As someone who rented in Adelaide for the best part of a decade before buying my first home, I have a lot of real-life experience about what it costs to rent here.
Renting in Adelaide will cost you anywhere from $280 for a one-bedroom apartment in the CBD, between $350 and $450 for a three-bedroom house in the city’s inner north, and up to $800 for a four-bedroom residence close to Henley or Glenelg beaches.
According to real estate data specialists Core Logic, as of March 2019 Adelaide was the second cheapest capital city to rent in the country, with a median rental cost of $386 per week – only $1 less than Perth, on $385 per week.
Sydney topped the list with a whopping $582 per week, while Canberra ($550pw), Darwin ($458pw), Melbourne ($454pw), Hobart ($453pw) and Brisbane ($436pw) rounded out the list.
Having rented in Adelaide for a long time, I can certainly attest to the fact it is a very affordable place to live.
I moved out of home when I was 18-years-old (home to me was a small country town around three hours from Adelaide) and relocated to the city to start university.
I then spent the next 10 years shifting from place to place – I moved four times in total before finally saving enough of a deposit to purchase a home with my girlfriend around 30 minutes from the CBD.
The takeaway message from this is, if you’re someone who is worried about not saving enough for a house deposit while renting in Adelaide – don’t stress!
I’m living proof that you can rent and still save enough to buy your dream Adelaide home (during those 10 years I also went on two month-long overseas holidays, so had I not done that I definitely could have saved quicker).
Like every city, the amount of weekly rent you can expect to pay in Adelaide will depend on the suburb you’re living in.
Adelaide CBD
If you wish to rent in the city centre, you’ll most likely be looking at renting out an apartment.
Prices vary, but for a one-bedroom apartment in the CBD you can expect to pay anywhere from $280 to $500 per week (as with everything in life, you get what you pay for).
If you’re looking for more than one bedroom, those weekly costs will climb up over $600 for a two or three-bedroom apartment.
There are also little two-bedroom cottages/villas out there that will set you back around $450 a week if you’re not someone who enjoys apartment living.
Inner North
A little further north of the CBD, you’ll find yourself getting a lot more bang for your buck in terms of house sizes.
A weekly rental fee of around $450 will get you a comfortable three-bedroom home in some good suburbs, such as Prospect or Broadview.
I spent two years renting an older place in Devon Park with two mates and that cost us collectively $340 per week and was perfectly fine.
If you’re a couple who are happy in a two-bedroom townhouse or villa, you should be able to find somewhere under $300 without too much hassle, however it can sometimes be a bit hit and miss when you’re spending this kind of money.
Outer North
Speaking of hit and miss, if you’re looking to rent in Adelaide’s outer north I’d certainly warn against trying to save a few bucks by renting a cheaper home.
People who aren’t familiar with Adelaide will have their eyes light up when they spot a four-bedroom home in Salisbury or Elizabeth for just $340 per week, but these suburbs are priced that way for a reason.
We conducted some in-depth analysis of Adelaide’s crime statistics, and the aforementioned suburbs rank amongst some of the city’s worst.
If you can only afford to spend $340 per week on a family home, I’d certainly recommend either going a bit further north to places like Gawler South or Evanston Park (where I rented for five years without any trouble whatsoever), or look a little closer to the city.
Inner South
Adelaide has some really great suburbs a few minutes south of the CBD, full of quality rental properties at some very affordable prices.
For a two-bedroom home in a place like Unley, you can expect to pay around $450 per week – purely because this is a very attractive suburb due to its liveability and proximity to the city.
For around the same money, you can head a little further south to suburbs like Edwardstown, South Plympton or Melrose Park and pick up a nice, three-bedroom place with little fuss, in some good neighbourhoods.
Outer South
Heading even further south down Anzac Highway, you’ll find yourself getting closer and closer to the blue-chip seaside suburbs of Glenelg, Brighton and Somerton Park.
These areas are some of the best locations in Adelaide – especially during spring and summer – and as such, the rental prices are a bit higher.
