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Suburb profile · Canterbury · NZ

St Albans East NZ

St Albans East is in Canterbury, New Zealand, with population 3,519.

The read

Livability-led

There are enough weaker signals here that you should expect trade-offs, not a clean local story. Compare it directly with stronger nearby suburbs before treating it as a preferred option.

$565/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$585
$200
1/04/20211/01/2026
Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

Median rent
$580/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D5 vs NZ
Population
3,519
4K local footprint
D9 vs NZ
Income
$47K/yr
Median personal income
D8 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 7
Mid-range deprivation
D7 vs NZ
Schools
No matched schools

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$687K
+33.8% over 5yr
3.2%YoY
Lower quartile
$566K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,399
QV-based HPI
28.1%5yr
Income to buy
7.7x
Years of median income
Annual sales
9,448
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,184/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
43%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
10.2 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,346
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$3,036
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,184
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,243

A territorial-authority estimate: the Christchurch City median sale price on a 20% deposit and 30-year loan, against the TA median household income implied by HUD's income-to-buy ratio, at RBNZ new-mortgage rates. A market-wide guide, not a St Albans East-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr +3.9%5yr +23.6%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Christchurch City territorial authority (monthly, Jan 2007 = 1000). A valuation-based index of price movement over time — distinct from the actual median sale price above.

Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Christchurch City territorial authority (as at 2026-03). New Zealand has no free suburb-level sale-price series, so these are TA-wide medians from HUD Local Housing Statistics (LINZ District Valuation Roll + Stats NZ) — a market backdrop for St Albans East, not a St Albans East-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents at their peak
Low · 2020Peak · 2026

At / near its highest median rent on record

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +5.6%/yr · 5-yr +7.2%/yr

Rent trend is derived from MBIE tenancy-bond medians and excludes suburbs with too few bonds to be reliable.

Personal income

$47K personal · yr+12.3% vs Canterbury suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
339
$10,001-$20,000
294
$20,001-$30,000
435
$30,001-$50,000
603
$50,001-$70,000
666
$70,001-$100,000
465
$100,001 or more
333

Median individual income. NZ has no suburb-level household-income or sale-price data, so this is a personal-income benchmark, not a household-affordability measure. Distribution covers people aged 15+ with stated income; counts are randomly rounded to base 3.

Housing stock and tenure

Home ownership over three censuses+2.8pp since 2013
2013
33% owned
2018
32% owned
2023
35% owned

10.0% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

14% damp (-5pp vs 2018) and 10% with visible mould larger than A4 (-1pp vs 2018).

Investor-specific data (gearing, investor concentration) is not published for NZ suburbs — the tenure trend above is the available investor signal.

Population outlook

407,700 people · 2023445,700 by 2033 (+9.3%)

Stats NZ subnational projection (2023 base, medium series) for Christchurch City — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Crime

Rate · per 100k8,295
Total incidents32,463· 2026-05
  • Assault2,64928%
  • Burglary6,16764%
  • Robbery3944%
  • Sexual Assault4104%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
Low
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
22.1 km
Greendale Fault
Fault slip rate
Low
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from St Albans East's centre to the nearest mapped active fault (GNS Science NZ Active Faults Database) — an area estimate, not a site-specific seismic assessment. NZ's full ground-shaking model (NSHM) is not available as a queryable map layer.

Short-term rentals

50
active listings · ~14.2 per 1,000 residents
86%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
80%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$244
median nightly (entire home)
24%
estimated occupancy
$19,968
estimated annual revenue (gross)

Active Airbnb listings point-mapped to this suburb from Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0). Occupancy and revenue are estimates from Inside Airbnb's San Francisco model (review-rate proxy, minimum-stay assumption, occupancy capped at 70%) — they are gross, indicative, and not a guarantee of returns. Short-stay letting is subject to state and local regulation.

Livability

51/ 100 livability index

Top 49% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 51% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access84
Public transport (11 stops)64
Schools & hospitals0

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within New Zealand suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Investment grade

Bgrade · 61/100 · top 39% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 61% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth78
Rental yield42
Stability31

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

District-level grade across New Zealand territorial authorities, combining 5-year price growth, rental yield (district median rent vs district median price), and stability (price-to-income level + affordability trajectory) via the same three-pillar method with an imbalance penalty. New Zealand has no free suburb-level prices, so this reflects your area's territorial authority. Within-New-Zealand relative, indicative only — not financial advice.

