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Capital cities are battling it out to be the most valuable places to live, according to a report released last week. But do prospective buyers agree with the findings?

The RP Data/Rismark Australian Home Value Index showed that prices have jumped an average of 2.8 percent in the first four months of 2009, with capital cities sitting at the centre of the rise.

Darwin was a surprise leader, recording a remarkable 5.3 percent rise in property value. Melbourne and Sydney tussled for second, with the Harbour City trailing behind: Melbourne logged a rise of 4.5 percent, while Sydney jumped by only 3.9 percent. Below them were Brisbane at 1.6 percent, Canberra at 1.1 percent, and Adelaide at 0.7 percent, with only Perth properties dropping in value (down 0.8 percent).

But property prices aren't everything: when it comes to cost of living, it seems Sydney continues to be the most expensive city followed by Melbourne and then Perth as revealed in the Cost of Living Survey from Mercer. The survey measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in 143 cities worldwide. Globally, Sydney ranks as the 15th most-expensive city in the world, Melbourne comes in at 36th place and Perth, which climbed 31 places from last year, is in 53rd place.

Finding the right place to live and buy property requires a combination of factors: suitable property prices, quality and cost of living, and personal preference.

So, what do you think? Which is the best Australian city to live in?

Which city is the most expensive when it comes to buying property?

Is it cheaper to buy than rent in your suburb?

Join the debate and have your say.

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Having lived in London for the last 6 years I would have to say Brisbane (Briz Vegas) is the best capital city in Australia to live in. (i much prefer the sunny coast then any other place but Briz Vegas is the best Capital) It has beautiful beaches to the north and south of it a vibrant and not overcrowded city with decent resturaunts and night life.

Seeing that Sydney's getting some bad commentary from people who've never really lived here - I'd just like to give out my own opinion. I was born in Sydney and have traveled several times to Melbourne, Adelaide & Brisbane and I've realised that you can't really compare any of these beautiful cities - they all suit such different types of people & I like them all for very different reasons! Sydney is an incredibly beautiful city and because it's so big and vast with a much bigger population than any other city, there's obviously going to be issues like traffic and less-friendly neighbours as well as some un-cared for neighborhoods - but the plus side is that it's very culturally diverse, our weather is perfect seeing as we're smack bang between Brissy & Melb (never too cold, never too hot), we have a wicked city AND beautiful beaches right near our CBD and there's a lot to keep you entertained! Yeah it's expensive, but you get what you pay for (& the roads are getting better).

MPG16 from ireland i think you hit the nail on the head. maybe we should all take a elaf out of their book and actually come to the realisation that we are so lucky to live anywhere in this country. who gives a *** who has better nightclubs, does anyones entire lie really revolve around that. each place has its own special value and qualities and ofcourse no one is the same and we live in different places for different reasons. im just happy i was born here and im staying here. the only reason id leave is for business but id always be coming back. why on earth else would everyone else int he wordl be trying to get into our country. cause its effing AWESOME!

i just moved back to perth after living in melbourne for a year, yes i wasnt there for long, in comparison to most others who have lived somewhere, but ive grown up in a few places across the WA coast, and i love it. this place truly is the real australia. dont get me wrong, i absolutely love the eastern states, melbourne preferably, the shopping, the nightlife, the entertainment, the people, the culture, you wont find many people there who are like one another. everyone is different and dares to be their own. fair enough perth is so isolated, and the "wait-a-while" capital and the young adolescent crowd i think want a bit more to persuade them. but everyone is friendly, the coastline is amazing, down south is awesome, we're laid back and not in a rush to get everywhere and follow everyone. we do our own thing and perth is truly the most rewarding place to live. im happy to kick back at the beach and enjoy the most beautilful sunset in the world with mates. the life, really

I'm an Adelaide boy through an through but I'm also very well travelled and I think that there's a lot of places in this country and overseas that are great to live in. Adelaide is a very unique city, which is why it draws criticism from other cities. Truth be told, it's a very quiet and laid back, relaxed place to live. I don't think anybody's in a position to knock that. If you're from Melbourne or Sydney or Perth that's fabulous and if you dn't like coming to Adelaide, that's perfectably understanable, but I think this poll was about picking the best city to live in, not the worst. So why don't we focus on that hey. From all the cities I've lived in and visited, Adelaide is the easiest, cheapest, friendliest, most well laid out city and always a comfortable place to come home to. Plus we have the most beautiful cricket ground in the world...so HA...take that! lol

Perth isn't a city - just a big town. Very few people live in Perth as it's just a business district which is dead outside of normal working hours. Local council does everything in it's power to keep people away by not wanting any big sporting events such as rally or v8 supercars. Public transport leaves a lot to be desired, but if you like to drive every where slowly then it's for you. Now Sydney is a great city where people are around all the time with lots of life and excitement.

Adelaide hands down, housing is affordable, block sizes are a decent size sometimes over an acre of land. Country towns under an hour from Adelaide and the hills are beautiful to drive through. Best place in Australia, hands down.

well i wud say melbourne. a lot pf people say it got *** weather n stuff but i dnt think its tht bad..u c all four weather in a day ..in winters u experience cold n by cold i mean very cold n in summer u expericen hhot n by hot i mean very hot..so its a good place 4 ppl whol like only summers or only winters.. night life is gd or i say awesome..clubs n bars spread all across the city..u got AFL everyweak..thn u have all the other sports TENNIS grand slam, MOTO GP, F1.. public transport is good buses trains trams thy will take u everywhere..a lot of universities 2 study hardcore. thn u have crown casino adn the place is relatively cheap 4 living. i mean living costs are quite affordable.. so 4 me , melbourne is the best place 2 live

I grew up in Bendigo. Except for the fact there is no water, it's a great place to grow up and raise a family. I'll be spending the rest of my twenties in Melbourne, then I'll settle in a 'country' city. The country is where the full experience of being an Aussie can be had and city people would do well to respect that from time to time.

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