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The Best Places for Pregnancy
The best Australian places cities for new and expecting parents
At iSelect, we wanted to know which parts of Australia offer the best support for new and expecting parents. From access to childcare to the quality of healthcare, there’s a lot that can shape your experience of starting a family. So, we crunched the numbers to find out where Australia is doing it best.
We analysed publicly available government data to identify the best regions in Australia to start a family. For each region, we compared five factors: the proportion of children who are developmentally on track, the number of available childcare places, the average childcare costs, the performance of local healthcare systems, and the average number of children born per woman.
The best Australian regions for raising a child
South Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory is the best region to raise a child, thanks to its mix of affordable childcare and solid access to services. Childcare costs here are some of the lowest, at an average of 20.5% of household income, while childcare availability is one of the highest, with almost three places per child. The region also scores well on healthcare (6.8/10). Although its child development rate isn’t the highest, the overall balance puts it in the top spot.
The Dural and Wisemans Ferry region in New South Wales ranks second overall, offering a strong balance of good child development and access to services. It ranks third for childcare availability, with 1.74 places per child. While childcare takes up 27.5% of income, the region scores well for healthcare and fertility, suggesting it’s a well-rounded and supportive place to raise a family.
Leichhardt in New South Wales ranks third, with 87.9% of children on track developmentally. With a strong healthcare score of 7.1 and a fertility rate of 1.55 births per woman, Leichhardt offers excellent support for families.
Regions in Australia with the highest child development rates
Early childhood development is crucial for building a strong foundation. To gauge whether it’s on track, the Australian Early Development Centre analyses five key development areas: health, social skills, emotional wellbeing, language, and communication. The Bayside region of Victoria leads the way, with an average of 89.4% of children meeting their milestones in those key areas.
Bayside is followed closely by the Sherwood and Indooroopilly region in Queensland, with 88.5% of children meeting developmental milestones. Leichhardt in New South Wales comes third on the list at 87.9%, showing strong outcomes across the board.
Notably, Victoria has four regions in the top ten, suggesting a consistent focus on early development in the state. Western Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales each have two regions in the top ten.
Best regions in Australia for childcare availability
Access to childcare is an important factor for many families, especially in the early years. Adelaide City tops the list for its availability, with over three places for every child aged zero to four. This highlights that families in the area have significantly more options when it comes to childcare.
South Canberra also ranks well for childcare availability, offering 2.9 places per child. Dural and Wisemans Ferry follows, with 1.74 places available per child.
South Australia stands out overall, with four regions offering more than 1.5 places per child. It appears to offer some of the most accessible childcare in the country.
Regions in Australia with the most affordable childcare
Childcare costs differ across the country, but some areas are more affordable once you factor in household income. The most budget-friendly region is Alice Springs, where families pay an average of $8.32 an hour and spend around 20.5% of their income on childcare.
In South Canberra, childcare costs are higher, at $15.67 per hour, but families still spend an average of 20.5% of their income, showing that higher incomes help offset the increased costs. In the East Pilbara region of Western Australia, the hourly rate is $14.70, with families spending 20.9% of their income, showing a similar balance between cost and income.
Western Australia has the most regions appearing in the top ten, highlighting that families in these areas have access to more cost-effective childcare than those in other parts of the country.
Regions in Australia with the highest fertility rates
New South Wales dominates the list of Australia’s highest fertility rates, with the region of Bourke, Cobar, and Coonamble leading at 2.93 births per woman. Other top-ranking New South Wales regions include Moree and Narrabri, Kempsey and Nambucca, and Lachlan Valley. The strong presence of regional NSW on this list might reflect broader population trends or lifestyle preferences influencing where families are settling.
Queensland also features a lot in the top rankings, with Darling Downs East (2.41), Darling Downs West and Maranoa (2.37), and Outback North (2.36) all recording relatively high fertility rates.
The best regions in each state for starting a family
New South Wales
For families in New South Wales, Sydney’s northern suburbs come out on top. The region of Dural and Wisemans Ferry leads, with 1.74 childcare places per child and one of the highest fertility rates in the top five, at 1.76 births per woman. Leichhardt follows, with strong scores across the board, including the highest child development rate (87.9%), while Manly stands out for having a low childcare cost as a share of income, at just 22.4%.
Victoria
In Victoria, Bayside ranks first, standing out with the highest child development rate (89.4%) and good childcare availability (1.26 places per child). Macedon Ranges has the highest fertility rate in the top five, with 2.09 births per woman, higher than most Victorian regions. Meanwhile, Stonnington East performs consistently, with good childcare availability (1.39 places per child) and strong child development outcomes (85.8%).
Queensland
Queensland families have several standout regions to consider. The region of Kenmore, Brookfield, and Moggill comes out on top, thanks to a balance of factors including strong childcare availability (1.39 places per child) and a high fertility rate (1.58 births per woman). The Sherwood and Indooroopilly region ranks second, standing out with the highest child development rate among the top five (88.5%). Brisbane’s Inner West takes third place, offering a strong showing in both child development (87.0%) and affordability, with childcare costing an average of 25.9% of household income.
