Adelaide is South Australia’s Eden. Being a city enveloped by nature, a day in Adelaide will make your heart race. In fact, the grand layout of the city alone makes you feel at home. But there’s more to Adelaide than nature, rich culture, arts, and music.
Are you wondering if living in Adelaide is a good idea? The pros and cons discussed in this article will take you on tour around the magical city.
Let’s begin!
What is Life in Adelaide Like?
Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, lounges at the base of Mount Lofty Ranges. That is 9 miles, 14km away from the eastern shore of Gulf St. Vincent. It is the fifth most populous city in Australia, and home to 1,355,522 people.
The multicultural city offers a laid-back lifestyle. If you fancy waking up late and still making it to work or school on time, then this famed ‘20 minutes city’ is your best shot.
Besides a life of ease, the streets of Adelaide offer you eye candies. Magnificent edifices flank the boulevards of the warm city. From the South Australian Museum to Adelaide Arcade, a long stroll across the city will feel like a tourist trip. Little wonder tourists troop into the city yearly.
The city has a thriving economy with tourism, automotive manufacturing, engineering, and the wine industry contributing to most of the state’s GDP.
The standard of living in Adelaide is relatively high; however, opportunities for innovations and businesses abound.
Summary of Pros and Cons of Living in Adelaide
| Pros of Living in Adelaide | Cons of Living in Adelaide |
| Food, Chocolates, and Wine | Adelaide is Prone to Natural Disasters |
| Top-Notch Transport System | It can get Extremely Hot in Adelaide |
| Low Crime Rate | Increase in Cost of Living |
| Great Shopping Centers | Difficulty in Renting a Home |
Now, let’s discuss the pros and cons of living in Adelaide in detail.
Pros of Living in Adelaide
If you’re dreaming of living in this magical city, here are some exciting things it offers its residents.
1. Food, Chocolates, and Wine
Send your taste buds to utopia as they explore the native Adelaidean and intercontinental dishes served in Adelaide’s world-class restaurants. After every meal, be sure to take the Haigh’s chocolates as dessert (it has several collections so you can never get too used to it).
If you’re a wine lover, the wine capital of Australia is ready to spoil you silly. Ensure you visit the Barossa Valley, Mclaren Vale, and Adelaide hills. These wine regions offer you great wine and give you perfect relaxing scenery as a plus one.
2. Top-Notch Transport System
Moving around in Adelaide is easy-breezy. You can get to the city center from any part of Adelaide in literally 20 minutes. Wherever you want to go, you’d find the transport means of your choice. And some transport means are free.
If you’d ever use buses, trains, or trams to move around Adelaide, you’d find Adelaide Metro resourceful. But if you’d love to drive yourself around, the city has a lot of parking spaces and low parking fees when compared to other Australian capital cities.
3. Low Crime Rate
According to Numbeo, a global database that provides current statistics on the cost of living using indicators like crime rates, housing, etc., Adelaide has a low crime rate of 27.24. This is relatively low when compared to other popular Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
So when you finally take a trip to Adelaide, know that you’re in a haven.
4. Great Shopping Centers
Adelaide is every shopper’s delight, with more than 20 shopping centers across the city. From exquisite malls to grocery stores, you’d have various options—and it gets better if you love window shopping and comparing prices.
When you visit Adelaide, check out Rundle Mall Precinct and Adelaide Central Market. You’d be glad you did!
5. Warm Mediterranean Climate
In Adelaide, the golden sun brightens your room and greets you good morning as early as 6:30 am. The Mediterranean climate keeps the city warm for most of the year and offers Adelaideans a mild winter.
So if you’re not a fan of thick clothes, Adelaide beckons on you. Besides, you’d receive enough vitamin D and a perfect beach tan—if you want to.
6. Perfect Recreational Centers
Speaking of a perfect beach tan, Adelaide has over 20 beaches where you can get one while cooling off from the day’s stress.
You could take a long walk at Brighton Beach, swim alongside the playful bottlenose dolphins in Glenelg beach, or have a family day out with your loved ones at the Christies beach tourist park. You’ve got the power to choose.
Since variety is literally the spice of life in Adelaide, you’ve got other recreational options if beaches aren’t your thing. From bars and restaurants to museums that immortalize the state’s history, you’d never run out of places to relax on weekends.
7. Rich in Flora and Fauna
The city of Adelaide is biodiverse. A perfect blend of plants and animals keeps its ecosystem balanced. These natural gifts are preserved in botanical gardens and zoos.
