A fresh analysis of Canberra's property market has pinpointed the capital's most exclusive and most affordable addresses, painting a clear picture of a city where prestige comes at a premium but even the cheapest streets command a significant price.
The Pinnacle of Prestige: Canberra's Top-Tier Streets
According to a comprehensive three-year review conducted by real estate group Ray White, the title of Canberra's most expensive street goes to Arthur Circle in Forrest, with a staggering median house price of $3.8 million. The data, which examined house sales from the three years to November 2025, considered only streets with at least five sales, excluding apartments.
The sales on Arthur Circle tell a story of extreme luxury. While the highest sale in 2025 was 72 Arthur Circle at $3.26 million in March, the street's peak transaction was at number 77, which fetched an impressive $6 million in January 2024. Notably, number 72 is back on the market with a price tag of $3.45 million.
Following closely behind, Scarborough Street in Red Hill secured second place with a median house sale of $3.5 million. Rounding out the top three was Dawes Street in Kingston, where the median house sold for $2.97 million.
Location, Lifestyle, and Luxury: The Key Drivers
Ray White senior data analyst Atom Go Tian identified a clear pattern behind the premium prices. Proximity to Parliament House and Lake Burley Griffin emerged as the dominant factors, concentrating the most expensive streets in suburbs like Forrest, Red Hill, and Griffith.
Michael Lyristakis from Berkely Residential, the selling agent for 72 Arthur Circle, highlighted the unique lifestyle appeal. He pointed to the inner south's beautiful, established tree-lined streets and large block sizes as major draws for buyers. "It ticks most of the boxes," Mr Lyristakis said, noting a recent uptick in confidence within Canberra's luxury market, partly driven by interest rate cuts.
Despite the multi-million dollar figures, Canberra remains relatively affordable in the national luxury context. Only Hobart and Darwin have cheaper top-tier streets compared to other Australian capital cities.
The Other End of the Spectrum: Canberra's Most Affordable Streets
At the more accessible end of the market, the analysis revealed that Canberra's cheapest streets are still pricier than those in any other capital city. Jeff Snell Crescent in Dunlop recorded the most affordable median house price in the ACT at $610,000.
Other entry-point streets included Barrumarra Avenue in Ngunnawal with a median of $632,500 and Strang Place in Macgregor at $647,500. These figures stand in stark contrast to the cheapest streets in Melbourne and Sydney, where medians were $399,000 and $385,000 respectively.
Mr Go Tian attributed this compression in affordability to Canberra's unique geography. "Canberra has the smallest land area among major cities and, because of this compression, there's not much room to grow," he explained. Unlike larger metropolises where development can sprawl outward, creating cheaper alternatives, Canberra's limited expansion pushes valuations up even in outer areas.
The data confirms a two-tiered market where prestige commands a premium anchored to the parliamentary precinct, while broader geographic constraints keep the floor for property prices notably high across the entire territory.