Western Australia
Western Australia’s top regions for raising a family offer a mix of affordability and strong support services. The Cottesloe and Claremont region tops the list, with one of the lowest childcare costs among the top five (22.9% of household income), and a strong child development rate of 87.7%. Joondalup ranks second, backed by a high fertility rate of 1.73 births per woman. West Pilbara follows in third, offering the lowest childcare cost (21.0%) and the highest fertility rate (2.01) in this list.
South Australia
In South Australia, Adelaide City stands out as the best option for working families, with the highest childcare availability (3.11 places per child). Unley ranks second, thanks to a strong child development score of 84.9% and relatively low childcare costs of 24.8% of household income. Holdfast Bay takes third, with high development outcomes (84.7%) and solid childcare availability (1.57 places per child).
Tasmania
Tasmania’s top spots for raising a family are all in and around Hobart, with Hobart Inner leading the way. The region combines a strong child development score (84.5%) with the lowest childcare cost as a share of household income in all of Tasmania (23.4%). The Sorrel and Dodges Ferry region stands out for its high fertility rate of 1.82 births per woman. However, it’s not doing as well when it comes to childcare costs (31.6% of household income).
Northern Territory
Families in the Northern Territory may find strong potential in Litchfield, which ranks first overall due to its standout fertility rate (2.04 births per woman) and low childcare costs (24.7% of household income). Darwin City follows closely, offering the highest child development score among the top five, at 75.7%. Meanwhile, Alice Springs stands out for having the lowest childcare cost, at just 20.5% of household income, although it also has lower early development figures (59.5%).
Australian Capital Territory
Coming in first in the national ranking, South Canberra unsurprisingly also takes top spot for the Australian Capital Territory. Weston Creek comes in second, thanks to its high fertility rate and strong early childhood development scores. Rounding out the top three is Woden Valley, with a solid performance in childhood development and the second-highest number of available childcare spots in the territory.
Starting a family is an exciting journey, but it also comes with many decisions around access to support services in your area and how to plan for your child’s future. Our research shows that the availability and affordability of childcare can vary significantly across Australia, as can healthcare quality.
At iSelect, we’re here to help you compare health insurance options from a range of health funds to ensure you can find a policy that best suits your needs. With the right cover, you can feel more at ease and prepared for all that comes with pregnancy, childbirth, and raising a family.
Andres Gutierrez
General Manager – Health at iSelect
About the data
Using the SA3 level geographical standard to define regions, based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, we have ranked and compared which regions perform the best for pregnancy and raising a child using five key factors – early childhood development (typically measured at five to six years of age), childcare availability, childcare costs, quality of healthcare, and fertility rates.
Each factor has been weighted according to the percentages outlined below, signifying varying levels of significance. All direct factors have been divided evenly, while indirect factors have been given a fractional weighting. The values from each metric have been transformed to Z-scores and normalised to produce an index score for every region. These scores have been used to rank and compare which regions perform the best for pregnancy and raising a child.
The factors and data sources we analysed to determine the total index score are shown in the table below. The data sources are the most current, publicly available government data sources.
| Factor | Weight | Description | Measure | Data source |
| Early childhood development | 22.5% | The percentage of children within the region that are labelled as ‘on track’ in their development prior to starting school in five categories – health, social, emotional, language and communication. The census is taken by teachers of children in their first year of school – typically at five to six years of age | Average % of children ‘on track’ as defined by the Australian Early Development Census by SA3 region | Australian Early Development Census – Public table by Statistical Area Level (SA3) 2009-2021 |
| Childcare availability | 22.5% | The availability of childcare providers within a region | Number of childcare places (National Quality Framework–regulated children’s education and care services – long daycare, pre-school kindergarten, outside school hours care, and family daycare) per child aged zero to four years by SA3 region | Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority – National Quality Framework, Q4 2024 Australian Bureau of Statistics – Estimated Regional Population SA3, June 2023 |
| Childcare costs | 22.5% | The price of childcare within a region as a proportion of median household income, based on 25 hours of childcare per week. | The average centre-based daycare fee per hour by SA3 region, multiplied by the average number of daycare hours per week, dependent on the state, used as a proportion of the median equivalised household income in the region. | Department of Education – Childcare Subsidy Quarterly report, Dec 2024 Australian Bureau of Statistics – Median Equivalised Household Income, 2021 |
| Quality of healthcare | 22.5% | The level of satisfaction with the healthcare system, used to determine differences by region in the quality of healthcare available to those giving birth | Health Care Index score, filtered with results from females aged 18-49. This has been allocated to each region from the inner city/regional level of state geography | Australian Healthcare Index – Australian Healthcare Rating, 2023 |
| Fertility rates | 10% | The rate of births within a region, used as an indicator of the suitability and popularity of an area | Total fertility rate by SA3 region – number of registered births per woman | Australian Bureau of Statistics – Fertility rates, 2023 |
Please note that 26 SA3 regions have been excluded from the study due to unavailable data for one or more factors. All of these regions fall below the bottom 15% in terms of population size.
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