Methodology

How our suburb scores work

We believe property research should be transparent. Here's exactly how our two headline scores are built, where the data comes from, and what's real versus modelled.

Investor score (0–100)

A composite weighted across eight factors that matter to property investors. Each factor is normalised to a 0–1 scale, multiplied by its weight, and summed — then clamped to a 22–98 range so scores stay comparable nationwide.

18%
Rental yieldGross yield from real bond-authority rents where available
18%
Capital growthAnnualised growth (real from government series in NSW/VIC/SA, else modelled)
15%
AffordabilityLower median price scores higher
12%
Household incomeABS Census median household income
12%
School qualityACARA average ICSEA in the suburb
10%
SafetyState police crime data where available, else modelled
8%
Population scaleLarger, more liquid markets score higher
7%
Transit accessProximity to train/tram/bus from OpenStreetMap

Liveability score (0–100)

A counterpart to the investor score, weighted for owner-occupiers and families. It deliberately ignores yield and growth, focusing on day-to-day quality of life. Where a factor is missing for a suburb, the score is rescaled across the factors we do have.

24%
School quality (ICSEA)
22%
Safety
16%
Walkability
14%
Transit access
10%
Community stability (owner-occupier %)
8%
Education (degree-qualified %)
6%
Coastal proximity

Real data vs modelled estimates

We label every figure. Median sale prices are real government data for NSW, VIC and SA; for QLD, WA, ACT, TAS and NT they are modelled estimates pending a data partnership. Rents are real for NSW, VIC, SA, QLD and WA. Schools (ACARA), demographics (ABS Census) and income (ATO) are real nationwide. Look for the green “Real” and amber “Est.” badges throughout the site.

See the full source list on our data sources page and per-state coverage on the pricing page.

Scores are decision-support tools, not financial advice. Always verify figures with CoreLogic, Domain or realestate.com.au and consult a licensed adviser before making property decisions.