There are loads of comparatively affordable homes (about $400,000) in suburbs such as Birkdale and Beach Haven, many near the water and with decent backyards. Here you can get waterfront properties for less than $1 million. Northcote Point and Birkenhead Point, with their quiet streets of renovated villas, are the pick of the suburbs. Inland are the suburban sprawls of Glenfield and Hillcrest – some houses have views across to the city. There’s a lot of rental property, especially in the cheaper areas. A two-bedroom flat in Glenfield, Beach Haven, central Northcote and Birkdale costs about $250-$350 a week; in Birkenhead and Northcote Point expect to pay a little more.