The 10 best suburbs in Adelaide for first home buyers 2022

Find out which suburbs in Adelaide made the top 10 list in Canstar’s Bright Starters Australian First Home Buyer Report powered by Hotspotting.

There are plenty of great locations in Adelaide where you can buy a home for less than $470,800. This was the cut-off price we used to come up with our ‘Bright Starter’ suburbs in the South Australian capital. (For more on why we chose this see our full report.)

Of course, price isn’t the only consideration for first home buyers. A good lifestyle and prospects for growth should also be on the checklist. In Canstar’s inaugural Bright Starters Australian First Home Buyer Report we used five key metrics – sales volumes, price growth, vacancy rates, infrastructure and proximity to work and amenities – to identify suburbs that are desirable and likely to grow in value over time. Check out our list below.

The 10 best suburbs in Adelaide for first home buyers

• Brahma Lodge 
• Christies Beach 
• Elizabeth East 
• Huntfield Heights 
• Ingle Farm 
• Morphett Vale 
• Paralowie 
• Salisbury
• Seaford Meadows 
• Taperoo 

Brahma Lodge

Young buyers seeking affordability in a well-connected area with good amenities and close to big employment zones would find Brahma Lodge worthy of consideration. Adelaide’s north has the Edinburgh Defence Base, one of Australia’s biggest, and multiple large commercial-industrial estates, plus major hospital and shopping centres. The suburb is close to the Salisbury town centre, which has a TAFE campus, and is on the commuter train line.

Christies Beach

Few capitals have beachside suburbs at first home buyer prices, but Christies Beach ticks that box and more. On the western fringe is the beach and Gulf St Vincent, while on the eastern border is the Noarlunga Centre with an array of retail, recreational and community services, as well as a train station linking to central Adelaide. There are also major green spaces nearby. It’s not a bad package for young buyers on a budget.

Elizabeth East

Adelaide’s far north has eight Elizabeth suburbs, which share a downmarket image and lots of cheap houses. They all have lots of amenities and proximity to major employment zones, like the Edinburgh Defence Base. Elizabeth East is one of the most expensive of these suburbs, but still has a median house price below $300,000. It sits beside the Elizabeth town centre and a substantial green corridor, not far from a major hospital.

Huntfield Heights

This is part of the surging Onkaparinga City market, where the combination of lifestyle and affordability is attracting all kinds of buyers. Residents here have easy access to a national park and a recreation park, at the intersection of two major transport routes, Main South Road and the Southern Expressway. It also has good proximity to the services and jobs in the Noarlunga Centre, which includes shopping, health, sports and recreational services.

Ingle Farm

This is one of the most expensive suburbs in the City of Salisbury in Adelaide’s north but has a median house price in the low $400,000s. And it’s only about 14 kilometres from the Adelaide CBD. It has a major shopping centre, schools and parkland. Within a radius of a few kilometres are major employment nodes, produce markets, a homemaker retail centre and a precinct of sports facilities and green space.

Morphett Vale

Suburbs with lots of services and amenities not only offer a convenient lifestyle but also local employment. Morphett Vale, in Adelaide’s south, has lots of local infrastructure including shopping centres, aged care facilities, retirement villages and multiple schools. There are big green space areas and easy access to the Southern Expressway. Evidence of its popularity is a vacancy rate near zero.

Paralowie

This affordable suburb in Adelaide’s northern suburbs has high demand and low supply, so prices and rents have jumped recently. It has good infrastructure including schools, shops, a golf course, major green spaces (including Kaurna Park Wetlands) and access via the North-South Motorway. It’s all well-located for residents to get to major employment zones in the general area, including the Edinburgh Defence Base.

Salisbury

This suburb is a hub in the municipality of the same name in the far north of Adelaide. It offers affordability, connectivity and a lot of amenities, with major shopping centres, plenty of schools plus a TAFE campus, government services, commuter train links and a major green space spine. There are lots of big employment nodes in this part of the city. A precinct offering that plus houses in the $300,000s warrants attention.

Seaford Meadows

Demand is surging for homes in the City of Onkaparinga on the southern fringe of the Adelaide metropolitan area. It offers lifestyle (seaside suburbs and the McLaren Vale wine district) and affordability, with good road and rail links to central Adelaide. There are plenty of schools in the area and Seaford Meadows adjoins the vast Onkaparinga River Recreation Park. It has easy access to Seaford Beach.

Taperoo

This is a place with numerous credentials, a mixture of industry, amenities and lifestyle. It neighbours Osborne, where tens of billions are being spent on building vessels for the navy. It has beaches and parkland, and nearby North Haven has a major marina and golf course. There’s also a police academy. And rail links to the south. Typical houses are in the high $300,000s and low $400,000s.

The best suburbs in Adelaide for first home buyers

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Cover image source: Sue Burton Photography/Shutterstock.com

About Terry Ryder

Terry is the founder and Managing Director of hotspotting.com.au, which he created in 2006 to help investors find the best places to buy. Terry has been a specialist researcher and writer on Australian residential property in a career spanning four decades. During that time he has published four books.

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