🇦🇺 ABS Data · Feb 2026

Adelaide
Cost of Living

Real ABS data on what it costs to live in Adelaide. CPI, wages, jobs, earnings, and property — no spin.

6th most expensive
of 8 capital cities by CPI inflation
0.0%
CPI Inflation (YoY)
vs
+3.7%
National Average
101.4
CPI Index
📊 Source: ABS Consumer Price Index (6401.0)
CPI Trend

Adelaide CPI over time

All Groups CPI index for Adelaide vs the national average. Higher = more expensive. Hover for detail.

Adelaide
National (dashed)
Inflation Breakdown

What's getting more expensive in Adelaide?

Year-on-year inflation by CPI subcategory. Red = prices rising fast. Green = prices falling.

Electricity
+17.7%
Beef and veal
+13.3%
Utilities
+13.2%
Coffee, tea and cocoa
+11.6%
Alcohol and tobacco
+6.1%
Housing
+6.0%
Eggs
+5.2%
Water and sewerage
+4.8%
Rents
+4.6%
Take away and fast foods
+4.5%
Medical and hospital services
+4.3%
Milk
+3.6%
Meals out and take away foods
+2.8%
Food and non-alcoholic beverages
+2.7%
Gas and other household fuels
+2.5%
Restaurant meals
+1.4%
Motor vehicles
+1.3%
Bread
+0.8%
Communication
+0.8%
Cheese
-0.1%
Transport
-0.4%
Private motoring
-0.4%
Poultry
-0.5%
Pharmaceutical products
-2.3%
Automotive fuel
-7.9%
City Comparison

Cost of living vs other cities

All Groups CPI YoY inflation across capital cities. Higher = prices rising faster.

#1
Perth
+4.9%
#2
Hobart
+4.0%
#3
Sydney
+3.8%
#4
Brisbane
+3.7%
#5
Canberra
+3.5%
#6
Adelaide you are here
+3.4%
#7
Melbourne
+3.3%
#8
Darwin
+3.2%
Wage Price Index

Wages in SA

WPI measures wage growth. SA vs national. Are wages keeping up with Adelaide inflation?

159.6
Latest WPI Index
+3.5%
SA WPI YoY
+3.4%
National WPI YoY
+0.1%
Real Wage Growth
SA WPI
National (dashed)
Job Market

Employment in SA

Unemployment rate and labour force participation for South Australia.

4.0%
Unemployment Rate
4.3%
National Unemployment
64.7%
Participation Rate
66.9%
National Participation
SA Unemployment
National (dashed)
Average Weekly Earnings

What SA earns

Full-time adult average weekly earnings for South Australia. ABS Cat. 6302.0.

$2,010
Weekly (SA)
$104,499
Annual (SA)
$2,129
National Weekly
10.5%
Gender Pay Gap
$2,094/wk
Males
$1,874/wk
Females
Property Market

Housing in SA

Mean dwelling price and affordability for South Australia. ABS Cat. 6432.0.

$938,100
Mean Dwelling Price
▲ 10.6% YoY
$1,074,700
National Average
9x
Price / Annual Earnings
9.7x
National Ratio
SA Mean Price
National (dashed)

Dwelling Prices by State

New South Wales
$1,301,100
Queensland
$1,066,000
Western Australia
$1,014,200
Australian Capital Territory
$973,800
South Australia
$938,100
Victoria
$933,100
Tasmania
$703,800
Northern Territory
$580,000
Explore

Other capital cities

Compare the cost of living across Australia.

Data Sources
ABS Consumer Price Index (6401.0)
Monthly CPI by capital city and category. Base period: Sep 2025 = 100.
ABS CPI →
ABS Wage Price Index (6345.0)
Quarterly WPI by state. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses.
ABS WPI →
ABS Labour Force (6202.0)
Monthly unemployment rate and participation by state.
ABS Labour →
ABS Average Weekly Earnings (6302.0)
Half-yearly earnings by state, industry, and sex.
ABS AWE →
ABS Residential Dwelling Values (6432.0)
Quarterly mean dwelling prices by state.
ABS Dwellings →