City Beach
Household income in City Beach sits in the 99.2nd percentile nationally, and the suburb scores decile 10 on all four SEIFA indexes, the top advantage tier on each. That wealth shows up in the housing: 87.6% of dwellings are separate houses and 68.9% have four or more bedrooms, a detached, large-home profile rare in metropolitan Perth. The median age of 47 runs 7.0 years above national, and 63.8% of residents hold university qualifications, 33.7 points higher than the national figure. With 53.7% of homes owned outright across a 9.8 km2 footprint, this is an established, low-density area built around debt-free family ownership rather than rental turnover.
Population
6,805
Median Age
47.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,700/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$977K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The $977,000 median house price reflects a market built almost entirely on large detached homes, with separate houses making up 87.6% of stock and four-plus bedroom dwellings at 68.9%, well above what most Perth suburbs offer. Apartments are scarce at 7.1%, so buyers wanting low-maintenance options compete for thin supply. Monthly mortgage repayments average $4,000, but the mortgage-to-income ratio stays at 25.0%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold because household incomes rank in the 99.2nd percentile. Owners who hold outright (53.7%) outnumber mortgage holders (34.9%), a sign the suburb is dominated by long-settled families rather than recent, highly leveraged purchasers. Entry costs are high, but carrying costs are manageable for buyers who match the income profile.
For Buyers
The $977,000 median house price reflects a market built almost entirely on large detached homes, with separate houses making up 87.6% of stock and four-plus bedroom dwellings at 68.9%, well above what most Perth suburbs offer. Apartments are scarce at 7.1%, so buyers wanting low-maintenance options compete for thin supply. Monthly mortgage repayments average $4,000, but the mortgage-to-income ratio stays at 25.0%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold because household incomes rank in the 99.2nd percentile. Owners who hold outright (53.7%) outnumber mortgage holders (34.9%), a sign the suburb is dominated by long-settled families rather than recent, highly leveraged purchasers. Entry costs are high, but carrying costs are manageable for buyers who match the income profile.
For Investors
Only 11.4% of City Beach households rent, one of the lower renter shares in metropolitan Perth, which limits the tenant pool an investor can draw on. Weekly rent averages $750, and against the $977,000 median that implies a gross yield near 4.0%, stronger than premium eastern-state suburbs but constrained by the small rental segment. The 7.7% vacancy rate is elevated for an owner-occupier area, reflecting how few homes turn over to renters. Development activity is effectively nil, with zero applications recorded in the past 12 months, so new supply is not a factor. Demand support leans on overseas migration of 110 residents a year against just 8 net internal arrivals, leaving thin natural growth. The case rests on capital preservation in a scarce, blue-chip pocket rather than volume or yield expansion.
Schools in City Beach iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
International School of Western Australia
PP-12 · 396 students
Kapinara Primary School
K-6 · 348 students
Holy Spirit School
PP-6 · 188 students
City Beach Primary School
K-6 · 163 students
The Japanese School in Perth
1-9 · 39 students
Demographics
The median age of 47 is 7.0 years above national, and the trajectory reads as declining young: the youth share fell 2.3 points while the senior share rose 2.0 points over the decade. Overseas-born residents reach 30.9%, which is 9.3 points above national, and ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (2,785), Irish (827) and Scottish (720), with Italian (434) a notable fifth. University qualifications at 63.8% run 33.7 points above the national figure, among the highest tiers nationally. Average household size is 2.8, which is 0.3 above national, consistent with the family-heavy profile where 2,437 families are couples with children against 1,441 couples without. The top non-English languages are Italian (47 speakers), Mandarin (32) and Greek (31), a small but established international mix.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
87.6%
Houses
5.3%
Townhouse
7.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts heavily toward outright ownership: 53.7% own their home debt-free, 34.9% carry a mortgage and just 11.4% rent. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders by a wide margin points to long-held family wealth rather than a churn of new buyers. The stock is 87.6% separate houses with apartments at only 7.1% and semi-detached at 5.3%, and four-plus bedroom homes dominate at 68.9% against three-bedroom at 21.2%. That large-home skew sustains the $977,000 median through scarcity of smaller options. Mortgage-to-income sits at 25.0% and rent-to-income at 20.3%, both below stress thresholds, a comfort margin that exists only because household incomes reach the 99.2nd percentile. Affordability improved from 74.4% in 2011 to 61.1% in 2021, though it stays high relative to most markets.
