The 10 best affordable suburbs in Perth 2023

Find out which suburbs in Perth made the top 10 list in Bright Stars: Canstar’s Best Affordable Suburbs Report powered by Hotspotting.

There are plenty of great locations in Perth where you can buy a home for less than $462,479. This was the cut-off price we used for our ‘Bright Star’ suburbs in Western Australia’s capital. (For more on why we chose this see our full report.)

Of course, price isn’t the only consideration when selecting a location to buy property. Lifestyle benefits and prospects for growth should also be on the checklist. In Canstar’s Best Affordable Suburbs Report we used five key metrics – sales volumes, price growth, vacancy rates, infrastructure and proximity to work and amenities – to identify the affordable suburbs that are desirable and likely to grow in value over time. Check out our list below.

The 10 best affordable suburbs in Perth

• Armadale 
• Cannington 
• Golden Bay 
• Kelmscott 
• Merriwa 
• Midland
• Nollamara 
• Parmelia 
• Warnbro
• Westminster 

Armadale

This suburb is the nerve centre of the LGA of the same name and one of the strongest markets in Perth, which has been a national leader in growth through the period of rising interest rates. Sales activity and prices continue to grow in Armadale, helped by its affordable houses and good local infrastructure. The vacancy rate has been below 1% since mid-2020 and is currently 0.4%.

Cannington

The City of Canning, a well-located and connected LGA in Perth’s south, has a series of suburbs with median prices in the $400,000s or $500,000s, with good amenities and leisure facilities and rail links to central Perth. The suburb of Cannington is typical of the offer: a major retail precinct around Westfield Carousel, train station, Canning Showgrounds, medical precinct, schools and Canning River Regional Park. The vacancy rate is 0.3%.

Golden Bay

The City of Rockingham features waterside suburbs with affordable homes, good amenities, major green spaces and proximity to a major employment zone. Golden Bay is one of those affordable Indian Ocean suburbs; its median price rose 13% in the past year, with prices now in the $400,000s. The average time on market of just 14 days confirms the strength of this location. The vacancy rate is 0.5%.

Kelmscott

This suburb in the City of Armadale in the far south of Greater Perth is clustered around an infrastructure precinct which includes the Albany Highway (which links to the Tonkin Highway), train station, shopping centres, schools and parks. A huge green space area including Darling Range Regional Park also fringes this suburb, which has houses in the $300,000s typically selling in about two weeks. The vacancy rate is 0.5%.

Merriwa

This suburb is part of the Wanneroo LGA in Perth’s far north, one of Australia’s leading population growth precincts. Merriwa is an established suburb between Neerabup National Park and beachside Quinns Rocks. It has a number of schools, colleges and shopping centres. Buyer demand is rising and the median house price rose 14.6% in the past year. The vacancy rate is 0.4% and rents have surged in the past three years.

Midland

The Swan LGA in the north-east of the Greater Perth region is one of the city’s major growth areas, with new estates and suburbs evolving. Midland is well-established as a nerve centre for transport and services. It has schools, colleges and a TAFE campus, plus extensive sports facilities, shopping centres and transport interchange. The vacancy rate is 0.2% and rents have risen more than 20% in 12 months.

Nollamara

The City of Stirling has a range of price points, from million-dollar suburbs to the more affordable ones like Nollamara, where there are houses in the $300,000s and $400,000s. Nollamara residents have easy access to an array of amenities and services in the suburb and its neighbours, including numerous educational, recreational and retail options. Nollamara houses sell typically in two weeks and the vacancy rate is just 0.2%.

Parmelia

The City of Kwinana has the cheapest suburbs in the Greater Perth region, but like Parmelia (which sits beside Kwinana Town Centre) they have good amenities and train links to central Perth. This affordable precinct has attracted strong buyer demand and prices have risen rapidly from a low base, with the median house price for Parmelia increasing 16.7% in the past year. The vacancy rate is 0.4%.

Warnbro

This suburb in Rockingham City has the best of several different worlds. On the western side, Warnbro Beach fringes the Indian Ocean, while Rockingham Lakes Regional Park forms the eastern boundary. Within the suburb are multiple schools, shopping precincts and parks, with a train station on the line to central Perth. The median price rose almost 17% in the past year. The vacancy rate is 0.5%.

Westminster

This is one of the affordable suburbs of the middle-market municipality of Stirling north of the Perth CBD. Buyer demand continues to rise. The vacancy rate is near zero. Westminster sits alongside a commercial-retail precinct which includes shopping centres, community services and recreation reserves. There are numerous education and shopping options in the area.

The best affordable suburbs in Perth

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Sources: Median price: CoreLogic as at February 2023. Initial outlay and repayment data: canstar.com.au prepared on 26 June 2023. (U) stands for units. *Initial outlay figures include the deposit, stamp duty, mortgage registration and transfer fees; and lenders’ mortgage insurance (LMI) premium. Stamp duty calculated based on an owner occupier purchase of an established dwelling. LMI premium based on Helia LMI Premium Calculator for an owner occupier borrower and a loan term of 30 years. +Monthly repayments calculated based on the average variable interest rates of 5.7% and a loan term of 30 years. Interest rates based on the average owner occupier, principal and interest variable rate for a loan of $500,000 over the past year, rounded to the nearest 0.1%. ^Percentage of income based on the average total income by Greater Capital City Statistical Area (ABS Personal Income, 2019-20), adjusted by the ABS Wage Price Index (Dec-2022) for each state. A dual income assumes two people with the average income. For estimates on initial outlay, monthly repayments and repayments as a percentage of income based on a 20% deposit see full report.

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