For around $300-$350 per week you could jag yourself a small two-bedroom unit, but they aren’t much to look at – you’re really paying for the location, being a short five-minute drive to the beach.
Families wanting to move into these areas can expect to pay anywhere between $450 and $650 a week for a three-bedroom home, while a four-bedroom place with set you back more than $800 a week in most cases.
The prices will, obviously, be higher the closer you are to the beachfront.
Inner West
If you’re after a place in Adelaide’s inner west, you’ll probably be eyeing off suburbs like Richmond, Mile End, Torrensville, Flinders Park and their neighbouring areas.
In most of these suburbs, a three-bedroom home will cost anywhere between $400 and $500 depending on the quality of the place, and the proximity to the major roads in the area.
South Road is the biggest arterial road in Adelaide, linking the city’s north and south, and has a massive amount of traffic travel on it each day, while Sir Donald Bradman Drive and Henley Beach Road are the two main routes to get to the western beaches from the CBD.
If you’re renting a place anywhere close to either of these three thoroughfares, you can probably expect to pay a little less than a home nestled further into the suburbs – however, the traffic noise will be far greater.
Outer West
Looking further west towards the coast will have you arriving at highly sought-after beach suburbs such as Henley Beach, Grange, Tennyson and West Lakes.
Much like the southern seaside postcodes, these areas are among some of the best places to live in Adelaide due to their proximity to the beach, while still only being roughly 20 minutes from the CBD.
As such, their prices are going to be pretty similar to beachside suburbs mentioned earlier.
Like Glenelg, you can expect a two-bedroom unit to cost around $350 per week, while three-bedroom and four-bedroom homes or townhouses will likely have you out of pocket roughly $450-$600 and $600-$850, respectively.
Inner East
Jumping over to the other side of the CBD, and there are so many great places to rent in Adelaide’s inner east.
If you want to rent in a blue-chip area, suburbs like Norwood, College Park and Kensington should definitely be on your radar.
Two-bedroom units in these suburbs – located less than a 10-minute drive into Adelaide’s vibrant centre – are priced either just under, or just over, $300 but can also creep up over $400 for the really nice dwellings.
Similarly, three-bedroom homes will vary greatly in price based on quality and proximity to places like the iconic Norwood Parade shopping and dining strip, with some places setting you back as much as $750 per week.
The inner east is where many of Adelaide’s wealthiest suburbs are located, so you can expect the rental asking prices to reflect this.
Outer East
Heading further out towards the Adelaide Hills will have you considering some of the leafy green suburbs of Magill, Roselyn Park, Campbelltown, Modbury, Tea Tree Gully, Golden Grove and everything in between.
There are a lot of options out east, and the price will vary depending on how far north of the CBD you venture.
If you look straight east towards the Hills along Magill Road, you’ll find a modern three-bedroom home will cost anywhere between $400 and $480 per week to rent, while you might be able to grab an older dwelling for just under $400 per week.
If you travel north east from the city centre along North East or Lower North East roads, the rental prices for suburbs such as Modbury, Valley View, Ridgehaven and surrounding areas will be a little more favourable in terms of price (but bear in mind they are a longer drive into the CBD).
A nice, three-bedroom family home shouldn’t cost you any more than between $300 and $400 per week in rent, with most of these places likely having been built in the 1980s or 1990s – the older-style homes are what gives these areas their charm.
If you’re looking for something post the year 2000, your weekly rental cost can expect to rise slightly above $400.
Conclusion
Whether you’re already living in Adelaide and are moving out of home, or are someone relocating to Adelaide for work, study, or simply a sea change, you can rest assured knowing rental prices in the city are extremely affordable.
You’re almost guaranteed to secure some quality, comfortable homes, in some really good neighbours that aren’t going to send you broke – in fact, you’ll be quite able to save up a deposit to one day buy a place of your own.
If you’re unsure about which area to live in, I’d definitely recommend you read my comprehensive review of Adelaide’s most affordable suburbs.
It has everything you need to know.
