The most affordable city dwellings in Australia’s capitals are 20km away from the CBD, unless you’re willing to live in an inner city studio, claims a leading data analyst. 

RP Data research has found suburbs within a 20km radius were generally cheaper and still considered part of the city. 

The results varied greatly for detached housing versus units, with inner-city units of one or two bedrooms cheaper than bigger units in the outer suburbs. 

“In some regions closer to the city, small and affordable one bedroom units often dominate the product offering,” said RP Data research analyst Cameron Kusher. 

“New unit developments are becoming increasingly common across the middle ring suburbs now which can reflect in higher values,” he said. 

"[The] results show that if buyers chose to live close to the city centre, the dominance of affordable units within a 20km radius may provide a viable and more affordable alternative given that the cost of purchasing is often significantly lower than it is for a detached house,” Kusher added.