How much it costs to rent in every SA suburb and many of our regional towns

Already crippling rents are on the rise, with some suburbs seeing a $100 per week jump just in the past three months. See how much they’ve climbed in your area.

Talk to any renter or hopeful tenant and they’ll tell you finding an affordable rental across Adelaide is tough. Damn tough.

Adelaide’s vacancy rate currently sits at about 0.5 per cent, a ton of landlords sold out at the top of the property boom – predominantly to first homeowners, thereby removing these homes from the rental pool – and weekly rents have soared across SA, even over the past three months.

Take Coromandel Valley, for instance. New PropTrack data shows the median rent there has jumped $95 over the past quarter – up $95 from $500 in November to $595 in February.

2A McNamara Road, Coromandel Valley, currently listed for $565 a week. The Advertiser isn’t implying rent at this particular property has increased $95 over the past quarter.

Erindale in Adelaide’s east wasn’t far behind – up $93 to $693 from $600.

And this isn’t just happening across metro Adelaide either. In the Fleurieu Peninsula, Hayborough houses are up a massive $90 a week, while Glenelg houses have jumped $75 in the past three months.

36 Agnes Gillespie Drive, Hayborough, currently listed for $545 per week. The Advertiser isn’t implying rent at this particular property has increased $90 over the past quarter.

The situation sucks for unit renters too.

Those renting a unit in Marion are now paying $80 more each week than in November.

Forestville unit renters are $60 more out of pocket each week, Tonsley tenants $56, and unit renters in Campbelltown in Adelaide’s northeast are $55 worse off each week.

But it’s not all bad news.

HOPE AMID THE PAIN

Of the 297 South Australian suburbs PropTrack have house rental data for, just 14 have either not had an increase in their median weekly asking rents or experienced a decrease.

The real winners were Rosslyn Park renters, where the median weekly house rent has dropped by 18.52 per cent over the past 12 months from $675 to $550.

The biggest losers were those renting houses in Glen Osmond, where the weekly rent is up $270, or 42.86 per cent on this time last year.

In February, the median weekly rent was a hefty $900 per week, whereas this time last year it was $630.

Things have gotten tougher for unit renters in metropolitan Adelaide too, with rents either unchanging or reducing in just eight of the 166 suburbs PropTrack supplied data for.

Tonsley renters were hit the hardest, with rents up 28.09 per cent over the past year – from $283 to $307, while Tranmere unit renters are $58 better off each week than they were last year. Rents in Tranmere have dropped 11.79 per cent from $488 to $430.

Turner Real Estate chief executive officer Emma Slape said high demand and low supply was driving rents up in most suburbs.

“The vacancy rate in Adelaide is around 0.5 per cent which is extremely tight as a balanced market is around 3 per cent,” she said.

“We are increasingly seeing people vacate properties where they have been large rental increases, or they are renewing and then breaking lease after they secure something cheaper as tenants are definitely finding housing a large part of their cost of living.”

Emma Slape from Turner Real Estate. Picture: Brenton Edwards

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She said it was important to note price hikes could not simply be put down to greedy landlords.

“We have seen a marked increase in landlord stress, especially those who have recently purchased the property,” she said.

“If the property has been purchased in the past two to three years, it is highly unlikely that the rental amount is covering interest and expenses, leaving the landlord with a large gap each month. Some landlords have taken the opportunity to sell as they cannot afford to keep the property and this has only caused further rental stress as often the property is purchased by an owner-occupier so it’s been lost as rental stock.”

Of the 49 regional locations PropTrack have reliable data for, rents increased in all but 13.

Those renting houses in Port Elliot copped the biggest increase, with weekly rents up 37.25 per cent over the past 12 months from $383 to $525.

Port Elliot’s famed main street. Photo: Nick Clayton

Naracoorte renters were the worst hit regional unit renters, with rents up 21.62 per cent from $185 to $225 over the past 12 months, while Barmera renters saw rents drop $7 a week from $220 to $213.

New Finder data shows in 2022 there was a significant increase in the percentage of people saying they struggle to pay their rent.

Chris Ellis, Finder Australia CEO said many households find making ends meet difficult.

“The economic conditions are some of the most challenging households have faced in decades,” he said.

“Young consumers, those who are renting, paying off a mortgage, or raising young children are feeling the effects most acutely.”

Teonie Clemow, 20, at a house inspection in Kurralta Park. Picture: Ben Clark

Student and aged care worker Teonie Clemow, 20, is currently paying $900 per fortnight to live in a share house in Glenelg North but looking to move into a cheaper home she and her partner can enjoy on their own.

“I’ve been looking for more than six months,” Ms Clemow says.

“A lot of people are getting first dibs because they’re offering to pay another $100 a week and I don’t have the money to be able to do that.

“I have to catch a lot of public transport to get to inspections because we only have one car because we had to sell my car to be able to pay the rent on where we’re living now.”

“I’d love to build or buy my own home one day, but renting at the moment is OK, we just want our own little place.”