Australian cities are quite safe overall in comparison to other parts of the world, but some cities and towns do have higher concerns than others. Of the 411 cities included in Compare the Market’s analysis, 15 were from Australia, and Alice Springs ranked the most dangerous.
Alice Springs had a crime concern index of 66.9, while Rockhampton had a score of 66.3, and Darwin scored 62.9. Other high-ranking cities (scoring over 60 on the index) included Cairns and Townsville.
It’s important to know however that Alice Springs has actually seen scores decrease 6.1 points, and Rockhampton has had the biggest improvement of all Australian cities, decreasing 7.2 points.
The city with the biggest increase in concern from locals over time was Newcastle, rising from 37.8 to 47.8, an increase of 10.0 points. This was followed by Cairns, which had an increase of 7.2, rising to 62.1 in 2026.
| Rank | City | 2019 (or earliest year) | 2026 | Change |
| 1 | Alice Springs | 73.0 | 6.9 | -6.1 |
| 2 | Rockhampton | 73.5 | 66.3 | -7.2 |
| 3 | Darwin | 62.3 | 62.9 | +0.6 |
| 4 | Cairns | 54.9 | 62.1 | +7.2 |
| 5 | Townsville | 62.4 | 61.4 | -1.0 |
| 6 | Wollongong | 47.7 | 48.3 | +0.6 |
| 7 | Newcastle | 37.8 | 47.8 | +10.0 |
| 8 | Gold Coast | 44.0 | 47.1 | +3.1 |
| 9 | Melbourne | 44.3 | 44.2 | -0.1 |
| 10 | Perth | 43.7 | 42.3 | -1.4 |
| 11 | Brisbane | 34.3 | 38.2 | +3.9 |
| 12 | Hobart | 34.9 | 34.0 | -0.9 |
| 13 | Sydney | 38.5 | 34.0 | -4.5 |
| 14 | Adelaide | 32.2 | 33.2 | +1.0 |
| 15 | Canberra | 21.3 | 29.2 | +6.9 |
Compare the Market’s Chief Executive of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, explains that local crime rates can impact the cost of home and contents insurance premiums for residents, even if they haven’t personally been broken into before.
“Insurance costs take risk factors into account, which means if you live in an area that’s seeing crime rates increase, this could lead to you having more expensive home and contents insurance premiums.
“This is especially the case if property crime is a major part of local crime rates, such as break-ins, robberies and theft.”
To learn more about the data, visit: https://www.comparethemarket.com.au/home-contents-insurance/features/dangerous-cities-index/
For interviews and more information, please contact:
James McCay | +61 450 930 374 | [email protected]
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