Buyers searching for a home in Sydney's cheapest middle ring suburbs are forking out more than twice as much as those in Melbourne.

In Sydney, the most affordable suburbs that sit 10-20km from the city centre are around Canterbury and Bankstown in the city’s southwest, where houses average well over $640,000, CoreLogic RP Data research shows.

The most affordable units in the city’s middle ring suburbs are also in the south west at Lakemba, with a median value of $362,363.

That may seem like a steal, until prices are compared with Melbourne.

There, the most inexpensive houses outside the inner city are mostly in the Hume council area, with Coolaroo recording a median value of $296,365, and Dallas $307,365.

And in Brisbane, homes in the cheapest middle ring suburbs are nearly a third less than Sydney, while in Hobart they are about five times cheaper.

In Brisbane’s south-west, the median price of a house at Gailes is $246,078, and at Woodridge it’s $269,186.

CoreLogic RP Data research analyst Cameron Kusher says as inner city houses become more expensive, demand for homes in middle ring suburbs is expected to rise particularly for those with good local transport links.

“Although some may not consider the middle ring suburbs to be quite as desirable as suburbs in the inner-ring, they generally offer relative proximity to the city centre at lower price points,” he said.

House prices in Sydney remain way about the national average, with Domain research showing the median house price soared past $900,000 in the March quarter.

According to Domain, home prices jumped more than three per cent in the three months to March to reach a median of $914,056.

THE CHEAPEST HOMES IN MIDDLE RING SUBURBS

  • Sydney – Birrong $644,349
  • Melbourne – Coolaroo $296,365
  • Brisbane – Gailes $246,0778
  • Adelaide – Brahma Lodge $255,824
  • Perth – Koongamia $375,562
  • Hobart – Gagebrook $134,718
  • Darwin – Moulden $471,240
  • Canberra – Charnwood $395,799