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10 Safest Suburbs Under $800/Week Rent
Finding a suburb that's both safe and affordable is the holy grail of Perth house-hunting. With median rents continuing to climb across the metro area, the pressure to compromise on one or the other is real.
But the data shows you don't have to.
How we found these suburbs
We analysed every WA suburb with a median weekly rent below $800, then ranked them by crime score — a composite safety metric we calculate from WA Police data. The score combines rates of:
- Violent crime — assault, robbery, sexual offences
- Property crime — burglary, vehicle theft, stealing
- Drug offences — possession, dealing, manufacture
- Other offences — fraud, weapons, breach orders, graffiti
All rates are normalised per 100 residents and percentile-ranked. A score of 100 means virtually no reported crime; a score of 50 is the median across all suburbs.
Where the safe, affordable suburbs are
A clear pattern emerges: Perth's safest affordable suburbs cluster in the outer metro ring and established middle suburbs — communities in the 15-40km band from the CBD. Lower population density, high owner-occupier rates, and strong neighbourhood networks keep crime remarkably low.
These aren't isolated rural towns. Most have multiple schools nearby, train station access within 10-15 minutes, and the shopping and health infrastructure you'd expect from suburbs with 2,000+ residents.
What the numbers show
The $800/week threshold opens up significantly more options than the old $700 ceiling. You'll find suburbs across Perth's northern, southern, and eastern corridors — many with crime scores above 80, good schools, and reasonable commute times.
Several suburbs manage crime scores above 85 — meaning they're safer than many suburbs charging $200+ more per week in rent. For renters who want safety without paying coastal premiums, these are some of the best deals in Perth right now.
Bickley
Bickley is a quiet semi-rural retreat in the Perth Hills, centred on the scenic Bickley Valley. It is best known for the Perth Observatory, vineyards like Hainault, and Core Cider House, making it a popular day-trip destination rather than a suburb people move to for convenience. Cyclists seek out its challenging hill roads, and the cool microclimate and orchard landscapes give it a distinctly unhurried, nature-immersed character far removed from suburban Perth.
Mount Helena
Mount Helena is a quiet, semi-rural suburb in the Perth Hills, attracting families and acreage seekers who value bushland living over urban convenience. Local highlights include the well-regarded Mount Helena Deli and the Amaroo Retreat & Spa, a popular destination for quality dining in a serene setting. Residents trade walkability and public transport for space, nature, and a relaxed hills lifestyle, with bushfire awareness a seasonal reality.
Chidlow
Chidlow is a quiet, semi-rural suburb on Perth's eastern hills fringe, built around acreage living and a genuine connection to the bush. Lake Leschenaultia anchors community life, popular for swimming, picnics, and stargazing. The Chidlow Tavern provides the closest thing to a social hub. Infrastructure is limited, no NBN, patchy water mains, and no public transport, making a car and some self-sufficiency essential. Bushfire awareness is simply part of life here.
Hovea
Hovea is a quiet, bush-clad enclave in the Perth Hills sitting on the edge of John Forrest National Park. Life here revolves around trails, waterfalls, and native bushland, drawing hikers and nature lovers rather than urban professionals. The historic Swan View tunnel adds a layer of intrigue. Bushfire risk is real and ever-present, and the suburb offers almost no urban amenities, making it a place for those who genuinely want to live in the bush.
Hocking
Hocking is an established northern suburb in the City of Wanneroo, popular with families seeking affordable, quiet suburban living. Long-term residents speak to its settled character, with a local Woolworths and nearby amenities on Wanneroo Road. However, the area has seen periodic crime incidents, from opportunistic vehicle theft to more serious offences, reflecting broader challenges across Perth's outer northern corridor.
Pearsall
Pearsall is a quiet residential suburb in Perth's northern corridor, popular with families drawn to large new-build homes, spacious blocks, and peaceful streetscapes. It offers little nightlife or dining but delivers on space, safety, and access to a local primary school. Rising land values reflect growing demand, though the suburb remains a low-key, car-dependent family enclave, best suited to those prioritising room to breathe over urban convenience.
Wandi
Wandi is a fast-growing greenfield suburb in Perth's southern corridor, centred on the Honeywood estate. It draws first home buyers and young families priced out of inner suburbs, offering newer homes at relatively accessible price points. The tradeoff is distance, CBD commutes rely entirely on the Kwinana Freeway, and the suburb is still maturing, with limited local amenities and no NBN. A quiet, safe and family-oriented community taking shape.
