Under $100,000: The towns where you'll find Australia's cheapest houses for sale

While prices are flattening or even falling in some of Australia’s biggest cities, for many first-home buyers they’re still well out of reach.

On the other end of the scale – and perhaps the other end of the country – there are some options on the market for less than $100,000.

Distance, employment options and services are all factors in keeping prices in these areas down – but nevertheless, for the tree-change daydreamers, this is what you can buy with a spare $100,000.

Hay, NSW: 445 Macauley Street
Price: $89,000

445 Macauley St, Hay, is on the market for $89,000.

This three-bedroom home can be found in Hay, a Western Riverina town on the Murrumbidgee River. The home itself is in good condition, and has been recently updated with new built-ins and sheds added.

It’s a pretty substantial 720-kilometre drive west of Sydney – more-or-less halfway to Adelaide. The good news is it’s closer to Melbourne, at about 425 kilometres. Surrounded by flat plains, Hay is dotted with historic buildings and largely built on the wool industry – it is home to the Australian Shearers Hall of Fame.

Nearby options:  No. 445 isn’t the cheapest house in town – 426 Church Street is on the market for $80,000. For those with deeper pockets, there’s 436 Macauley Street up the road on offer for $155,000 – or  there’s ”Lara South”, a three-bedroom house on five hectares of land listed for $520,000.

And if you’re not just looking for a a house but a business opportunity too, there’s a takeaway shop for sale, or the lease on a 42-room hotel on offer for $420,000.

Delungra, NSW: 55 Inverell Street
Price: $85,000

This Delungra home could be yours for $85,000.

This one-bedder sits on a 1012-square-metre block with a carport, sheds and a water tank in Delungra, a small town of 647 people about 600 kilometres north-west of Sydney and 460 kilometres south-west of Brisbane. It’s close to Inverell, about a half-hour drive away.

And why is it so cheap? One potential reason is that Delungra had the dubious honour of being named as Australia’s poorest town in 2015, with the Australian Tax Office identifying it as the nation’s lowest-earning postcode with a mean taxable income of $21,691.

The good news is that it improved considerably the following financial year, with the average for 2015-2016 sitting at $32,263.

Nearby options: There are other houses for sale in town – 8 Inverell Street is on the market for $135,000, or you could pick up a three-bedroom home at 75 Inverell Street for $169,000.

Brim, Victoria: 33 Swan Street
Price: $87,500

33 Swann Street in Brim is for sale for $87,500.

This four-bedroom weatherboard home has parquetry floors and a rumpus room set up as a bar. It is over the road from the Brim general store and a short walk to the town’s train station.

About 365 kilometres north-west of Melbourne on the banks of the Yarriambiack Creek, Brim also made in an appearance in the ATO’s lowest-earning postcodes – this time for the 2015-2016 financial year – scoring ninth lowest with an average taxable income of $24,261.

But, it’s also noteworthy for its dramatic silo artworks, painted by Brisbane artist Guido van Helten in 2015, which attract tourists to the town.

Nearby options: 33 Swann Street is the only home for sale listed in Brim. The nearby town of Beulah has a four-bedroom brick veneer home for sale at 36 Phillips Street for $245,000.

Rupanyup, Victoria: 31 Taylor Street
Price: $79,000

31 Taylor Street, Rupanyup, is on the market for $79,000.

This sweet little one-bedroom miner’s cottage has been rewired and replumbed, and comes with a fireplace and air-conditioning. It’s about a 290kilometre drive north-west of Melbourne, or a 463-kilometre drive west of Adelaide.

Rupanyup – which has a population of 536 according to the last census – also makes an appearance on the silo art trail, with a mural by Russian artist Julia Volchkova. 

Nearby options: There’s several other houses for sale in Rupanyup, including two under $100,000 – a period home at 36 Dyer Street, listed for $93,000, and a three-bedder at 14 Dyer Street listed for $95,000.

Queenstown, Tasmania: 15 Elliott Street
Price: $85,000

15 Elliott Street, Queenstown, is on the market at $85,000.

This three-bedroom house is close to the Queen River in Tasmania’s west – sitting on a cul-de-sac at the end of Elliot Street. Queenstown is a 262-kilometre drive north-west of Hobart.

Home to a Gravel Football Oval and several historic buildings, the mining town has been featured before in our ”Cheapest houses in Australia” lists. But it did post 17.95 per cent price growth over the last year, with the median now sitting at $115,000.

Nearby options: A cute two-bedroom cottage at 10 Harvey Street could be yours for $80,000, or if you want to splash out, a well-presented home at 93-95 Cutten Street offers views of the town for $230,000.

Arthur River, Tasmania: 18 Airey Drive
Price: $99,000

11 Airey Drive is being marketed for sale at $99,000.

Further north, this blue box of a home with three bedrooms and a 26,000-litre water tank sits on a 1057-square-metre block in the tiny town of Arthur River. It is a short walk to the rather evocatively named ”Edge of the World”.

A 292-kilometre drive west of Launceston, Arthur River had a population of 57 people as of the 2016 census.

Nearby options: There are nine other properties listed for sale in Arthur River, with 18 Airey Drive being the cheapest. The next most affordable is No. 5 on the same street, listed for $215,000.

Mount Morgan, Queensland: 45 Dee Street
Price: $95,000

45 Dee Street, Mount Morgan, is for sale for $95,000.

This three-bedroom home is close to the local shops, schools and a hospital. On the banks of the Dee River, Mount Morgan is about a 640-kilometre drive north of Brisbane.

Originally founded as a gold mining town, Mount Morgan has a population of 1963, according to the last census. It is home to many historic buildings – including the Mount Morgan Railway Museum, Historical Museum and Leichhardt Hotel, as well as what is apparently one of the largest artificial holes on earth.

Nearby options: At the time of writing, there were 28 homes listed for sale for less than $100,000 in the town – so you can take your pick.

Monto, Queensland: 22 Lister Street
Price: $50,000

22 Lister Street, Monto, has a price tag of $50,000.

Advertised as an ”urgent sale” and ”absolute bargain”, this two-bedroom home on a 698-square-metre block could use some work, but has a price tag to match. It is about a 580-kilometre drive north of Brisbane, close to the Cania Gorge National Park.

Nearby options: For $255,000 you could nab this three-bedroom home at 51 Edison Street, or for $105,000 (negotiable) there’s a cute two-bedroom home on Wheatley Street.

Wolseley, South Australia: 21 Third Street
Price: $75,000

21 Third Street, Wolseley, South Australia, is for sale for $75,000.

This three-bedroom home on 5000 square metres can be found 285 kilometres south-east of Adelaide, on the Victorian border. Wolseley, with a population of 180, is home to some World War II storage fuel storage tanks that were camouflaged to look like farm buildings.

Nearby options: At the time of writing there were two other properties for sale in Wolseley – 271 Custon Road listed for $285,000, and the Old Primary School, listed for $170,000.

Iron Knob, South Australia: 56 Dickenson Street
Price: $85,000

This Iron Knob home is on the market for $85,000.

With a slightly giggle-inducing moniker, the historic mining town of Iron Knob is about a 380-kilometre drive north of Adelaide, just south-west of Port Augusta.

Aside from being host to this three-bedroom renovated home, Iron Knob is also home to a population of just under 200, plus a tourist centre and museum, and a golf course.

Nearby options: 155 Hague Crescent is also on the market for $85,000.