Balmoral
Balmoral packs 4,173 residents into 1.27 square kilometres, producing a density of 3,279.9 people per square kilometre. The suburb's household income of $2,671 a week sits at the 94.5th percentile, while 54.7% of adults have university qualifications, 24.6 percentage points above the national comparison. At a median age of 37, residents are 3 years younger than the national figure. Compared with nearby Morningside and Hawthorne, Balmoral reads as the more compact option, with 60.8% separate houses alongside 23.3% apartments. The profile is established rather than speculative: 35.9% rent, 39.6% carry a mortgage, and 33.3% work from home.
Population
4,173
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,671/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
43
Buyers need to approach Balmoral without a published median house price, using recent comparable sales and the exact dwelling condition instead. The housing mix is broad: 60.8% of homes are separate houses, 15.9% semi-detached and 23.3% apartments, while 35.6% have 4 or more bedrooms and 35.9% have 3 bedrooms. Mortgage commitments average $2,729 a month, but mortgage stress is not flagged and repayments equal 23.6% of household income, higher than the 16.8% rent-to-income share. With household income at the 94.5th percentile, established owners may have more borrowing capacity than the typical Australian household, although deposit size and current lending rules remain decisive.
For Buyers
Buyers need to approach Balmoral without a published median house price, using recent comparable sales and the exact dwelling condition instead. The housing mix is broad: 60.8% of homes are separate houses, 15.9% semi-detached and 23.3% apartments, while 35.6% have 4 or more bedrooms and 35.9% have 3 bedrooms. Mortgage commitments average $2,729 a month, but mortgage stress is not flagged and repayments equal 23.6% of household income, higher than the 16.8% rent-to-income share. With household income at the 94.5th percentile, established owners may have more borrowing capacity than the typical Australian household, although deposit size and current lending rules remain decisive.
For Investors
Rental demand has a substantial base, with 35.9% of Balmoral households renting and weekly rent at $450. Vacancy is 5.6%, so investors should allow for leasing friction and test holding costs rather than assume automatic capital growth. The established profile has recorded 44 development applications in 12 months, which may create renovation and small-scale supply activity, but the examples include a 1-dwelling subdivision rather than a confirmed apartment pipeline. Forecast growth runs at 1.13% annually and is driven primarily by overseas migration; the 15.4% rent-growth signal is higher than zero, yet does not guarantee future returns. Mortgage repayments of $2,729 monthly and a 23.6% mortgage-to-income ratio make cash-flow modelling essential.
Development Activity
Total DAs
137
Last 12 Months
43
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+115.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Balmoral
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Balmoral State High School
Demographics
Balmoral's 4,173 residents form a relatively educated, English-heritage profile, with 54.7% university educated, 24.6 percentage points above the national comparison. The median age is 37, which is 3 years below national, and the average household size is 2.5, matching the national comparison. English ancestry is recorded for 1,757 people, followed by Irish at 707, Scottish at 523 and German at 275. Overseas-born residents make up 24.7%, 3.1 points above national, while no religion counts 1,826 and Christianity 2,024. Couples with children account for 47.7% of families, above couples without children at 35.1%, helping explain demand for larger dwellings. Turnover is 34.9%, with 65.1% staying at the same address, suggesting both continuity and movement.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
60.8%
Houses
15.9%
Townhouse
23.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Balmoral's tenure split points to a leveraged owner base: 39.6% of households have a mortgage, compared with 24.3% owning outright and 35.9% renting. Separate houses remain the largest form at 60.8%, but apartments at 23.3% and semi-detached dwellings at 15.9% give the suburb more attached housing than a purely detached market. Bedroom supply is almost evenly weighted between 3-bedroom homes at 35.9% and 4-plus-bedroom homes at 35.6%, while smaller 2-bedroom dwellings account for 24.1%. Weekly rent is $450 and rent-to-income is 16.8%, below the 23.6% mortgage-to-income ratio, so renting appears less income-intensive than ownership finance. A median house price is unavailable; buyers comparing Balmoral with nearby Bulimba should use dwelling-specific sales, block size and renovation quality rather than suburb-level averages.
Mortgage / mo
$2,729
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (Jun 2026 quarter), QLD RTA bond data. Census 2021 median: $450.
$890
Bond data Jun 2026 quarter · houses $890 · units $700
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$1,289
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.6%
Unoccupied
94
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.6%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
47.7%
Couples with children
35.1%
Couples, no children
15.5%
Single parent
1,171
Total families
Economy & Employment
Balmoral's economic base is concentrated in knowledge and service work. Professional/Tech leads at 17.1% with 311 workers, narrowly above Healthcare at 16.7% and well above Public Administration at 6.2%; Education contributes 10.7% and Construction 8.5%. Managers number 493 and Professionals 850, while Clerical/Admin accounts for 302, supporting the suburb's household income of $2,671 a week and 94.5th income percentile. Labour-force participation is 75.3%, unemployment 3.7% and full-time employment 64.0%, indicating a strong connection to paid work. SEIFA places Balmoral in decile 10 for education and occupation, decile 9 for economic resources, and decile 10 for relative socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage. That standing is above most Australian areas, even though construction and 666 part-time workers add a more varied employment layer.
