Property Investment
6 min read
Author: Scott Collings
Qualified builder. 6 years’ experience building + 6 years project managing residential developments.
Reviewed by: Ed McKnight
Resident Economist, with a GradDipEcon and over five years at Opes Partners, is a trusted contributor to NZ Property Investor, Informed Investor, Stuff, Business Desk, and OneRoof.
The top 5 best suburbs to invest in Auckland are:
As experts who look for New Build properties for property investors, we’ve created this list based on our analysis and opinion.
Here at Opes Partners, we help over 600 investors buy New Builds each year.
My team searches Auckland, looking for reputable developers who build good investments.
That’s why I’m often asked: “Where are the best places to invest in Auckland in 2026?”
So, here is my list of the top 5 suburbs in Auckland for investment (in no particular order):
| Suburb | Median House Value | Estimated Yield | Capital Growth | Average Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Albert | $1,218,800 | 2.7% | 6.3% | $630 |
| Mount Roskill | $1,066,700 | 3.4% | 5.9% | $695 |
| Māngere Bridge | $1,025,850 | 3.3% | 6.0% | $650 |
| Onehunga | $1,025,850 | 3.1% | 6.2% | $620 |
| Birkdale | $952,300 | 3.7% | 6.5% | $670 |
What people are spending: $1,218,800
Yield (rental return): 2.7%
How fast prices have grown: 6.3% since January 2000
Mount Albert is a popular city-fringe suburb. But it still has room to grow.
It only takes about 10 minutes to get to the CBD by train. And you’ve got access to both State Highway 16 and 20. It’s rare to find a suburb boxed in by motorways, in a good way. That means you can easily travel to other parts of Auckland.
Add to that:
It’s also a suburb with strong rental demand. About 45% of the people who live in this suburb are renting. The most common renters are couples with children, usually aged 25–30 (Source: Census).
Two-bedroom homes are the most popular, followed by three-bedroom properties.
Mount Albert is midway through a gentrification cycle. You can see that in the number of homes worth over $1.5 million.
That’s part of the appeal. Neighbouring suburbs like Point Chevalier are becoming more and more expensive. That makes Mount Albert the next logical step for tenants and buyers.
Auckland growth spreads like a ripple. When one suburb becomes too expensive, demand flows outward. Mount Albert continues to benefit from that.
The trade-off is yield. At 2.7%, it’s well below Auckland’s 4% average. That’s largely because the average house price in the suburb is high.
That’s why I often recommend properties to investors that are below that average price. And when working with developers my team doesn’t accept yields below 4.5%.
One development we recommended on Hendon Road is a good example. These have been some of the best-performing rentals managed by Opes Property Management. Our team reports that the tenant turnover is low.
What people are spending: $1,066,700
Yield (rental return): 2.7%
How fast prices have grown: 5.9% since January 2000
Mount Roskill is Mount Albert’s younger sister.
If Mount Albert is on its way up, Mount Roskill is about 6–7 years behind. From an investment perspective, that can be where the opportunity lies.
It’s also a suburb with a large tenant base. Nearly half the people who live in Mt Roskill are renters.
And when we look at our tenant data, Mount Roskill and Mount Albert are similar. There is a key difference, though. Younger families in Mount Roskill prefer three-bedroom homes over two-bedroom properties.
The Roskill Development is already underway. It is a large regeneration project.
Around 143 hectares of old government land is being turned into a new neighbourhood. It’s similar to Hobsonville Point in that new communities, gardens, play areas and cafes are in the pipeline.
The government wants 10,000 new homes built over the next 10-15 years, according to Kainga Ora. That includes:
On top of that, a lot of money is being spent upgrading infrastructure. Watercare is part-way through a $95 million programme to improve water services in Mt Roskill (e.g. pipes, pump station, reservoirs, etc.).
Location-wise, it’s also practical.
You’re roughly 15 minutes from both the CBD and the airport. There’s easy motorway access, and you’re close to industrial and employment hubs.
As transport links improve, including the City Rail Link, it will be even easier to get around.
