Since Nan Bought

Western Adelaide · South Australia

What's changed in Plympton since Nan bought

In 1955 a typical Plympton house was about $7,200, or 4.2 years of an average wage. In 2026 it is about $945,000, or 9.5 years. Here is the decade-by-decade version, what was standing when, and what her block does now.

Price, 1955 → 2026
$7,200 → $945,000
Years of wages
4.2 → 9.5
Rebuilt or infill today
35% of homes

Modelled, not measured. Prices are the Adelaide median house price of the day (rounded, dollars of the day) scaled to where Plympton sits against the city median in 2026, blended toward the median for earlier decades because suburbs move up and down the ladder. Wages are national average full-time earnings. Treat every figure as "about". For actual sales history, ask an agent or the state valuer.

The decades

1955
$7,200≈ 4.2 yrs of wages ($1,700/yr)

Trust homes and fibro on the fringe; stone villas closer in.

Of today's houses, standing by 1955
23%
1965
$10,500≈ 3.8 yrs of wages ($2,800/yr)

Cream brick veneer, one bathroom, a Hills Hoist.

Of today's houses, standing by 1965
50%
1975
$29,000≈ 3.6 yrs of wages ($8,000/yr)

Brown brick project homes, ducted evaporative, a family room.

Of today's houses, standing by 1975
65%
1985
$77,500≈ 3.9 yrs of wages ($20,000/yr)

The ensuite arrives. Colorbond replaces galvanised iron.

Of today's houses, standing by 1985
65%
1995
$120,000≈ 3.5 yrs of wages ($34,000/yr)

Four-two-two under one roof. Rendered feature walls.

Of today's houses, standing by 1995
65%
2005
$290,000≈ 5.3 yrs of wages ($55,000/yr)

Biggest houses in the world. Alfresco and theatre room.

Of today's houses, standing by 2005
72%
2015
$470,000≈ 6 yrs of wages ($78,000/yr)

Two-for-one subdivisions start. Solar on a third of roofs.

Of today's houses, standing by 2015
85%
2026
$945,000≈ 9.5 yrs of wages ($100,000/yr)

7-star, all-electric, 300m² blocks. Or a rebuild on Nan's.

Of today's houses, standing by 2026
100%

Includes ~35% infill that replaced an earlier house.

What's been knocked down

Rebuild pressure in Plympton is high. Two or three homes replacing one on many streets. Original houses are becoming the minority and land value drives everything. One of the west's busiest infill markets. Two courtyard homes per block along most side streets between Anzac Highway and Marion Road.

Locals know: Anzac Highway frontage carries a noise attenuation requirement for new builds.

What Nan's block does today

A typical Plympton block is 600-800m². Three realistic paths in 2026.

Split it into two Torrens titles

Blocks of 600-800m² in Plympton are the size developers look for. Two 4-bed homes typically $550K-$750K each to build, before demolition and civils.

Read the guide

Knock it down, build one

One 220-260m² family home on the full block, $520K-$900K depending on builder tier. Keeps the backyard.

Read the guide

Keep it and fix it

Roof, rewire, switchboard, salt damp and a bathroom: $60K-$120K to bring an old Adelaide house up to modern comfort.

Read the guide

Questions about Plympton

How much did a house in Plympton cost in the 1960s?+

Modelled on the Adelaide median of the day and Plympton's current position relative to the city, a typical Plympton house was around $10,500 in 1965, or about 3.8 years of an average full-time wage. In 2026 it is around $945,000, or about 9.5 years of wages. These are indicative figures, not sales records.

How much of Plympton has been knocked down and rebuilt?+

Roughly 35% of today's homes in Plympton are infill: townhouses, courtyard homes or rebuilds that replaced an earlier house. Rebuild pressure is high: Two or three homes replacing one on many streets. Original houses are becoming the minority and land value drives everything.

What was Plympton like when it was built?+

The largest share of Plympton (35%) is infill townhouses and rebuilds (2000s-2020s). Two or three homes where one 1960s house stood: Torrens-title courtyard homes, hammerhead battle-axe blocks, occasional two-storey townhouse rows.

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