Unemployment
3.7%
Labour Force
2,507
Unemployed
93
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.0%
Part-time
27.6%
Participation
75.3%
Employed
2,414
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
54.7%
Postgraduate
15.4%
Born Overseas
24.7%
Dwellings
1,595
Transport to Work
Daily life is shaped by a high work-from-home share and limited public transport use. About 33.3% work from home, compared with 3.9% using public transport, while 55.6% drive as car occupants and 4.1% walk or cycle to work. That pattern suits households with flexible routines, but commuters should test the exact route and peak-time connections. One local school, Balmoral State High School, is a government secondary option; families should check enrolment zones because catchments can cross suburb boundaries. Social conditions are strong, with IRSAD and IRSD both at decile 10, IEO at decile 10 and IER at decile 9, all above the middle deciles. A suburb-level crime rate is not available, so current Queensland Police incident information should guide street-level safety checks rather than relying on socioeconomic scores.
Drive
55.6%
Public Transport
3.9%
Walk / Cycle
4.1%
Work from Home
33.3%
Population Forecast
+1.13%/yr
(+55 people/yr)
EstablishedBalmoral's growth outlook is steady but mixed. The annual trend is 1.13%, and the primary migration driver is overseas migration, giving the suburb a stronger population pathway than a no-growth established area. Across the wider area, population change is 19.0% over 10 years, while the shift trajectory is labelled Mixed. Gentrification is assessed as Not gentrifying with a score of 7, while another shift reading records Early signs with a score of 29. Affordability is labelled Improving, moving from 41.1 in 2011 to 34.6 in 2021, and rent growth is 15.4%. These indicators point to gradual renewal and demographic change rather than a rapid redevelopment cycle, with 44 development applications adding activity but not proving a large new housing pipeline.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+46
Net Internal / yr
-19
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +20% since 2011
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Balmoral compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Balmoral a good suburb to live in?
Balmoral suits buyers and renters who value a compact inner-Brisbane setting, strong incomes and established housing. At 3,279.9 people per square kilometre, it is dense, while 33.3% work from home and 60.8% of dwellings are separate houses. Compare the exact street, parking and school catchment with nearby Morningside before deciding.
What is the median house price in Balmoral?
A suburb median house price is not available, so do not treat a guessed number as a valuation. Use recent settled sales matched by land size, condition and bedroom count. Balmoral has 60.8% separate houses, 23.3% apartments and 35.6% 4-plus-bedroom homes, while weekly rent is $450 and is not a sale-price proxy.
What schools are in Balmoral?
Balmoral State High School is the local government secondary school identified for the suburb. Families should confirm the exact enrolment zone and year-level availability at the address, because catchments can cross suburb boundaries. Balmoral's median age is 37 and 47.7% of families are couples with children, so secondary access may matter to a sizeable household group.
Is Balmoral safe?
No suburb-level crime rate is available, so use current Queensland Police information and inspect the exact street at different times before signing a lease or contract. Balmoral records 2.5% of residents needing assistance and sits in IRSAD decile 10, but those measures do not replace incident-level safety checks. Compare recent incidents around the property, transport route and nearby facilities.
Is Balmoral good for property investment?
Balmoral can suit a long-term investor seeking an established, higher-income tenant base, but the numbers call for disciplined cash-flow testing. Renting households represent 35.9%, weekly rent is $450 and vacancy is 5.6%. Forecast growth is 1.13% a year, driven by overseas migration, while 44 development applications in 12 months may add renewal activity. Compare expected yield and holding costs against the $2,729 monthly mortgage benchmark.
How is Balmoral's population changing?
Balmoral's population trend is positive but measured. The annual growth signal is 1.13%, and population change across the wider area is 19.0% over 10 years, with overseas migration the primary driver. The trajectory is Mixed rather than uniformly accelerating, while gentrification is scored 7 and classed Not gentrifying. A separate shift reading shows Early signs at 29, pointing to gradual turnover and renewal.
What development is happening in Balmoral?
Development activity is material, with 44 applications recorded over 12 months, but that count should not be read as 44 completed homes. Recent examples include a 1-dwelling subdivision and referral matters on design, siting and amenity. Balmoral's 60.8% separate-house share means many proposals may involve incremental alterations rather than large apartment projects. Compare application status and approval conditions before pricing future supply into an investment decision.
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 education open registers (school locations), 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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