (2.8 ha per 1,000 against 1.8 ha per 1,000 in Adelaide). Melbourne is ahead on cafés (0.6 per 1,000 against 0.4 per 1,000 in Adelaide).
We do not rank Melbourne against Adelaide on safety. Crime is recorded by different state agencies with different definitions, so a cross-state comparison would mislead. What we can do is rank suburbs within each city: see the safest suburbs in Melbourne and Adelaide.
Within each city the answer depends on what you weight. Top family suburbs: Melbourne: Eltham North, Montmorency, Macleod; Adelaide: Aberfoyle Park, Eden Hills, Wynn Vale. Best value: Melbourne: Yallambie, Attwood, Diamond Creek; Adelaide: Westbourne Park, Hazelwood Park, Netherby.
Medians are of suburb-level figures (a median suburb, not a pooled city total). Guidance only, visit before you move. No city, agent or developer can pay for placement here. Sources and method: how we rank suburbs.