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A number of affordable suburbs have allowed investors to enjoy both strong returns and healthy rental yields over the past year, despite the common assumption it’s only one or the other.
The latest Pulse Report by Hotspotting and Washington Brown has cast light on the top 10 suburbs where investors have made solid capital gains while still enjoying significant yields.
Washington Brown director Tyron Hyde said the areas listed by The Pulse have provided savvy investors a real opportunity to grow their wealth.
“We’ve long been told you can’t have your cake and eat it too in property – growth or yield, not both. But that’s simply not true,” he said.
According to the latest data, the average growth across The Pulse’s top 50 locations from last year was 18 per cent, compared to the national average at just 2–3 per cent.
Hyde said the result equates to an average investor gain of $93,000 versus $25,000 nationally.
“These aren’t random lottery wins – they’re the result of data-led investing. And with the right advice, everyday investors can still access markets where price and yield work hand-in-hand,” he said.
This was especially seen in Aitkenvale in Townsville, with house prices rising 40 per cent.
The result is equivalent to a capital gain of $170,000 on a median-priced property over the past year.
Aitkenvale was followed by Midland in Western Australia, seeing a 35 per cent price rise and gains of $167,000.
Meanwhile, Park Avenue in Rockhampton rose 33 per cent, netting $140,000.
“These aren’t million-dollar suburbs either,” Hyde said.
“In places like Carey Park in WA, where the median house price was just $370,000, investors gained $130,000 in a year while accessing potential annual tax depreciation benefits of more than $5,000.
“That’s the power of smart property investing.”
From May 2024 to May 2025, The Pulse’s top investment house suburbs in terms of capital gains were:
- Aitkenvale, Townsville, Queensland: Gain $170,000 (40 per cent)
- Midland Swan, Western Australia: Gain $167,000 (35 per cent)
- Park Avenue, Rockhampton, Queensland: Gain $140,000 (33 per cent)
- Kin Kora, Gladstone, Queensland: Gain $150,000 (30 per cent)
- Carey Park, Bunbury, Western Australia: Gain $130,000 (30 per cent)
- Berserker, Rockhampton, Queensland: Gain $126,000 (28 per cent)
- Balga, Stirling, Western Australia: Gain $155,000 (27 per cent)
- Withers, Bunbury, Western Australia: Gain $125,000 (27 per cent)
- Kirwan, Townsville, Queensland: Gain $136,000 (26 per cent)
- Salisbury North, Salisbury, South Australia: Gain $140,000 (26 per cent)
Meanwhile, rental yields have also remained strong in the listed areas, with many suburbs delivering gross yields above 6 per cent as rents increased in conjunction with price growth.
Hotspotting director Terry Ryder noted there were “sustainable double-plays” involving value appreciation in addition to rental performance.
“What stands out in our house market analysis is the sheer consistency of growth in regional and affordable areas because these are not one-off boom towns,” he said.
“They’re markets with real economic drivers, infrastructure investment, and increasing buyer demand.”
Ryder said that many of the best-performing house markets had not even been on the mainstream radar for most investors.
“In places like Kin Kora, Withers, and Berserker, we’re seeing gains of 25 per cent to 30 per cent in one year, at a time when national growth is hovering around 3 per cent. It sends a strong signal that investors should be looking beyond the usual suspects,” he concluded.
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