Preston vs Smithton
Property investment comparison - Preston, TAS 7315 vs Smithton, TAS 7330
Head-to-head across core investment metrics: Preston wins 1, Smithton wins 3. The better choice depends on whether you're optimising for cash flow, growth, affordability, or liquidity, the table below highlights the winner on each metric.
| Metric | Preston | Smithton |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $415K | $400K |
| Median unit price | - | - |
| Gross rental yield (houses) | 3.96% | 5.20% |
| Gross rental yield (units) | - | 4.64% |
| 1-year house growth | +9.8% | +12.1% |
| 3-year house growth | - | +10.3% |
| Vacancy rate | 0.3% | 1.0% |
| Population | 149 | 3,934 |
Preston vs Smithton: what the numbers say
The median house price is $415K in Preston and $400K in Smithton, so Smithton is the cheaper entry point, with Preston houses about 4% dearer.
On cash flow, Smithton leads: houses there return a gross rental yield of 5.20%, compared with 3.96% in Preston, a gap of 1.24 percentage points.
Over the past year house prices moved +9.8% in Preston and +12.1% in Smithton, so recent momentum favours Smithton, although both suburbs recorded growth.
Rental vacancy is 0.3% in Preston and 1.0% in Smithton, so landlords in Preston face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.
Smithton is the bigger suburb, with a population of 3,934 against 149, roughly 26 times the size of Preston; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.
In short: Smithton for rental income, Smithton for a lower purchase price, Smithton for recent price momentum, Preston for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.
Keep exploring
- National investment guide - top suburbs across every metric
- Take the suburb finder quiz - 5 questions to match your goals
- How our investment score works
- Property investment glossary - every term defined
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