Sub‑$1 million coastal suburbs are becoming increasingly rare, but new PropTrack analysis shows there are still 106 beachside suburbs around Australia where median house values remain under seven figures – even after strong gains over the past year.
The data, excluding capital city suburbs, identifies clusters of affordable oceanfront locations around the coastline, from tropical Queensland to the southwest of Western Australia.
REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh (pictured) said many of these markets still offer relative value.
“After the strong price growth of recent years, sub-$1 million coastal homes are increasingly rare, so these suburbs stand out as relative value plays,” Creagh said. “These ‘bargain’ coastal suburbs could be placed to attract the next wave of buyers priced out elsewhere.”
For mortgage brokers, sub‑$1 million coastal “value” suburbs are creating opportunities to help clients trade into lifestyle locations while keeping loan sizes manageable and positioning for long‑term capital growth.
The cheapest coastal towns were in regional South Australia, led by Port Augusta, about three hours north of Adelaide, with a median value of $272,500. Prices were almost as affordable in Ceduna on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain, where a typical house costs $280,000, and Solomontown in Port Pirie, where values jumped 32% in the past year to around $300,000.
Queensland buyers have the most choice, with 42 sub‑$1 million suburbs dotted along the state’s 6,967km coastline. The cheapest was East Innisfail, south of Cairns, where the median home value is $365,000 – up about 25% over the year. Other affordable options include Barney Point in Gladstone ($445,000) and Bowen ($545,000), with both suburbs recording 20% price growth in the past 12 months.
In Western Australia, clusters of relatively affordable beach suburbs can be found around Geraldton – including Bluff Point, Sunset Beach and Drummond Cove, where values range from about $500,000 to $700,000 – and in Bunbury suburbs such as Withers and Usher on similar price points.
Further south, high‑demand Busselton suburbs Broadwater and West Busselton now require budgets just under $1 million. House prices there have outpaced national and regional averages over the past year.
Real estate agent and Acton Bell Property South West associate director Jason Dragstra said it is mostly Western Australians driving the Busselton boom.
“There’s a lot of people moving from Perth, and now the secret's out of the bag,” Dragstra told realestate.com.au. “It’s a mini Byron Bay story. It’s been here forever and all of a sudden it’s popular. With stock levels being ridiculously low and interest being as high as it is, prices are going to continue rising until that evens out.”
In South Australia, Victor Harbor and nearby suburbs such as McCracken, Hayborough and Goolwa Beach remain sub‑$1 million hotspots, with median prices between $700,000 and $800,000 and strong annual growth.
Even in NSW, some coastal towns still sit under $1 million – including Nambucca Heads and Urunga on the north coast, where prices rose 10% and 15% respectively in the past year.
“We’re getting a lot of clients calling from Sydney and looking for a coastal change,” said Andree Cardow of Cardow & Partners Property Urunga. “New families are moving to the area for more affordable properties, and long term they’re going to get some really good capital growth.”
Affordable coastal suburbs in Victoria include East Geelong (around $820,000) and Coronet Bay (around $550,000). In Tasmania’s north‑west, towns such as Ulverstone, Penguin and East Devonport remain relatively accessible, with median values in the $500,000–$650,000 range despite double‑digit annual gains.
Creagh said the long‑term outlook for coastal property remains strong.
“Over the long run, many coastal suburbs, both within capitals and outside of, tend to outperform non-coastal markets, driven by scarcity, lifestyle appeal and strong buyer demand,” she said.
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