Stronger alternatives nearby

Cheaper to rent

lower weekly rent · cross-TA

Higher income

personal median · cross-TA

Less deprived

lower NZDep decile · cross-TA

Alternatives are similar-rent suburbs (0.6–1.6x this suburb's median rent) in other territorial authorities that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.

Building activity

Latest consents
12
0 houses · 12 units
78.9%YoY D8 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
2,271
Was 1,983 in 2018
14.5%vs 2018 D10 vs NZ

Full data detail

St Albans East Canterbury — Property Data and Demographics

St Albans East is a small suburb in Canterbury with a population of 3,519 and a median age of 32. Median personal income is $47K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Asian, Māori. Canterbury population estimates moved +1.1% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +2.1% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 1,983 in 2018 to 2,271 in 2023 (+14.5%), which should be read as a census-to-census employment backdrop rather than a live jobs series. Te Waihanga's December 2025 Pipeline snapshot tracked over 12,000 NZ infrastructure initiatives, with more than 2,700 under construction and transport taking 52% of projected 2026 pipeline spend, which should be read as a broader national delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project list.

Median weekly rent in St Albans East is $580 (580 houses, 470 units). This represents approximately 65% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for St Albans East: NZDep decile 7 (moderate deprivation); 11 transport stops (11 bus).

In 2026, St Albans East recorded 12 building approvals (0 houses, 12 units), down 78.9% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability65% Stretched
DeprivationDecile 7· Moderate
Transport Access11 stops· Some Access
Development-79% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$580
House · wk$580
Unit · wk$470
Rent / income64.7%
Lodgements141
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)12
Units12
YoY change-78.9%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population3,519
Median age32
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$46,600
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived7/10
NZDep score1009

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European2,556
Asian753
Māori339
Pacific Peoples126
MELAA105
Top industriesCensus 23
Professional, Scientific and Technical342
Health Care and Social Assistance258
Retail Trade228
Accommodation and Food201
Construction183
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies2
GP / clinics1
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining9
TransportGTFS
Bus stops11
Hospitals · Christchurch CityMoH
Burwood HospitalPublic Hospital
Christchurch HospitalPublic Hospital
Christchurch Women's HospitalPublic Hospital
Hillmorton HospitalPublic Hospital
The Princess Margaret HospitalPublic Hospital
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on St Albans East for a first-pass decision.

NZ suburb pages combine Stats NZ, MBIE, MoE, GTFS, and pinned service coverage. The key difference is that some items are direct feeds, while others are fallback or snapshot layers.

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using MBIE bond data when present.

Treat current rent as a decision input, not as a guaranteed market quote.

HOSPITAL POSTURE
Hospital coverage comes from an official pinned snapshot.

This is a trusted coverage layer, but it is still a pinned snapshot rather than a live facility API.

TRANSPORT POSTURE
Transport is feed-based and depends on GTFS bundle coverage.

It is good for stop presence and local network context, but not a guarantee that every operator or schedule is equally current.

Data status
Weekly rent
MBIE rental bond data · 1/01/2026 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · No linked local school matches
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Missing
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · 11 matched stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Available
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · 2026 · Annual release series
Available
Demographic baseline
Stats NZ Census 2023 · Population, income, and demographic baseline
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Available
Available means a direct local source is linked. Verify means the page is using a weaker fallback or coverage-only snapshot, especially Census rent fallback or pinned hospital coverage.

St Albans East FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in St Albans East?

    The median weekly rent in St Albans East is $580/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  2. What does the rent signal say about St Albans East?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 65% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  3. What is the livability profile for St Albans East?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for St Albans East show: Stretched, Moderate, Some Access. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for St Albans East?

    Housing data comes from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Demographics are from Stats NZ Census 2023. Schools data uses the Ministry of Education Equity Index (EQI). The deprivation score uses NZDep2018. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  5. How often is the St Albans East data updated?

    RBNZ macro data updates with each deploy. Demographics are from NZ Census 2023. School EQI scores are from the Ministry of Education latest release.