Australian suburbs where upsizing is easiest
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This year's property boom has been heavily house-led, with unit values growing at roughly half the rate that detached houses have.
For unit owners looking to upsize, that widening gap has pushed the barrier to entry for houses up to record levels. But are there still suburbs where making that leap is more achievable?
We've dug into the numbers and picked out some of the locations around Australia with the smallest difference between median unit and house prices to get an idea of where it's easiest to make that transition.
New South Wales
Sydney's median house value currently sits at $1,333,767 while the city's median unit price is $837,262, a staggering difference of nearly half a million dollars.
In regional NSW, the median house is $671,673, a $135,953 increase on the unit price.
With those figures in mind, there are a number of locations where the difference between the two property types is far slimmer.
Within Greater Sydney, western suburbs like Doonside, Cambridge Park and Plumpton all present far more achievable upsizing opportunities than most of the rest of the city, with the difference between houses and units sitting at under 20 per cent.
Further north of Sydney, Toronto units are in fact more expensive than houses on average, while north coast suburbs Cardiff and Woolgoolga also make the top 10 upsizing list.
Towards the south coast, Albion Park Rail and Lake Illawarra open the door for upgraders. Inland regional hubs Griffith and Grafton hover around the 20 per cent difference mark too.
Victoria
The gap between Melbourne houses and units is similar in proportion to Sydney. The median house price is $972,659, around $350,000 more than the median unit value of $621,898—a difference of more than 56 per cent.
It's generally not much easier to upsize in regional Victoria. There, the median house goes for $554,895 while the median unit costs $374,997. That's a 48 per cent difference.
The Melbourne suburb of Laverton offers the smallest gap between units and houses in the capital, while Heidelberg West—just 10km from the CBD—also lands on the list.
Geelong spots like Norlane, Corio and Bell Park also provide strong opportunities for upgraders, all with a price difference of less than 20 per cent.
Moving further out, regional VIC spots Colac, Maryborough, Swan Hill and Horsham all put houses well within reach of local unit owners.
Queensland
When comparing house and unit prices in QLD, there's a huge disparity between Brisbane and the state's regions.
Brisbane's median house price is currently $731,392, a massive 67 per cent step up from the median unit value of $437,086.
In regional QLD as a whole, meanwhile, house and unit prices are almost neck and neck—there's less than a 4 per cent difference between the property types, so there are excellent opportunities to make the move up.
In terms of what's closest to Brisbane, Brendale and Woody Point in the Moreton Bay region both provide the best access to the capital for upgraders.
Heading further north, units in Hollywell on the Gold Coast are in fact more expensive than houses when looking at median prices, while Bargara in the Bundaberg region is close to an even match.
Other coastal spots for upsizers to look at include Scarness, Bowen and South Townsville. Looking inland, Toowomba suburbs Centenary Heights, Glenvale and South Toowoomba also present good upgrader value.
Western Australia
As it turns out, Perth is one of the easier cities to upsize in relative to the rest of the country.
The $550,044 median house price is only $147,519, or 36.6 per cent, more than the city's median unit price. There's a bit more of a disparity in regional WA where that difference blows out to 52 per cent.
Within Perth, there's a pocket of suburbs just north of the CBD including Westminster, Nollamara, Innaloo and Balga where the difference between unit and house prices is between 10 and 15 per cent, making it an ideal area for upgraders.
On the other side of the Swan river, Carlisle also boasts easy access to the city, while further East in Midland the barrier into houses remains very achievable.
Outside of the capital, the south coastal city of Mandurah offers the best chance for unit owners to make the switch in the state. Geraldton, Dunsborough and Kalgoorlie are also top spots for upsizing potential.
South Australia
Despite Adelaide's property market boasting relative affordability, there's still a very sizeable gap between units and houses.
The median house price in the capital is $591,558. That's compared to a median unit price of $372,520, representing a difference of nearly 59 per cent.
Regional SA is a different story, where the gap between units and houses is below $63,000.
Looking at the capital, Christies Beach towards the southern end of Adelaide looks to be a good opportunity for upgraders to trade up to a house.
The difference in Campbelltown, just north-east of the CBD, is also well below the city's average, as is Ascot Park in south-western Adelaide.
Out in the regions, Victor Harbor on SA's south coast presents the smallest gap in the state for upsizers, with inland hub Murray Bridge also showing a slim gap between houses and units.
Tasmania
Growth in Tasmania has been huge in 2021, and Hobart units have actually outpaced houses by a significant margin this year.
Even so, the median Hobart house currently costs $726,955. That's $171,403, or 31 per cent, more than the city's median unit value.
Outside of the capital, that difference extends further to 35 per cent.
Unfortunately for those looking to upgrade in Tasmania, there aren't many areas that stand out as being vastly easier to upsize.
Glenorchy is the closest spot to the city centre, followed by Kingston, however both suburbs still have a 30 per cent jump up from unit to house prices. Claremont, a bit further north of central Hobart, is a little lower at 27.6 per cent.
Up on Tasmania's northern coast, Devonport and Ulverstone present slightly easier changes to move up, but not by all that much.
Australian Capital Territory
The ACT market has been truly explosive this year, and it also represents the biggest gap between property types.
There, the median house price has shot up to $985,040, while the median unit price now sits at $547,484. That's just shy of an 80 per cent difference, so leaping across from a unit to a house in the nation's capital is no easy feat.
Thankfully, there are a handful of locations where that gap is more within the realm of possibility for homeowners.
The top five are all fringe suburbs of Canberra. There's Kambah and Bonython down on the southern outskirts, Casey and Ngunnawal in the south and Holt in the west.
