Moving to Adelaide: what the data actually says

Is moving to Adelaide a good idea? · What salary do you need to live in Adelaide? · Where should I live when moving to Adelaide? · Which Adelaide suburbs are the safest to move to? · Which Adelaide suburbs are best for families? · How much does it cost to buy a house in Adelaide? · Which Adelaide suburbs will boom? · Which Adelaide suburbs are close to the CBD and easy to commute from? · Where do young professionals live in Adelaide? · How do I compare two Adelaide suburbs before choosing?

Is moving to Adelaide a good idea?

For the numbers we can measure, Adelaide is 274 very different suburbs rather than one answer: the median suburb rents at $330/wk (ABS Census 2021, whole-suburb medians); the median suburb's median house price is $988,625 (April–June 2026 quarter (2Q 2026), 156 suburbs with 10+ sales); 56 of 274 suburbs score 80/100 or better on safety. Glenalta leads on safety, Aberfoyle Park leads on the families blend, Westbourne Park leads on value for money, Adelaide leads on cafés, transit and street life, Wynn Vale leads on green space, Plympton leads on public transport. What this guide cannot tell you: jobs, weather, or how a street feels — it ranks suburbs on official crime statistics, ABS census rent and income, sale prices where the state publishes them, and OpenStreetMap parks, cafés, transit and schools. Every ranking below links to its full list.

What salary do you need to live in Adelaide?

Using the common 30%-of-income housing-stress benchmark on ABS census rents: the median Adelaide suburb ($330/wk) needs a household income of roughly $57k a year; the cheapest quarter of suburbs ($300/wk or less) about $52k; the dearest quarter ($360/wk or more) about $62k or above. For comparison, the median Adelaide suburb's median household income in the 2021 census was $1,604/wk (about $83k a year). These are whole-suburb census medians across every dwelling size, so a one-bedroom flat sits well below and a family house well above — use them to rank suburbs, not to budget. Cheaper suburbs that still score at or above the city median for safety and public transport: Black Forest ($290/wk), Clarence Park ($310/wk), Westbourne Park ($305/wk), Greenwith ($320/wk), Dulwich ($320/wk) — see first home buyers in Adelaide and renting in Adelaide.

Where should I live when moving to Adelaide?

Pick by what you weight. Safety first: Glenalta, Coromandel Valley, McLaren Flat (safest suburbs in Adelaide). Families: Aberfoyle Park, Eden Hills, Wynn Vale (best Adelaide suburbs for families). Value for money: Westbourne Park, Hazelwood Park, Netherby (best value suburbs in Adelaide). Young professionals: Adelaide, Hawthorn, Torrens Park (cafés, transit and street life). Green space: Wynn Vale, Christie Downs, Surrey Downs (greenest suburbs in Adelaide). Car-free living: Plympton, Goodwood, Clarence Park (best public transport in Adelaide). Or set your own weights on the Adelaide suburb map and re-rank all 274 suburbs yourself.

Which Adelaide suburbs are the safest to move to?

On recorded criminal offences per 1,000 residents from the state's official crime statistics, the safest Adelaide suburbs are Glenalta (4.4 offences per 1,000 residents, safety 100/100), Coromandel Valley (6.4 offences per 1,000 residents, safety 99/100), McLaren Flat (5.5 offences per 1,000 residents, safety 99/100), Craigburn Farm (5.2 offences per 1,000 residents, safety 99/100), Flagstaff Hill (10.2 offences per 1,000 residents, safety 98/100). The rate is per resident, so it measures recorded offences, not how a street feels. Full ranking of all 274 suburbs: safest suburbs in Adelaide.

Which Adelaide suburbs are best for families?

Blending safety, government-school proximity, parks, kindergartens, price-for-size and transit, the top family suburbs are Aberfoyle Park (families 85/100, nearest school 0.78 km, 4.74 ha of parks per 1,000 residents), Eden Hills (families 82/100, nearest school 0.26 km, 34.12 ha of parks per 1,000 residents), Wynn Vale (families 81/100, nearest school 0.24 km, 13.76 ha of parks per 1,000 residents), Tea Tree Gully (families 80/100, nearest school 0.81 km, 29.08 ha of parks per 1,000 residents), Fairview Park (families 79/100, nearest school 0.25 km, 3.94 ha of parks per 1,000 residents). School distance is straight-line from the suburb centre, not catchment zoning — check zoning with the school before you sign. Full list: best suburbs in Adelaide for families; the decision version is families moving to Adelaide.

How much does it cost to buy a house in Adelaide?

Across the 156 Adelaide suburbs with at least 10 house sales in the period, the median suburb's median house price is $988,625 (SA Government Metropolitan Median House Sales, April–June 2026 quarter (2Q 2026)). Cheapest: Smithfield Plains ($650,000), Davoren Park ($656,000), Elizabeth Downs ($670,500), Elizabeth North ($671,000), Elizabeth Park ($680,000). Dearest: Somerton Park ($2,420,000), Glenunga ($2,271,111), Norwood ($2,157,500), Beaumont ($2,054,444), Wattle Park ($1,970,000). Medians move with what happened to sell in the period, so treat a single quarter as a guide; every suburb page shows the sale count behind its figure. Best offer-vs-rent trade-off: best value suburbs in Adelaide.

Which Adelaide suburbs will boom?

We do not forecast — nobody can from this data — but we can show what already moved. Over the past year, house medians rose in 144 of 156 Adelaide suburbs with 10+ sales, led by Norwood (+67.2%), Christies Beach (+41.6%), Richmond (+33.7%), Plympton (+33.4%), Kidman Park (+33.2%). Past growth is not a prediction, and a quarter's median swings with the mix of homes sold. Full ranking with sale counts: fastest-growing house prices in Adelaide.

Which Adelaide suburbs are close to the CBD and easy to commute from?

143 of the 274 scored suburbs sit within 10 km of the Adelaide CBD (straight-line from the city centre, not drive time) and 230 within 20 km. Of the inner ones, the best-served by public transport stops and stations (OpenStreetMap) are Plympton (5.5 km, transit 100/100), Goodwood (2.6 km, transit 99/100), Clarence Park (4.3 km, transit 99/100), Glandore (4.9 km, transit 99/100), Adelaide (0.3 km, transit 98/100). We do not hold timetable-based commute times; see each suburb page for its stop count and the public transport ranking.

Where do young professionals live in Adelaide?

On cafés per resident, public transport access and GPS-measured street activity, the suburbs that score highest are Adelaide (100/100 cafés, 98/100 transit), Hawthorn (89/100 cafés, 93/100 transit), Torrens Park (90/100 cafés, 90/100 transit), North Adelaide (96/100 cafés, 83/100 transit), Glenelg (100/100 cafés, 98/100 transit). See best Adelaide suburbs for young professionals and best suburbs for coffee.

How do I compare two Adelaide suburbs before choosing?

Every suburb page has a compare link to its nearest neighbours, and any two to four suburbs can be compared side by side on all ten scores, rent and price. Popular pairs from the suburbs named above:

What else do people ask about moving to Adelaide?

Computed from 274 scored Adelaide suburbs. Guidance only — visit a suburb before you move there. No suburb, agent or developer can pay for placement on this page or any ranking it links to. Sources and full method: how we rank suburbs.

Where next in Adelaide?