Get a property report and suburb profile for any property in Perth

Perth is the state capital’s compact riverside CBD beside the Swan River and backed by Kings Park, where office towers sit alongside heritage buildings and apartment blocks. It attracts city workers, students and people who favour an inner city lifestyle. Cafés, bars and restaurants cluster around Elizabeth Quay and the pedestrianised Hay and Murray Street malls, and the Perth Cultural Centre, theatres and galleries provide steady cultural activity. Riverfront trails, inner parks and regular markets add outdoor options, and strong rail, bus and ferry connections make the suburb an easy hub for getting around.

This community of 13,670 people has a median age of 33 and a median household income of $1,960 a week (roughly $102,000 a year). Around two in three homes are rented (66.9%), with owner-occupiers 33.1% (12.4% owned outright, 20.7% with a mortgage), and couple families without children are the largest family type at 66.5%. Council and state-led projects are reshaping the riverfront and civic precinct, from riverfront and waterfront masterplans and a council budget for works around Barrack Square and Supreme Court Gardens to planning for a new Emergency Department at Royal Perth Hospital and redevelopments at Perth Town Hall and Pier Street car park. Whether Perth suits you depends on if an inner-city, well-connected lifestyle is what you want.

Buying in Perth 6000 sits well above local incomes recorded at the last Census. A median house price of $1,285,500 is about 12.6 times a typical local household's annual income at the last Census (weekly household income $1,960), while the median unit price of $645,000 is about 6.3 times that annual income. Renting also takes a large share of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census: the average house rent of $800 a week is roughly 40.8% of that weekly income, and the average unit rent of $750 a week is about 38.3%. Which of these matters most will depend on whether you plan to buy or rent and on your own circumstances.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

The most striking movement in Perth over the past 12 months is house values, which rose a strong 27.8%. Unit values also climbed strongly, up 21.6% over the year. Rents told a different story: house rents edged up 0.6%, while unit rents rose a solid 7.1%.

For someone weighing Perth up as an investment, the value figures describe capital growth over the year and the rent figures describe rental income movements. Capital growth outpaced rental growth on the house side by a large margin, whereas units combined strong value growth with notably stronger rent growth than houses. Which of those outcomes matters most depends on your own goals and circumstances.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.