Best, and worst, suburbs for Aussie singles
These are the cheapest and most expensive suburbs in Australia if you’re single.
Brisbane is the most expensive city to live in if you’re single, exclusive new analysis reveals.
Data from Ray White reveals the best and worst places to rent if you live alone — and surprisingly, Sydney isn’t the most unaffordable.
The findings are based on a person spending 30 per cent or less of their income on rent and uses ABS data on average weekly incomes and current median unit rents.
Ray White Group chief economist Nerida Conisbee said the least affordable cities to rent in as a single person were Brisbane and Adelaide, likely reflecting very strong rental growth for apartments in these cities over the past three years.
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In Brisbane, the average weekly income is $1800, which is $200 less than the $2000 required to afford to rent a unit there.
The average weekly income is about $1500 a week in Adelaide compared to the estimated $1700 needed to afford to rent there.
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Melbourne and Sydney come next.
In Sydney, the average weekly income is estimated to be $2,278, which is less than the minimum $2,333 required to be able to afford to rent a unit there — based on the average weekly unit rent for Sydney of $700 per week.
BEST AND WORST SYDNEY SUBURBS FOR SINGLES
The top three most affordable Sydney suburbs for singles are:
1. Hunters Hill: which has a weekly median income of $2,765 and a median rent of $600.
2. Lilyfield: $2,507 and $563.
3. Elizabeth Bay: $2,806 and $650
The top 3 worst suburbs for singles in Sydney are:
1. Haymarket: which has a weekly median income of $1,384 and a median rent of $1,100.
2. Eastgardens: $1,730 and $1,000
3. Mascot: $1,575 and $900
MORE on the best and worst Sydney suburbs for singles
BEST AND WORST SUBURBS FOR SINGLES IN MELBOURNE AND VICTORIA
Just 40 suburbs of 230 assessed areas in Melbourne made the cut, compared to 28 out of 106 across regional Victoria.
Kingsville, Burnley and St Kilda West were deemed the most affordable for lone renters in the city, who would have to put aside less than 22 per cent of their income for their lease commitments.
For the fictitious Carrie Bradshaw, who online estimates suggest earned about $55,000 (US) a year, or about $82,000 (AUD), an affordable rental would have been a necessity.
The most affordable suburbs for single tenants are in Melbourne are:
1. Kingsville: which has a weekly median rent of $390, which is a 20.64 per cent share of income.
2. Burnley: $450 and 21.25 per cent
3. St Kilda West: $470 and 21.67 per cent
The worst suburbs according to the study are:
1. Meadow Heights: $445 and 60.49 per cent
2.Dallas: $418 and 60.03 per cent
3. Springvale South: $470 and 57.96 per cent
MORE on the best and worst suburbs for singles in Melbourne and Victoria
Only the ACT, Darwin and Hobart are considered affordable for a single person with average incomes above that required to rent a unit.
Turns out being single isn’t so bad if you live in regional South Australia or regional Victoria, as these areas top the list as the most affordable places to be single renters of units.
“The main conclusion from this analysis is that there are affordable places in Australia for single people to rent a unit,” Ms Conisbee said.
“For example, very high levels of development in Canberra has made it a good place to rent on your own.
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“In comparison, a lack of unit developments in Brisbane and Adelaide have made renting a unit far more expensive for a single person. As a result, people in these cities need to spend quite a bit more than they earn to rent on their own.”
By suburb, the results are a little bit more unusual. Many of the most affordable for a single person are in expensive areas.
“This is because incomes are very high in expensive areas but typically rents are relatively low in comparison, particularly in areas where there has been a lot of development,” Ms Conisbee said.
Hunters Hill is the most affordable for a single person to rent a unit in Sydney, primarily because incomes are very high in that suburb, but there are quite a lot of apartments so rents are relatively affordable.
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In this suburb, unit rents are relatively low at $600 per week, but incomes are very high at $2,468 per week.
Cottesloe in Perth is similar — people on very high incomes live there and in comparison to these incomes, rents are quite affordable.
At the other end of the spectrum, the most unaffordable suburbs tend to be areas where incomes are comparatively low.
Haymarket in inner Sydney has a lot of students and hence lower incomes. The ratio of rental payments for a unit relative to a single person’s income is high.
’ve ever met”.
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On a suburb level, Ms Conisbee said the results showed renting on your own was fine if you earned a lot of money.
“Even better if you rent in an expensive suburb with a lot of apartments,” she said.
In the next decade, lone-person households are set to increase by 30 per cent — 49,000 new households each year, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics’ population projections.
“We’re moving towards smaller and more diverse household setups,” property analyst Michael Matusik said.
“More people are living solo or in varied family arrangements, including the rise in multigenerational households.
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“This supports my thesis … that there is the need for more smaller housing solutions like backyard homes plus housing that allows for several tenants or generations to live under the same roof.”
Ms Conisbee said living alone was one of the main drivers of the rental crisis and was a major demographic trend that directly impacted the type and number of homes that were being built.
“More people are living alone, either by choice or circumstance and this is set to become a driving force of household change,” she said.
BEST AND WORST SUBURBS FOR SINGLES IN BRISBANE
According to the study and most affordable suburbs for singles in Brisbane are:
1. Kalinga
2. Tarragindi
3. Winston
The least affordable are:
1. Sunnybank Hill
2. Runcorn
3. Sunnybank
BEST AND WORST SUBURBS FOR SINGLES IN ADELAIDE
In Adelaide, the Ray White index found blue collar suburbs, including Mansfield Park, North Plympton, Newton, Bedford Park, Christies Beach, Tonsley and Dover Gardens, ranked among Adelaide’s least affordable localities, with the average person spending at least 50 per cent of their income on rent.
Park Holme, Kilburn and Aldinga Beach rounded out the top 10, with the average single tenant spending over 49 per cent of their income on rent.
Report author and Ray White Chief Economist Nerida Conisbee said the data reflected strong rental growth for apartments over the past three years.
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According to PropTrack, the average cost of an Adelaide unit rose by 38.7 per cent since 2021 – from $365,000 to $526,000.
The least affordable suburbs for single renters are:
1. Mansfield Park
2. North Plympton
3. Newton
MORE on the best and worst suburbs for renters in Adelaide
Originally published as Best, and worst, suburbs for Aussie singles
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