For Keira and Steve Tunnah, saving for their first home was a harrowing experience.

"You can still have your occasional smashed avo but you have to be really ruthless with yourself," Mrs Tunnah said. "It's just a matter of budgeting."

"For us, the way we did it was live with one salary and save the rest."

For the couple, it took them six long years of sacrifice to get together the cash to put down a deposit on what was to be their new home. The pair were living in a townhouse while the house was being built and were excited to see their years of hard work pay off. "We've been working on it for so long, I can't wait for it to come to fruition," Mrs Tunnah said. "I can't wait to have a big kitchen."

The Tunnahs were living in Griffin, just a few kilometres over from Mango Hill where their new home was being built ??? and for the hard-working young couple, buying outside of their chosen area wasn't an option.

They're not alone. A survey commissioned by iBuildNew, a online service that connects buyers with builders or developers selling new homes, found a staggering 60 per cent of Queensland first-home buyers are not willing to compromise on location.

iBuildNew CEO Daniel Peterson said first-home buyers need to think outside the box when it comes to suburbs and cited the fringes of a city where new developments were cropping up as a good option.

"If you're trying to get a first home, and you're only looking at inner suburbs and established properties, you're missing an opportunity in the outer suburbs and new builds," he said.

Only 28 per cent of those surveyed were prepared to buy a brand new home. The rest had their sights set on established homes, which Mr Peterson said disadvantaged those looking to enter the housing market.

He suggested first home buyers needed to compromise on location to get a foot on the ladder.

"I think they have to. If they're serious about getting into the market, they just have to think about it realistically," Mr Paterson said. "Just lifting their eyes a little bit, is how I'd describe it.

"The majority of first home buyers live in inner metro suburbs where the median prices are the highest."

The survey also found 90 per cent of Queensland first-home buyers thought $600,000 and under was an "affordable" price. Domain group's March State of the Market report showed Brisbane's median house price was well within that figure, at $533,000. Mr Peterson said getting together a deposit for as much would be a hard ask for some buyers.

"If you're trying to buy inner Brisbane suburbs and established properties, you're looking at around the $700,000 mark," he said. "You might get away with a $70,000 deposit, but it's more likely going to be $140,000."

First Home Buyers Australia director Daniel Cohen said that while buying in Brisbane's fringe suburbs could sometimes be a good idea, it shouldn't be considered a one-stop-shop for housing affordability.

He said buyers can rush into purchasing on the outskirts of a city, without considering if it's the right option for them.

"It's an option they should be considering but they need to consider the risks," Mr Cohen said. "They need to ask: 'what's going on in the suburb? Why is it cheap?'."

"If they're buying on the outskirts with the hope of getting into an inner city suburb sooner, that won't always be true."

Mr Cohen said it was best for first home buyers to do their research and seek advice from a fee-for-service advisor.