It's consistently admired as one of the world's best places to visit by overseas tourists.

But people who live in Sydney apparently don't rate it that highly.

The harbour city ranked just eighth out of 10 Australian metropolises in new research examining liveability.

Canberra topped the survey of 5400 Australians, which focused on attributes such as housing affordability, climate, traffic congestion and amenities.

Adelaide was second, followed by Hobart, Melbourne, Brisbane, Newcastle, Wollongong, Sydney, Perth and Darwin.

The research was commissioned by the Property Council of Australia.

Sydney's eighth spot was an improvement on its standing in previous research.

But the city's residents marked it down for high housing costs and traffic congestion, among other factors.

"This is the people's verdict on their own city - a report card for governments on how liveable our cities are," the property council's Glenn Byres said.

On the other side of the continent, Perth locals admired the city its pristine beaches and Mediterranean climate.

But rising crime rates, traffic jams and expensive housing put them off.

The WA capital slipped from fourth most liveable city four years ago to ninth place.

Property council executive director Joe Lenzo pointed to a rise in violent crime - mainly alcohol-fuelled `boofhead' incidents in late night entertainment zones.

"Break-ins and the like have put some of the population on edge," Mr Lenzo told AAP.