Alice Springs (NT 0870) in Focus 2026: Is It a Good Investment? R-Score 99/100, 15.4% Yield & Best Streets

Market Classification: High-Yield & Momentum Sweet Spot · R-Score: 99/100 (National Rank #161 of 15,286) · Street Average: 23/100 across 23 streets.

In a 6%+ interest rate environment, most Australian suburbs force investors to choose between capital growth momentum and holding cashflow. Alice Springs is one of the rare markets in NT currently delivering both: a 99/100 R-Score paired with a 15.4% gross rental yield at a $355,000 median price. That yield profile preserves bank borrowing serviceability so investors can sequence their next acquisition without a punishing cashflow deficit.

“I would not let the 15.4% gross yield do all the thinking. With vacancy at 4.3% and selling time averaging 120 days, I’d want conservative rent and exit assumptions, then compare streets carefully. The 22% owner-occupation figure on the leading streets is a fairly blunt warning about stock selection.”

Looking for the live, monthly-updated numbers? The Alice Springs (NT) suburb profile tracks the current median house price, rent, vacancy and R-Score, and the Alice Springs street-by-street scores rank every street. This article is our investment analysis of what those numbers mean.

Below is our full October 2026 quantitative and street-level breakdown for Alice Springs (NT 0870), combining 36 months of settled price and rental history from our Aurora research warehouse, council-level supply and employment data for Alice Springs (NT), and block-by-block ABS 2021 Census SA1 tenure and yield rankings across 773 residential addresses.

1. Alice Springs (NT) 3-Year Market Trajectory & 27-Indicator R-Score (October 2026)

As of October 2026, Alice Springs records a settled median house price of $355,000. On the rental side, median weekly asking rents moved +0% over the past year to $1050/wk, equating to a 15.4% gross rental yield. Compared with 12 months ago—when Alice Springs carried an R-Score of 98/100—its current composite R-Score of 99/100 represents a +1-point shift in underlying market pressure.

Indicator / R-Score Pillar	Alice Springs (NT) Current	12-Month / 36-Month Context
Composite Suburb R-Score	99 / 100	Ranked #161 of 15,286 suburbs (was 98/100 12m ago)
Median House Price	$355,000	12m change: +0%
Median Weekly Rent & Gross Yield	$1050/wk (15.4%)	12m rent change: +0%
Rental Vacancy & Days on Market	4.3% vacancy	Median selling time: 120 days on market (1.5% vacancy is the tight-market line)
Pillar 1: Buyer Demand	45 / 100	Measures days-on-market compression, vendor discounting & sales velocity
Pillar 2: Supply & Ownership	57 / 100	Measures stock on market, building approvals vs stock & owner-occupier share
Pillar 3: Price Momentum	56 / 100	Measures short/medium-term price velocity vs Alice Springs & NT
Pillar 4: Yield Pressure	53 / 100	Measures gross rental yield, rent trajectory & vacancy compression

2. The “Two-Speed Suburb” Test: Best & Worst Streets in Alice Springs (NT)

Why do two 4-bedroom houses in Alice Springs achieve completely different bank valuations and tenant quality? Because suburb medians blend every pocket together. When we map all 773 addresses across 23 streets in Alice Springs through G-NAF to their ABS 2021 Census SA1 blocks, the suburb splits into three distinct tiers:

• Strong Street Profile (Score 75–100): 0 streets (0% of scored streets) pass both ABS Census tenure tests (owner-occupiers >65% and public housing ≤5%) plus at least one—or both—of the Alice Springs rent and yield benchmarks.
• Mid / Mixed Street Profile (Score 50–74): 0 streets pass the core owner-occupier and public-housing thresholds but sit below the suburb median on weekly rent or yield.
• Weaker / Caution Street Profile (Score 0–25): 12 streets fail one or both census tenure thresholds—meaning either owner-occupation sits at or below 65% or state/community public housing exceeds 5% on those specific SA1 blocks.

