South Australia's Buyer Enquiries Up 47% as Business Demand Builds

by Vanessa Lovie-Yousaf 15th of October, 2026

South Australia's Buyer Enquiries Up 47% as Business Demand Builds

Buyer demand for South Australian businesses is building. Enquiries on Bsale rose about 47% on a year earlier in the September 2026 quarter, the equal-strongest growth of any state alongside Queensland, and have now risen for three consecutive quarters.

The average asking price for businesses for sale in South Australia was $773,344, about 4% above the national average and higher than both New South Wales and Victoria. Adelaide was the third-highest-priced capital city on Bsale, behind only Perth and Brisbane.

These insights are based on advertised asking prices entered by brokers and sellers on Bsale. Asking prices are not verified by Bsale and are not final sale prices. They may be quoted walk-in walk-out (WIWO) or plus stock at value (SAV), and may include plant, equipment, vehicles or freehold property.

Buyer Enquiries Up 47%

Buyer enquiries for South Australian businesses rose about 47% on a year earlier, well ahead of the national increase of 28% and level with Queensland for the strongest growth of any state.

Graph: Change in buyer enquiries on Bsale by state, July–September 2026 vs a year earlier.

The rise has been steady rather than sudden. After the usual end-of-year dip, SA enquiries increased in each of the March, June and September quarters, up about 7% on the June quarter alone.

South Australia attracted about 3% of all buyer enquiries on Bsale, broadly in line with its share of businesses for sale. That suggests a balanced market, where buyers have room to compare opportunities and sellers are seeing more interest than a year ago.

Enquiry was concentrated around Adelaide, with interest across suburbs including Woodville, Morphett Vale, Port Adelaide, Salisbury and Semaphore.

Asking Prices Above NSW and Victoria

South Australia recorded an average asking price of $773,344 at 30 September 2026, fourth among the states and territories, behind Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Graph: Average asking price of businesses for sale on Bsale by state, September 2026.

That places SA around $90,000 to $100,000 above both New South Wales ($673,143) and Victoria ($680,506), despite being a much smaller market. With a smaller pool of listings, SA's average can also move more noticeably from quarter to quarter as higher-value businesses come to market or sell.

Adelaide Is the Third-Highest-Priced Capital

Adelaide accounts for about nine in ten businesses for sale in South Australia. Its average asking price of $766,090 was third among the capital cities, behind Perth ($949,871) and Brisbane ($825,819), and about $150,000 above Sydney and Melbourne.

Graph: Average asking price of businesses for sale on Bsale by capital city region, September 2026.

Because asking prices may include stock, equipment or freehold property, buyers should always check what an asking price covers.

Regional South Australia

Regional South Australia is a small market on Bsale, but it spans a wide price range.

Mount Gambier & South East recorded an average asking price of $1.12 million, among the 10 highest-priced regional markets in Australia, supported by agriculture, forestry, transport and regional service businesses. The North & West region averaged $724,497.

At the other end, the Barossa Valley averaged $490,714, one of the more affordable regional markets in the country, with opportunities linked to tourism, hospitality, food and wine.

Each of these regional markets has fewer than 25 listings, so a single higher- or lower-value business can move the average sharply, and the figures are best read as a guide.

Businesses Marked as Sold

South Australia recorded a small rise in businesses marked as sold on Bsale in the September 2026 quarter, up about 9% on a year earlier and accounting for about 5% of the national total. Almost all were in Adelaide.

The average advertised asking price of SA businesses marked as sold was $371,518, below the national figure of $497,740, suggesting smaller and more accessible businesses made up much of the activity. With a relatively small number marked as sold each quarter, the average can move sharply and is best read as indicative.

With enquiries up 47% and a median of 202 days between a business being listed and marked as sold, the rise in buyer demand may take several months to flow through to businesses marked as sold.

These are the advertised asking prices displayed when listings were marked as sold, not confirmed sale prices. Not every completed sale is recorded as sold, as brokers often withdraw listings to maintain confidentiality, and automated broker feeds can mark several listings as sold at once, so sold trends are best read as an indicator of activity on Bsale.

What This Means for Buyers and Sellers

For sellers, South Australia is attracting more buyer interest than at any point in the past year, and its asking prices sit above both New South Wales and Victoria. Businesses with up-to-date financials, an information memorandum and realistic pricing are best placed to turn that interest into a result.

For buyers, SA offers a balanced market, with enquiry broadly in line with the number of businesses for sale. That gives buyers more room to compare opportunities than in more contested markets such as Western Australia. Buyers new to the process can start with our guide to buying a business in Australia, and should line up advisers for due diligence before making an offer.

You can browse businesses for sale in Adelaide on Bsale, or read the full Australian Business Sales Insights – September Quarter 2026.

About this data: These insights are based on listing information entered by brokers and business owners on Bsale and reflect activity on Bsale only, not all business sales in Australia. Asking prices are not verified by Bsale and may include stock, plant and equipment or freehold property. Prices for businesses marked as sold are advertised asking prices, not final sale prices. This information is a general guide only and is not professional, legal, financial or investment advice.

Tags: south australia adelaide market insights