Mortgage / mo
$4,000
Rent / wk
$750
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$1,228
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.7%
Unoccupied
193
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.0%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
24.9%
Couples, no children
5,776
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in high-paying knowledge sectors: Healthcare leads at 21.2% (514 workers), Professional/Tech follows at 18.8% (457) and Education at 11.6% (281), with Mining at 9.9% and Finance at 5.3%. By occupation, Professionals (1,310) and Managers (718) together account for most local jobs, which aligns with the decile 10 IEO score for education and occupation. Unemployment is low at 4.0% and the full-time employment rate is 56.8%. Participation reads 57.6%, modest because the aging profile leaves 2,060 residents not in the labour force. All four SEIFA indexes sit at decile 10, including the IER economic-resources score, unusual because renter-heavy wealthy suburbs often slip to a lower IER, and here the 53.7% outright-ownership base lifts it. Real incomes grew 14.2% over the decade.
Unemployment
1.1%
Labour Force
3,798
Unemployed
43
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.8%
Part-time
39.2%
Participation
57.6%
Employed
3,095
Occupations
Top Industries
University
63.8%
Postgraduate
18.8%
Born Overseas
30.9%
Dwellings
2,309
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-centric: 86.8% of residents drive to work, well above the national average, while only 4.3% use public transport and 4.1% walk or cycle, a pattern that follows the low 694.5 residents per km2 density across the 9.8 km2 footprint. The suburb earns decile 10 on IRSAD, the top advantage tier nationally, and decile 10 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, meaning very few residents face deprivation. Volunteering runs high at 29.0%, and only 3.9% of residents (255 people) need daily assistance despite the older median age of 47. No schools are recorded inside the boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for the spacious, low-density coastal setting that residents trade against walkability.
Drive
86.8%
Public Transport
4.3%
Walk / Cycle
4.1%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.48%/yr
(+36 people/yr)
EstablishedCity Beach is a slow-growth established suburb: annual population growth registers just 0.48%, around 36 residents a year, with a 7.1% rise over the past decade. Recorded population moved from 7,204 in 2023 to 7,443 in 2025, and medium forecasts hold it near 7,512 by 2031, so little expansion is expected. Overseas migration of 110 a year is the main driver, far ahead of net internal migration at 8, which means growth depends almost entirely on international arrivals rather than people relocating from elsewhere in Australia. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying, fitting a suburb already at decile 10 advantage with no room to climb. The shift profile is declining young, with the youth share down 2.3 points and the senior share up 2.0 points over ten years.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+110
Net Internal / yr
+8
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How City Beach compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is City Beach a good suburb to live in?
City Beach ranks in decile 10 on all four SEIFA indexes, the top advantage tier nationally, with household income in the 99.2nd percentile. University qualifications reach 63.8%, 33.7 points above national, and volunteering runs at 29.0%. The main trade-off is car dependence, with 86.8% of residents driving to work.
What is the median house price in City Beach?
The median house price is $977,000. Weekly rent averages $750, implying a gross yield near 4.0%, and monthly mortgage repayments run about $4,000. Because household incomes reach the 99.2nd percentile, the mortgage-to-income ratio stays at 25.0%, below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in City Beach?
No schools are recorded inside the City Beach boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident base is highly educated, with university qualifications at 63.8%, which is 33.7 points above the national figure.
Is City Beach safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for City Beach in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 10 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, the highest tier, and only 3.9% of its residents (255 people) need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage area.
Is City Beach good for property investment?
Rent of $750 a week against a $977,000 median gives a gross yield near 4.0%, but only 11.4% of households rent, limiting the tenant pool, and vacancy sits at 7.7%. Net overseas migration of 110 a year supports demand, yet 0.48% annual growth means returns lean on capital preservation rather than yield.
How is City Beach's population changing?
Population growth is 0.48% annually, about 36 people a year, with a 7.1% rise over the decade. Numbers moved from 7,204 in 2023 to 7,443 in 2025. The profile is aging, with the youth share down 2.3 points and the senior share up 2.0 points, driven mainly by overseas migration of 110 a year.
What languages are spoken in City Beach?
About 30.9% of residents were born overseas, 9.3 points above national. English dominates, while the most common non-English languages are Italian (47 speakers), Mandarin (32), Greek (31) and German (26), reflecting a small but established international mix in a largely Anglo-Celtic suburb.
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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