Top 5 Highest-Scoring Streets in Alice Springs (NT)

These streets sit in SA1 census blocks with high homeowner pride of ownership, minimal social housing concentration, and strong block-level rents (inspect all 23 streets in Alice Springs):

Top Street in Alice Springs	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Rent & Yield
#1 Todd Street	25/100	166	22%	0%	— (—)
#2 Railway Terrace	25/100	101	22%	0%	— (—)
#3 Hartley Street	25/100	98	22%	0%	— (—)
#4 Bath Street	25/100	93	22%	0%	— (—)
#5 Todd Mall	25/100	86	22%	0%	— (—)

Streets Where Block-Level Tenure Trails the Alice Springs Average

By contrast, the streets below run through SA1 census blocks that fail one or more of our tenure or rental tests. A lower Street Score is not a judgement of any individual house, but it highlights where higher renter turnover or public housing concentration exists within Alice Springs:

Caution Street Sample	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Median Rent
Whittaker Street	0/100	22	27%	5.4%	—
Stokes Street	0/100	12	27%	5.4%	—
Stuart Highway	11/100	11	24%	2.9%	—

3. Economic & Supply Drivers in Alice Springs Council (Northern Territory)

Alice Springs sits within the Alice Springs Local Government Area, which has a residential population of approximately 30,875 (+5.6% population movement over the past 3 years) and 11,224 total dwellings. Three council-level fundamentals shape Alice Springs’s medium-term outlook:

• Local Employment Diversity (ABS Census): The largest employment sectors across Alice Springs are Health Care and Social Assistance (19%), Public Administration and Safety (15%), Education and Training (11%), Retail Trade (9%). Multi-sector employment reduces reliance on any single employer or commodity cycle.
• New Building Approvals vs. Existing Stock: Over the latest 12-month financial year, Alice Springs approved 0.3% new dwelling stock (~31 dwellings). Because annual additions sit under 1.8% of stock, incoming supply is constrained relative to tenant and buyer demand.
• Tracked Infrastructure Pipeline: Alice Springs currently has $595 million in tracked major infrastructure projects (placing it in the 27th percentile of Australian councils).

4. Worked Cashflow, Deposit & 80% LVR Stress-Test for Alice Springs (October 2026)

What does it actually cost to acquire and hold a typical house in Alice Springs at today’s median price of $355,000 and median rent of $1050/wk? Below is the baseline 80% Loan-to-Value Ratio (LVR) model we use to stress-test serviceability before shortlisting a property:

Cashflow & Capital Item	Alice Springs Worked Figure	Assumptions & Notes
Purchase Price (Suburb Median)	$355,000	Settled house median as of October 2026
20% Deposit + Est. Stamp Duty & Costs	$88,040	$71,000 deposit (80% LVR) + ~$17,040 stamp duty, legal & inspection allowance (can be funded via usable home equity)
80% LVR Loan Amount	$284,000	Standard no-LMI investor loan threshold
Gross Annual Rental Income	$54,600/yr ($1050/wk)	15.4% gross rental yield before vacancies and expenses
Est. Annual Interest + Operating Costs	$21,655/yr	Assumes 6.25% interest-only ($17,750/yr) + ~1.1% for council rates, insurance & property management ($3,905/yr)
Pre-Tax Weekly Cashflow Position	+$634/wk surplus	Before tax deductions / depreciation (confirm post-tax position with your accountant)

5. Who Should Buy in Alice Springs—And 3 Rules Before You Make an Offer

Rare Convergence of 5%+ Gross Rental Yield and Top-Quartile Demand. Based on our October 2026 data, Alice Springs is best suited to first-time property investors, homeowners unlocking $150k–$250k in equity, and second/third property buyers who need strong rental yield (15.4%) to preserve bank borrowing capacity while capturing capital growth.

1. Never Buy Blind on the Suburb Median: In Alice Springs, 12 streets score below 50/100 on our census tenure and yield tests. Always run the exact street through the Alice Springs Street Score Hub and target the 0 streets scoring 75–100/100.
2. Check Lot-Level Overlays (Flood, Bushfire, Slope & Easements): Even on a 100/100 streetlike Todd Street, individual lots can carry overland flow paths, steep gradients, or sewer easements that restrict granny-flat additions or spike insurance premiums.
3. Price Against Street-Matched Settled Comparables: Do not let a selling agent justify an asking price on a 25/100 street using comparable sales from a 100/100 street. Compare settled sales within the same SA1 Street Score band.