Araluen
With household income sitting in the 91.7th percentile nationally, Araluen punches well above its modest $463,000 median house price, making it one of the more affordable high-income pockets in the NT. A population of 2,673 skews young at a median age of 34, which is 6 years below the national figure, with professionals and public servants dominant. The 11.2% vacancy rate is notably elevated, reflecting a rental market with more supply than demand, while 73.7% of dwellings are separate houses on a 4.15 km2 footprint in Alice Springs.
Population
2,673
Median Age
34.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,451/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$463K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The median house price of $463,000 (estimated from 2025 rent data) is well below the national average for professional suburbs, which is consistent with Araluen's identity as an affordable market relative to its income base. With 73.7% of dwellings being separate houses and 23.8% semi-detached, buyers have strong access to detached stock. The most common dwelling size is 3 bedrooms at 44.2%, followed by 4-plus bedrooms at 30.2%, indicating family-oriented supply. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,870, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 17.6%, well below the 30% stress threshold, meaning homeowners here carry manageable debt loads compared to many capital-city suburbs.
For Buyers
The median house price of $463,000 (estimated from 2025 rent data) is well below the national average for professional suburbs, which is consistent with Araluen's identity as an affordable market relative to its income base. With 73.7% of dwellings being separate houses and 23.8% semi-detached, buyers have strong access to detached stock. The most common dwelling size is 3 bedrooms at 44.2%, followed by 4-plus bedrooms at 30.2%, indicating family-oriented supply. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,870, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 17.6%, well below the 30% stress threshold, meaning homeowners here carry manageable debt loads compared to many capital-city suburbs.
For Investors
Araluen has a renter share of 41.7%, larger than the owner-occupier mortgage cohort at 40.1%, which provides a substantial tenant pool. Weekly rent of $440 against a $463,000 median implies a gross yield near 4.9%, meaningfully higher than most eastern seaboard markets. However, the 11.2% vacancy rate is a significant flag: available stock is outpacing tenant demand, which can suppress rent growth and extend void periods. The suburb recorded 0 development applications in the past 12 months, so new supply pressure is not the driver. Investors should weigh the yield advantage against the vacancy drag and limited capital growth catalyst in the absence of price trend data.
Demographics
The median age of 34 is 6 years below the national figure, driven by a working-age workforce dominated by healthcare and government professionals. University qualifications reach 39.2%, which is 9.1 percentage points above the national average, and overseas-born residents make up 33.0% of the population, 11.4 points above national. The top ancestry groups are English (718), Irish (258) and Scottish (230), while the top non-English languages include Malayalam (39), Punjabi (37) and Aboriginal languages (35). Average household size of 2.8 is 0.3 above national, consistent with the dominant couple-with-children households, which number 1,115 out of 2,084 total families.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
73.7%
Houses
23.8%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is split between renters at 41.7%, mortgaged owners at 40.1% and outright owners at 18.2%, an unusually low outright-ownership share compared to many established suburbs, reflecting the younger median age and shorter residential tenure. The detached house share of 73.7% is high, with semi-detached at 23.8% making up most of the remainder. Three-bedroom dwellings dominate at 44.2% and 4-plus bedroom homes are common at 30.2%, suggesting supply is geared toward families. Rent-to-income at 18.0% and mortgage-to-income at 17.6% are both below the 30% stress threshold, indicating housing costs are manageable relative to the 91.7th-percentile household incomes in this suburb.
Mortgage / mo
$1,870
Rent / wk
$440
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$1,281
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
11.2%
Unoccupied
114
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.6%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
21.7%
Couples, no children
2,084
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads all industries at 27.9% of workers (297 people), followed by Public Administration at 23.6% (252), reflecting Araluen's role as a government and services hub within Alice Springs. Education accounts for 10.1% (108 workers), and Construction 6.8% (73). By occupation, Professionals are the largest group at 404, ahead of Community and Personal Service workers at 281 and Clerical/Administrative at 203. The unemployment rate is 3.4%, and the full-time employment rate is a robust 78.4%, with participation at 72.8%. These figures are consistent with a suburb drawing primarily from the stable public sector and healthcare workforce, which tends to generate lower cyclical risk than private-sector-dependent suburbs.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
78.4%
Part-time
18.2%
Participation
72.8%
Employed
1,433
Occupations
Top Industries
University
39.2%
Postgraduate
11.5%
Born Overseas
33.0%
Dwellings
912
Transport to Work
Transport in Araluen is car-dependent, with 81.4% of residents driving to work, 6.1% walking or cycling, and only 2.3% using public transport, below the national average for walkable access. No crime statistics are available for this suburb in the dataset, and no schools are recorded within the boundary, so families rely on institutions elsewhere in Alice Springs. Volunteering participation sits at 20.6%, above average, suggesting community engagement is strong. Only 3.8% of residents (98 people) need daily assistance, consistent with the young working-age demographic profile. The combination of manageable housing costs, high incomes, and stable employment in public services and healthcare makes day-to-day living financially accessible compared to many Australian suburbs.
Drive
81.4%
Public Transport
2.3%
Walk / Cycle
6.1%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Araluen compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Araluen a good suburb to live in?
Araluen offers household incomes in the 91.7th percentile nationally with manageable housing costs: mortgage-to-income at 17.6% and rent-to-income at 18.0%, both well below the 30% stress threshold. The median age is 34, 6 years below national, and the suburb has 39.2% university qualifications, 9.1 points above average. The main consideration is a high 11.2% vacancy rate, which reflects softer rental demand in Alice Springs.
What is the median house price in Araluen?
The median house price is $463,000, estimated from 2025 rental data. Weekly rent averages $440 and monthly mortgage repayments run approximately $1,870, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 17.6%, well below stress levels. This makes Araluen notably affordable relative to its 91.7th-percentile household income base.
What schools are in Araluen?
No schools are recorded within the Araluen boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools elsewhere in Alice Springs. Despite this, the suburb has a highly educated population with 39.2% holding university qualifications, which is 9.1 percentage points above the national average, likely reflecting the professional government and healthcare workforce.
Is Araluen safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Araluen in this dataset. As indirect indicators, the suburb has a low 3.4% unemployment rate, incomes in the 91.7th percentile nationally, and only 3.8% of its 2,673 residents need daily assistance. The stable public sector and healthcare workforce base is generally associated with lower disadvantage levels.
Is Araluen good for property investment?
Weekly rent of $440 against a $463,000 median implies a gross yield near 4.9%, which is higher than most eastern capital markets. However, the 11.2% vacancy rate is elevated and indicates more rental supply than demand currently. The renter share is 41.7%, providing a large tenant pool, and 0 development applications in 12 months means no new supply pressure in the near term.
How is Araluen's population changing?
No formal population forecast is available for Araluen. Residential mobility shows 27.9% of residents moved in the past year, with 72.1% staying, indicating moderate stability. The population of 2,673 is primarily young, with a median age of 34 (6 years below national), and dominated by families: 1,115 couple-with-children households out of 2,084 total.
What languages are spoken in Araluen?
About 33.0% of Araluen residents were born overseas, which is 11.4 percentage points above the national figure. The top non-English languages are Malayalam (39 speakers), Punjabi (37) and Aboriginal languages (35), reflecting both South Asian migration common to NT healthcare and government roles, plus local Indigenous community presence.
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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