Aubin Grove
Aubin Grove is a growing family suburb in Perth's south, anchored by the Mandurah line train station that transformed its commuter appeal. Predominantly quiet and residential, it attracts first home buyers and young families drawn by relative affordability. Harvest Lakes provides everyday shopping, and the area has a genuine community spirit, though bushfire risk, occasional safety incidents, and peak-hour freeway congestion are the trade-offs of this outer suburban lifestyle.
Hamersley
Hamersley is a well-established, quiet northern suburb best known for its passionate community around the Erindale Road Banksia bushland, home to endangered Carnaby's Black Cockatoos. Residents skew family-oriented and car-dependent, with a Hamersley golf course nearby. Property crime is occasionally reported but the suburb maintains a settled, neighbourhood feel with longstanding infrastructure.
The bottom line
You don't need to pay CBD-adjacent prices to feel safe at home. Perth's outer and middle suburbs — particularly along the northern corridor and in established pockets of the southeast — deliver crime rates that rival the most expensive postcodes, at a fraction of the rental cost.
The $800/week ceiling includes a wider range of suburbs than a tighter budget would allow, giving you more choice in terms of commute times, school options, and lifestyle amenities.
That said, lower rent and low crime don't automatically mean the suburb is right for you. We recommend:
- Using our interactive map explorer to filter by your personal priorities
- Comparing these suburbs side by side to see how they stack up on the metrics that matter most
These rankings update automatically as our data refreshes. If a suburb's median rent crosses $800 or its crime statistics change, the list adjusts — so bookmark this page if you're actively house-hunting.
Data & methodology
Suburbs are ranked by crime score, a composite metric we calculate from WA Police offence data. The score incorporates rates of violent crime, property crime (including break-ins and vehicle theft), and drug offences, all normalised per 100 residents to ensure fair comparison between suburbs of different sizes.
To qualify for this list, a suburb must have a median weekly rent under $800 (sourced from real estate websites and WA Rental Bonds data), a population above 500 (to avoid statistical noise from tiny localities), and a crime score above 0 (meaning WA Police data exists for the area). School ratings shown are NAPLAN-based percentile scores from ACARA data.
Data sources: WA Police (crime), real estate websites + WA Rental Bonds (rent), ACARA/MySchool (schools), ABS Census 2021 (population).
Nick Lilleyman
Founder & Data Lead, Burb Score
Nick built Burb Score to give Perth families a data-driven view of where to live. He works directly with the ACARA, WA Police, ABS Census, WA Rental Bonds and real estate datasets that power every ranking on this site. Rankings are generated programmatically from official data sources, not opinions, and refresh automatically. No sponsored content or paid placements.
Frequently asked questions
How is the crime score calculated?
Our crime score is a composite metric (0-100) derived from WA Police data. It combines rates of violent crime (assault, robbery, sexual offences), property crime (burglary, vehicle theft, damage), drug offences, and other offences (fraud, weapons, breach orders), all normalised per 100 residents and percentile-ranked. Higher scores indicate safer suburbs — a score of 50 is the median.
How often is the rent data updated?
Rent data comes from two sources: median rents from real estate websites (updated quarterly) and WA Rental Bonds data from the Department of Commerce (monthly reporting, covering 221,000+ daily bond records). The rankings on this page update automatically with each data refresh.
Why $800 per week as the threshold?
At $800/week, a household on a combined income of around $140,000 spends roughly 30% of gross income on rent — the commonly recommended ceiling. This threshold opens up a wide range of Perth suburbs while remaining realistic for most working renters and young families.
Are these suburbs safe for families?
Crime scores above 70 indicate suburbs that are significantly safer than average. However, family suitability depends on more than safety alone — school quality, playground access, and commute times all matter. Use our Best Suburbs for Families guide for a family-specific ranking, or check individual suburb profiles for the full picture.
What does "median rent" mean?
Median rent is the middle value of all current rental listings in a suburb — half of properties are cheaper, half are more expensive. It's more reliable than average rent because it isn't skewed by a few very expensive or very cheap properties. Our median rent figures combine listings from real estate websites with WA Rental Bonds data for maximum accuracy.
Explore these suburbs further