How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Adelaide?

Adelaide has been hailed as an incredibly livable city - in the global top five in fact. Why? The southern city draws a crowd thanks to its sporting events, great food, oh, and the cost of living in Adelaide is lower than many other mainland Australian capitals.

While the cost of living in Adelaide may be cheaper than Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne, a clear and informed budget is still essential if you’re considering a move there.

To help you crunch the numbers we’ve put together clear and up-to-date budgets for:

• The Adelaide property market (renting and buying options covered)
• Vehicle and transport expenses
• Food and dining costs
• Household bills

And since budgets are all relative to the amount that you earn, we’ve got the info on Adelaide salaries and wages too.

Rental properties Adelaide - average costs

Adelaide may be one of the cheaper cities to live in in Australia but that doesn’t mean residents have avoided the rental hikes that have impacted tenants across the country.

According to SQM Research 2025 data, rental prices in Adelaide have risen by around 5–6% over the past year, with the current citywide median sitting at around $528 per week for units and $672 for houses.

To help you choose a location in Adelaide that meets your budget, we’ve detailed the different areas of the city along with their approximate weekly rental prices, noting some suburb-level data reflects the most recent available PropTrack report.

As is the case with most capital cities, the inner city suburbs come with the highest weekly rental rates. However, cheaper options exist in the city’s northern suburbs where the average unit rental is under $500 per week and house rental is just over $600 per week.

Weekly budget: $275 to rent a room / $700 to live alone

What if I have a mortgage

According to the Cotality Home Value Index (June 2025), the median house price in Adelaide currently sits at approximately $888,900, reflecting an annual increase of about 7.7% and a 1.1% rise over the last quarter

• To put down a 20% deposit on a property of this value, you would need approximately $177,800.
• According to the RBA, the average variable mortgage rate offered by Australian lenders is currently 6.22% for new loans.
• At this rate, your mortgage repayments would come to roughly $1,115 per week, or $4,840 per month.

House sharing remains a popular and relatively easy way to support your mortgage repayments, and with low rental availability in Adelaide, finding someone to take a room shouldn’t prove too challenging.

The median house price in Adelaide currently sits at $888,900

Alternatively, you could explore cheaper suburbs such as Andrews Farm in the city’s northern region. The current median house price there is around $609,000, and since it’s only about 29 km from the city centre with a well-connected transport network, the city is within easy reach.

Based on this property value, you could pay a 20% deposit of $121,800, leaving a loan of about $487,200 and weekly repayments of roughly $765.

Weekly cost: $765 → $$1,117 per week

This budget will vary depending on the area you choose and whether you choose to live independently or with flatmates.

How much will I spend on food in Adelaide each week?

The average weekly grocery cost in South Australia is around $176 according to the ABS Household Expenditure Survey 2025. However, no two households will have identical grocery budgets—the amount you spend depends largely on personal taste, dietary requirements, and shopping habits.

Recent data indicates that grocery prices in Adelaide sit roughly 5–6% above the national average, so it’s worth factoring in a slight buffer when planning your weekly food budget.

Average electricity & household bills in Adelaide

The average monthly cost for basic utilities in Adelaide is around $455 per month / $105 per week, based on Numbeo and ABS 2025 cost data. This estimate covers electricity, heating, water, and garbage services for an 85m² apartment.

Internet and mobile phone costs add a little extra:

• Internet: ~$92 per month / $21 per week*
• Mobile phone: ~$41 per month / $9.50 per week*

*For an internet plan with 60 Mbps or more, unlimited data (Cable/ADSL), and a mobile plan with calls and at least 10GB of data.

NOTE: Adelaide is known to experience colder than average winters and, on occasion, extreme heat in the summer. For this reason, it’s important to account for a little extra in the bills in these seasons to cover air conditioning and heating costs.

Weekly cost: $145 (includes $20 extra each week to cover additional costs)

Transportation costs in Adelaide

Adelaide is one of the easiest Aussie cities to get around. Free trams and buses as part of the public transport system are available within the city centre and cycling from A-B has become a highly popular mode of transport.

However, many Adelaide locals still choose to own a car for longer trips or simply for the extra convenience. If you are looking to run and operate a vehicle in Adelaide it’s important to understand the real costs involved.

To help you make the right decision around transportation in Adelaide, we’ve put all the important weekly budgeting costs below.

Based on RACQ and ABS 2025 transport cost data, weekly expenses can look like this:

• Car owners spend an average $97 per week
• Car loan payments (if applicable) : $211 per week
• Insurance: An average $47 per week
• Servicing and tyres: $30 per week
• Roadside assistance $2.30 per week
• Registration, CTP & Licensing: $28 per week

Weekly cost: $415 per person per week, including estimated loan repayments.

Restaurant and bar prices in Adelaide

Adelaide is well known as a foodie-hub. With every food style from street eats to degustation dining, there’s a meal for every budget. To help you budget in a way that allows you to enjoy all the tasting pleasures of the city, we’ve detailed the average dining and drinking costs below.

In Adelaide you can expect to pay $70 - $105 for an average meal and a few drinks.

Weekly cost: $100

What will I spend on entertainment in the city?

Aside from the bars, restaurants and infamous city churches, Adelaide offers a wide range of activities, sport teams and events for families and singles alike.

The city frequently hosts major sporting events, exhibitions, and concerts, with ticket prices typically ranging from $35 to $160 depending on the show or game (based on Numbeo 2025 data and Ticketek listings).

Weekly cost: $35 - $100

How much can I expect to spend to live basically in Adelaide?

After taking into consideration all of the above-mentioned costs, we estimate a single person living in Adelaide would spend roughly $51,500 a year (based on updated 2025 averages).

If $51.5k covers the basics, how much do I need to earn to live comfortably?

If you’re spending around this amount, you’ll need to earn more than this to afford the lifestyle after tax. Single people should aim to earn at least $66,500, which leaves approximately $54,300 cash in hand after tax, allowing a small buffer for unexpected costs (based on ATO 2025 tax rates).

If you live in Adelaide and have children, you can expect your budget to be significantly higher. A family of four would need to earn close to $152,000 (combined income) to cover cost-of-living essentials, and around $178,000 to live more comfortably, but this still leaves little for savings or major unforeseen expenses.

What’s the average salary in Adelaide Australia?

Some of the most popular industries in Adelaide include:

• Public administration and safety
• Healthcare / Social Assistance workers
• Teachers and trainers

What is the average salary in Adelaide?

According to the ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2025, the average full-time salary in Adelaide is $84,200 per year, or approximately $40.50 per hour.

Moving to Adelaide

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