Safest suburbs to buy in Australia (2024)

Choosing the right suburb to live in is a major consideration when buying property. While there are many factors that come into play when weighing up a suburb’s appeal, safety is the top concern for most Australians.

In fact, a survey conducted by Upside of our database of homeowners and buyers survey Upside revealed that a huge 92.54% of people consider crime rates and general safety to be important factors in finding a place to live.

So, where are the best places to live around Australia when it comes to safety? We’ve rounded up the safest suburbs in each capital city based on the latest crime statistics and suburb data.

Safest suburbs in Melbourne

According to the Victorian Government’s Crime Statistics Agency, the 10 Melbourne areas with the lowest crime rates in March 2022 were:

1. Golden Plains 1,664.1 incidents per 100,000 population
2. Nillumbik 2,063.8 incidents per 100,000 population
3. Manningham 2,228 incidents per 100,000 population
4. Towong 2,424.0 incidents per 100,000 population
5. Macedon Ranges 2,654.6 incidents per 100,000 population
6. Hepburn 2,662.8 incidents per 100,000 population
7. Indigo 2,718.1 incidents per 100,000 population
8. Surf Coast 2,803.3 incidents per 100,000 population
9. Alpine 2,827.1 incidents per 100,000 population
10. Boroondara 3,117.5 incidents per 100,000 population

The majority of these suburbs lie outside central Melbourne and have a relatively low population. In Melbourne overall, total crime rates were 3.5% lower as of March 2022 compared to the previous year. Melbourne was also ranked the 8th safest city in the world according to the 2021 Cities Index. The index is based on a number of indicators, including personal, infrastructure, health and digital security.

Safest suburbs in Sydney

According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, the safest areas in Sydney in the year up to March 2022 were:

1. Ku-Ring-Gai LGA: 172.4 incidents per 100,000 population
2. Lane Cove LGA: 202.3 incidents per 100,000 population
3. Hunters Hill LGA: 207.2 incidents per 100,000 population
4. Mosman LGA: 224.1 incidents per 100,000 population
5. Upper Lachlan Shire LGA: 229.6 incidents per 100,000 population
6. Hornsby LGA: 263.1 incidents per 100,000 population
7. Canada Bay LGA: 278.6 incidents per 100,000 population
8. North Sydney LGA: 279.6 incidents per 100,000 population
9. Willoughby LGA: 295.6 incidents per 100,000 population
10. Northern Beaches LGA: 299.6 incidents per 100,000 population

The majority of Sydney’s safest areas lie north of Sydney Harbor, with the exception of Canada Bay in the inner west. Overall, Sydney was ranked the fourth safest city in the world in 2021 according to the 2021 Safe Cities Index, a jump from fifth place in 2019.

Safest suburbs in Brisbane

Data released from Queensland Police (https://www.police.qld.gov.au/maps-and-statistics) in August 2022 revealed the safest postcodes within the city.Those postcodes are:

1. 4170 Morningside, Cannon Hill, Norman Park and Seven Hills
2. 4106 Rocklea
3. 4111 Nathan
4. 4117 Berrinba
5. 4051 Alderley, Grange, Newmarket, Wilston, Enoggera & Gaythorne
6. 4066 Toowong and Auchenflower
7. 4123 Rochedale and Rochedale South
8. 4008 Pinkenba

These safe Brisbane suburbs follow a similar pattern and are generally located just outside the central CBD and have relatively low populations. Specific suburbs aside, Brisbane is generally considered to be a safe city to live in with low crime rates overall. However, the 2021 census revealed that Brisbane has the third highest population and is growing fast. The population increased from 4.7 million to 5.2 million since 2016, so suburban crime rates could change quite drastically by the next census date given how strongly linked population is correlation to crime rates.

Safest suburbs in Canberra

Data released from the Australian Federal Police reveals the safety of Canberra’s districts based on crime statistics from 2022:

1. Molonglo District: 306 incidents in 2022
2. Weston Creek: 553 incidents in 2022
3. Woden: 1154 incidents in 2022
4. Inner South: 1720 incidents in 2022
5. Tuggeranong: 2042 incidents in 2022
6. Gungahlin: 2189 incidents in 2022
7. Inner North: 3904 incidents in 2022
8. Belconnen: 4075 incidents in 2022

However, it’s important to note that districts with higher populations have higher rates of crime. For example, Belconnen, which had the highest number of criminal incidents in 2022, had a population of 106,061 as of the 20121 census, while the Molonglo Valley had a population of just 11,435 residents. Canberra also had the fastest growth increase in population since 2016 by 14.4% (57,102 people).

Safest suburbs in Perth

The Perth Crime Map website, which collates WA Police and census data for robbery, graffiti, car theft, burglary and assault, reports that the 10 safest suburbs in Perth are:

1. Dalkeith: 0.7 incidents per 100 residents
2. Floreat: 0.9 incidents per 100 residents
3. Lower Chittering: 0.9 incidents per 100 residents
4. Leeming: 0.9 incidents per 100 residents
5. Iluka: 0.9 incidents per 100 residents
6. Menora: 0.9 incidents per 100 residents
7. Daglish: 0.9 incidents per 100 residents
8. Kingsley: 1.0 incidents per 100 residents
9. Wembley Downs: 1.0 incidents per 100 residents
10. Duncraig: 1.0 incidents per 100 residents

Of the suburbs above, Dalkeith, Daglish and Menora are closest to Perth CBD, with Floreat and Wembley Downs slightly further to the north-west. Overall, Perth is considered a relatively safe city to live in with moderate crime rates.

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