Adelaide
Adelaide's standout trait is not just its CBD address: 66.3% of households rent, 67.8% live in apartments and 55.8% were born overseas. The resident base is young, with a median age of 31, 9.0 years below the national figure, and highly educated at 59.3% university qualified, 29.2 points above national. Compared with North Adelaide and Norwood, the profile is more vertical, mobile and student-worker oriented, because the city core concentrates universities, offices, hospitals and short-stay accommodation.
Population
18,202
Median Age
31.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,365/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
422
Median House
$1.6M
Median 1Q 2026
Homebuyers need to treat the $1.585m median house price as a premium, low-volume detached market because only 4.4% of dwellings are separate houses. Everyday choice is more likely apartments at 67.8% or semi-detached homes at 27.0%, with 52.7% of homes having 2 bedrooms and 26.5% having 0 or 1. Mortgage payments sit at 29.3% of income, below common stress thresholds, but household income is only the 35.4 percentile, so buyers are paying for location efficiency rather than suburban land.
For Buyers
Homebuyers need to treat the $1.585m median house price as a premium, low-volume detached market because only 4.4% of dwellings are separate houses. Everyday choice is more likely apartments at 67.8% or semi-detached homes at 27.0%, with 52.7% of homes having 2 bedrooms and 26.5% having 0 or 1. Mortgage payments sit at 29.3% of income, below common stress thresholds, but household income is only the 35.4 percentile, so buyers are paying for location efficiency rather than suburban land.
For Investors
Investors face a renter-heavy market: 66.3% of homes are rented, rent is $400 a week and the resident mix is pulled by education, healthcare and CBD jobs. The caution is vacancy at 19.6%, higher than a tight rental market, which suggests short-stay stock, student turnover or new supply can dilute occupancy. Development is active with 375 applications in 12 months, so competition can rise quickly. Population growth and overseas migration support demand, but rental strategy matters more than simply buying any apartment.
Development Activity
Total DAs
2,699
Last 12 Months
422
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+0.2%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Adelaide iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Pulteney Grammar School
R-12 · 839 students
Sturt Street Community School
R-6 · 162 students
Gilles Street Primary School
U, R-6 · 275 students
Adelaide Botanic High School
7-12 · 1258 students
Adelaide High School
U, 7-12 · 1821 students
Demographics
Adelaide is younger and more internationally connected than the national norm: median age is 31, 9.0 years below national, while 55.8% born overseas is 34.2 points above national. Chinese ancestry leads at 4636 residents, ahead of English at 4336, and Mandarin is the largest non-English language at 1514 speakers. Average household size is 1.8, 0.7 below national, because city apartments suit singles, couples without children and students more than larger family households.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
4.4%
Houses
27.0%
Townhouse
67.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is structurally different from nearby Unley or Prospect because Adelaide's stock is apartment-led: 67.8% apartments, 27.0% semi-detached and only 4.4% separate houses. The house median lifted from $1.45m in 1Q 2025 to $1.585m in 1Q 2026, a 9.3% annual gain, with the latest price also the peak and 0.0% below peak. Tenure is renter-majority at 66.3%, compared with 18.2% owned outright and 15.5% mortgaged, so body corporate quality and building age are central to value.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wk
$400
HH Size
1.8
Personal Income / wk
$726
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
19.6%
Unoccupied
2,006
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
29.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
29.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
57.9%
Couples, no children
7,542
Total families
Economy & Employment
The labour market is CBD-shaped: Professional/Tech employs 1191 people or 16.7%, Healthcare 1149 or 16.1%, Hospitality 925 or 13.0%, Education 741 and Public Admin 524. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 3338, followed by Community/Personal at 1240 and Managers at 1183. SEIFA is split: IEO decile 10 and IRSAD decile 7 sit above average educational and advantage measures, while IER decile 1 and IRSD decile 4 are lower because renters, students and lower-income households pull resources scores down.
Unemployment
7.5%
Labour Force
14,087
Unemployed
1,057
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.9%
Part-time
29.1%
Participation
56.5%
Employed
8,685
Occupations
Top Industries
University
59.3%
Postgraduate
20.0%
Born Overseas
55.8%
Dwellings
8,141
Transport to Work
Livability is walkable by design: 44.9% walk or cycle to work, above car driving at 37.6%, while 12.8% use public transport. Schooling is unusually dense for the CBD, with 10 local schools and an ICSEA range of 1026 to 1170. The top anchors are Pulteney Grammar (Independent, 1170, 839 students), Sturt Street Community School (Government, 1114, 162) and Gilles Street Primary (Government, 1107, 275). The trade-off is safety: 465.6 offences per 1000 is higher than suburban norms, while IRSAD decile 7 points to above average access and education.
Drive
37.6%
Public Transport
12.8%
Walk / Cycle
44.9%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+2.75%/yr
(+622 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is forecast to remain high for an established centre, with trend growth of 2.75% a year or about 622 people annually. The medium scenario reaches 25795 residents by 2031, up from 22684 in 2026, because overseas migration is the primary driver at +1240 net people a year despite -255 net internal movement. Gentrification is still early rather than mature, with a score of 25 and stage 'Early signs', so demand is growing faster than owner-occupier entrenchment.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+1,240
Net Internal / yr
-255
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Net internal outflow -255/yr, Strong overseas inflow +1240/yr, Accelerating: 17% → 39%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
8,475
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
465.6
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Adelaide compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Adelaide a good suburb to live in?
Yes for people who value walking, study and CBD work: 44.9% walk or cycle to work and 12.8% use public transport. It suits smaller households, with an average size of 1.8, but the 465.6 offences per 1000 crime rate is a real trade-off.
What is the median house price in Adelaide?
The median house price is $1.585m in 1Q 2026, up 9.3% from $1.45m in 1Q 2025. That figure reflects a thin detached market because only 4.4% of dwellings are separate houses.
What schools are in Adelaide?
Adelaide has 10 local schools with ICSEA scores from 1026 to 1170. Leading options include Pulteney Grammar School, Sturt Street Community School and Gilles Street Primary School, with government, Catholic and independent sectors represented.
Is Adelaide safe?
Adelaide has a high recorded crime rate of 465.6 offences per 1000 residents. That reflects its CBD role, nightlife, visitors and retail activity, so apartment security, street frontage and building management matter when choosing a home.
Is Adelaide good for property investment?
It can suit investors comfortable with apartments and tenant turnover: 66.3% of homes are rented and median rent is $400 a week. The key caution is vacancy at 19.6%, plus 375 development applications in 12 months adding supply pressure.
How is Adelaide's population changing?
Adelaide is on a high-growth path, with trend growth of 2.75% a year, equal to about 622 extra people annually. The medium scenario rises from 22684 residents in 2026 to 25795 by 2031, mainly driven by overseas migration.
What languages are spoken in Adelaide?
Adelaide is strongly multilingual, with 55.8% of residents born overseas. Mandarin is the largest listed non-English language with 1514 speakers, followed by Cantonese at 412, Hindi at 156, Korean at 137 and Arabic at 105.
Is there much development in Adelaide?
Yes. Adelaide recorded 375 development applications in the past 12 months, including heritage conservation, tourist accommodation conversion and building alteration works. That level of activity is significant for buyers tracking future supply.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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