What people are spending: $1,025,850
Yield (rental return): 3.3%
How fast prices have grown: 6.0% since January 2000
Māngere Bridge is its own little secret pocket. You get coastal living without paying Herne Bay prices.
It’s also an underestimated lifestyle suburb. You’ve got:
Māngere Bridge has a lower share of renters than Mount Roskill, with renters making up 30% of the population. Even so, the tenant profile remains attractive.
Our data shows that you’re much more likely to have a family renting your investment here. That's why three-bedroom homes tend to outperform two-bedroom properties.
It also has one of the strongest rents of the suburbs on this list, with tenants paying an average of $650 a week.
Transport-wise, it’s a great spot.
It’s minutes to both SH1 and SH20, and you’re roughly 25–30 minutes from the CBD. Thanks to the Waterview Tunnel, you’re on the side of SH20 that avoids some of the worst morning congestion if you’re heading north into the city.
You’re also very close to the airport and the industrial jobs in that area. There’s pedestrian bridge access across to Onehunga too, which connects you to the train line.
What people are spending: $1,025,850
Yield (rental return): 3.2%
How fast prices have grown: 6.2% since January 2000
Onehunga is strategically positioned. It borders Cornwall Park, Epsom, Greenlane and Penrose’s industrial hub, so it’s surrounded by employment.
There’s also solid rental demand here. Nearly half the people who live in Onehunga rent, which points to a healthy tenant base.
Based on our data, you’re most likely to attract a family or a couple, with two-bedroom homes the most popular option in this area.
Transport transformation is one of the biggest drivers here. Once the City Rail Link opens in 2026, Auckland’s entire rail network will be reconfigured.
Auckland Transport will soon rename the Onehunga Line. It’ll then be called the Onehunga–West Line. Trains running through the new CRL tunnels will head all the way out to Henderson.
That means that more people can travel west without clogging up the motorway. And passengers won't need to transfer trains at Newmarket or Britomart.
As neighbouring suburbs rise in price, Onehunga continues to become more desirable.
What people are spending: $952,300
Yield (rental return): 3.7%
How fast prices have grown: 6.5% since January 2000
Birkdale gives investors access to Auckland’s North Shore at a lower price than suburbs like:
There are slightly fewer renters here compared to other suburbs on this list, but that’s not especially surprising. North Shore communities tend to be tightly held. Once people move there, they often stay.
Even so, our tenant data shows there is still clear demand. It’s mostly families looking in this suburb, and more than half of renters are searching for three-bedroom properties. That gives you a strong clue about the type of stock that performs best here.
Transport options are stronger than many people realise. You’ve got two ferry links into the CBD, from Beach Haven and Birkenhead, plus motorway access. So you’re not just car-dependent. And on the North Shore, that matters more and more.
At Opes, we focus on boutique developments here, often small-scale projects with fewer than 10 units. Why? Because that suits the character of the area.
Unlike Mount Roskill, where higher-density living is normal, Birkdale still has a lot of traditional housing stock. Smaller, well-designed projects blend better into the neighbourhood. That usually means less rental competition and strong tenant appeal.
You might notice a pattern with our top five. These suburbs are all closer to the Auckland CBD. Whereas in the past, South and West Auckland were among our top areas.
We still believe there are good investments in those areas. But, now Auckland property prices have fallen. So, some of these more central suburbs are now less expensive. And the yields stack up more than they would have in the past.
But it is important to say that not every property in these areas is a good investment. The team at Opes work very closely with developers to make sure that numbers work for investors … and we don’t accept a yield lower than 4.5%.
Now, that doesn’t mean South Auckland no longer works. South Auckland rents are still really strong.
Qualified builder. 6 years’ experience building + 6 years project managing residential developments.
Scott has a background in construction. He progressed from a qualified builder to roles in project, construction, and finally development management. He brings this experience to his role as Opes' Property Development Liaison Manager, making sure investors can access high-quality properties.
This article is for your general information. It’s not financial advice. See here for details about our Financial Advice Provider Disclosure. So Opes isn’t telling you what to do with your own money.
We’ve made every effort to make sure the information is accurate. But we occasionally get the odd fact wrong. Make sure you do your own research or talk to a financial adviser before making any investment decisions.
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