There’s even more to explore in Adelaide – Adelaide Botanic garden, the Kangaroo Island filled with red hopping kangaroos, and Adelaide hills (the home of sleepy koalas). Simply put, this capital city teems with wildlife.
When you finally arrive in Adelaide, walk into a zoo to see animals you’ve only seen on NatGeo wild up close. Make sure you check out botanic gardens too!
8. Green and Clean Environment
Breathe in clear air and gulp down pure water as you stroll through the neat boulevards in Adelaide. The purity and cleanliness level is very high. Notwithstanding this, the government of Adelaide, alongside the citizens, still has a target of making it a carbon-neutral city.
9. Home of Good Music
Music is magical, and so is Adelaide, the city of music. It has a thriving music industry embracing several music genres. Live bands and a host of music events keep the city buzzing with great beats.
Quick fact: The Chandelier singer, Sia Furler, hails from Adelaide. Awesome, right?
10. Varieties of Festivals
You won’t have a complete discussion about Adelaide without discussing the various festivals held annually. Arts and music, food, and wine have festivals dedicated to them yearly.
Here are some of the festivals you should watch out for:
- St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival
- Adelaide Fringe Festival
- Tasting Australia
- WOMADelaide
- Adelaide Beer and BBQ Festival
Cons of Living in Adelaide
There’s an adverse side to everything—including Adelaide. Here are some factors that could make a living in the capital city of South Australia unfavorable for you.
1. Prone to Natural Disasters
Adelaide is at risk of experiencing natural disasters such as earthquakes, storms, floods, and bushfires.
The strongest earthquake that shook the state measured 5.5 on the Ritcher scale—and that was in 1954. However, the region has high seismicity and has experienced smaller tremors in the past years.
2. It Can Get Extremely Hot in Adelaide
Despite the warmth that the Mediterranean climate offers, the city can get flaming hot and dry at times. The city (particularly southern Adelaide) experiences frequent heat waves with adverse health effects. So, while in Adelaide, make sure to stay hydrated. Don’t stay under the gaze of the sun for too long.
3. Increase in Cost of Living
In 2021, the Economist Intelligence Unit listed Adelaide as the 3rd most liveable city in the world. However, the global liveability index released by the Unit in 2022 shows that it dropped drastically to the 30th on the list.
Although several indicators are used to calculate the livability score, it will interest you to know that the Consumer Price Index of Adelaide and Australia generally, have been on the rise.
4. Difficulty in Renting a Home
With property prices increasing by 3.5% over the past years and more people moving to Adelaide, finding a home in Adelaide has become more challenging.
According to CoreLogic, only 0.3% of houses and units in Adelaide were vacant in June. With the limited supply and surge in demand, it’s easy to understand why rental rates increased by 4.3%.
Finally
Adelaide is a city you’d love to explore at least once in your lifetime. However, you’ve got the ball in your court. If you’re convinced that the pros of staying in Adelaide far outweigh the cons, you should catch the next flight to the city and make the best out of your stay there.
Frequently Asked Questions About Living in Adelaide
What are the best suburbs to live in Adelaide?
If you want to get the most out of your stay in Adelaide, here are the suburbs you should consider living in.
- Glenelg
- Kennington
- North Adelaide
- North Brighton
- Henley Beach
- Semaphore
- Prospect
- Bowden
Is it easy to get a job in Adelaide?
Although permeating the job market might seem tough, finding a job in Adelaide depends on several factors. But getting a job in Adelaide won’t be difficult if you have the required qualifications.
However, working in Adelaide as a foreigner might be difficult. You’d have to obtain the appropriate visa to work legally in Adelaide and a work permit.
What are the highest paying careers in Adelaide?
Professionals get to take the biggest salary chunks in Adelaide. According to Salary Explorer, here are the highest paying jobs in the city.
- Doctors
- Judges
- Lawyers
- Bank Managers
- Chief Executive Officers
- Chief Financial Officers
- Orthodontists
- College Professors
- Pilots
- Marketing Directors
What is the tax rate in Adelaide?
There are several factors to consider while calculating the personal income or corporate income tax in Adelaide. However, you should know that Adelaide uses a progressive tax system. So the more you earn, the higher the tax rates.
Does Adelaide have good nightlife?
If you’re a night crawler, don’t be deterred because this city doesn’t sleep. You can enjoy a nice dinner in one of the world-class restaurants, dance till day breaks in any of the city clubs, or enjoy a nice Barossa wine in any of the bars.
