Moving to Perth: what the data actually says
Short answer: there is no single best suburb in Perth for everyone moving here — it depends on whether you weight safety, value, family amenity or street life. Guildford leads on the families blend, Subiaco leads on cafés, transit and street life, Karawara leads on green space. The median suburb rents at $370/wk. Every figure below is computed from official data for all 256 suburbs, and you can re-order the ranking yourself on the Perth suburb map.
By Formada3D research · Updated 10 October 2026
Is moving to Perth a good idea? · What salary do you need to live in Perth? · Where should I live when moving to Perth? · Which Perth suburbs are best for families? · Which Perth suburbs are close to the CBD and easy to commute from? · Where do young professionals live in Perth? · How do I compare two Perth suburbs before choosing?
Is moving to Perth a good idea?
For the numbers we can measure, Perth is 256 very different suburbs rather than one answer: the median suburb rents at $370/wk (ABS Census 2021, whole-suburb medians). Guildford leads on the families blend, Subiaco leads on cafés, transit and street life, Karawara leads on green space, Daglish 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 Perth?
Using the common 30%-of-income housing-stress benchmark on ABS census rents: the median Perth suburb ($370/wk) needs a household income of roughly $64k a year; the cheapest quarter of suburbs ($340/wk or less) about $59k; the dearest quarter ($420/wk or more) about $73k or above. For comparison, the median Perth suburb's median household income in the 2021 census was $2,005/wk (about $104k 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.
Where should I live when moving to Perth?
Pick by what you weight. Families: Guildford, East Victoria Park, Bateman (best Perth suburbs for families). Young professionals: Subiaco, Fremantle, Perth (cafés, transit and street life). Green space: Karawara, North Coogee, Burswood (greenest suburbs in Perth). Car-free living: Daglish, Perth, Queens Park (best public transport in Perth). Or set your own weights on the Perth suburb map and re-rank all 256 suburbs yourself.
Which Perth suburbs are best for families?
Blending safety, government-school proximity, parks, kindergartens, price-for-size and transit, the top family suburbs are Guildford (families 85/100, nearest school 0.77 km, 18.05 ha of parks per 1,000 residents), East Victoria Park (families 84/100, nearest school 0.29 km, 1.76 ha of parks per 1,000 residents), Bateman (families 82/100, nearest school 0.49 km, 2.76 ha of parks per 1,000 residents), Ferndale (families 82/100, nearest school 0.88 km, 27.42 ha of parks per 1,000 residents), Mindarie (families 81/100, nearest school 0.57 km, 31.49 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 Perth for families; the decision version is families moving to Perth.
Which Perth suburbs are close to the CBD and easy to commute from?
76 of the 256 scored suburbs sit within 10 km of the Perth CBD (straight-line from the city centre, not drive time) and 179 within 20 km. Of the inner ones, the best-served by public transport stops and stations (OpenStreetMap) are Daglish (4.6 km, transit 100/100), Perth (0.1 km, transit 99/100), West Leederville (3 km, transit 99/100), East Perth (1.6 km, transit 98/100), Burswood (3.2 km, transit 97/100). 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 Perth?
On cafés per resident, public transport access and GPS-measured street activity, the suburbs that score highest are Subiaco (98/100 cafés, 92/100 transit), Fremantle (99/100 cafés, 85/100 transit), Perth (100/100 cafés, 99/100 transit), Claremont (92/100 cafés, 96/100 transit), Cottesloe (85/100 cafés, 97/100 transit). See best Perth suburbs for young professionals and best suburbs for coffee.
How do I compare two Perth 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 Perth?
How is this Perth relocation guide calculated?
From the same open data behind every page here — official crime statistics, ABS census income and rent, state sale-price data where it is published under an open licence, OpenStreetMap parks, cafés, transit and schools, and open GPS-activity traces — turned into per-suburb percentile scores. See how we rank suburbs.
How current is the data?
Rents and incomes are ABS Census 2021 medians; crime is the latest published year from the state agency; no open-licence suburb-level sale prices exist for this state, so none are shown; OpenStreetMap counts are refreshed each build. This page was rebuilt on 10 October 2026.
Can a suburb, agent or developer pay to appear here?
No. Nothing on this site is sponsored or paid placement, and no ranking can be bought. Guidance only — visit a suburb before you move there.
Computed from 256 scored Perth 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.
Comparing Perth with another city?
What does it cost to live in Perth?
Cost of living in Perth: median rent $370/wk, household income $2,005/wk, cheapest and dearest suburbs.