Coober Pedy
Coober Pedy sits 850 km north of Adelaide as one of Australia's most remote towns, with a population of 1,566 spread across 785 square kilometres at a density of just 2.0 persons per km2. All four SEIFA indexes land in decile 1, the bottom tier nationally, and household income sits in the 3.9th percentile, far below the national average. What sets it apart is a 57.2% male majority, a 41.0% housing vacancy rate that is among the highest in the country, and a median age of 50, which is 10 years above the national figure. Despite those pressures, 75.7% of residents stayed put over five years, suggesting a stable core population anchored by opal mining and tourism.
Population
1,566
Median Age
50.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$764/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
5
No median house price is recorded for Coober Pedy because transaction volumes are too low to produce a reliable figure. The clearest affordability signal comes from monthly mortgage repayments averaging $630, which produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.0%, below the 30% stress threshold. Weekly rent sits at $163, well below state and national medians, and rent-to-income runs at 21.3%. The housing stock is 88.6% separate houses with 6.1% apartments, so detached dwellings dominate. Only 15.7% of dwellings carry a mortgage, while 47.0% are owned outright, suggesting that most buyers pay down debt over time rather than entering on high leverage. A 41.0% vacancy rate points to thin buyer competition but also limited resale market depth.
For Buyers
No median house price is recorded for Coober Pedy because transaction volumes are too low to produce a reliable figure. The clearest affordability signal comes from monthly mortgage repayments averaging $630, which produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.0%, below the 30% stress threshold. Weekly rent sits at $163, well below state and national medians, and rent-to-income runs at 21.3%. The housing stock is 88.6% separate houses with 6.1% apartments, so detached dwellings dominate. Only 15.7% of dwellings carry a mortgage, while 47.0% are owned outright, suggesting that most buyers pay down debt over time rather than entering on high leverage. A 41.0% vacancy rate points to thin buyer competition but also limited resale market depth.
For Investors
A 41.0% vacancy rate is the single most important figure for any investor considering Coober Pedy: more than 2 in 5 dwellings are unoccupied, a level far higher than national norms. Weekly rent of $163 is low compared to the national median, and the renter share of 37.3% means the tenant pool exists but is small in absolute terms given the population of 1,566. Development activity totalled 5 applications in 12 months, almost all minor works, so no new supply pressure is building. The population is declining at 1.83% annually, losing roughly 28 residents a year, and the medium forecast puts the population at 1,353 by 2031. Net overseas migration adds about 8 residents a year while internal migration removes 28, leaving a net outflow that makes rental demand difficult to grow.
Development Activity
Total DAs
37
Last 12 Months
5
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+66.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Coober Pedy iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Coober Pedy Area School
R-12 · 175 students
Demographics
The median age of 50 is 10 years above the national average, and the aging trajectory is accelerating with the senior share rising 9.1 points over the decade while the working-age share fell 2.9 points. Males make up 57.2% of residents, an unusually high ratio explained partly by the mining workforce. Overseas-born residents reach 33.3%, which is 11.7 percentage points above the national figure, with English (328), German (93) and Greek (92) as the leading ancestries. Greek is the most spoken non-English language at 47 speakers, followed by Sinhala at 34. Average household size is 1.8, which is 0.7 below national, consistent with smaller households typical of an older and more transient population.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
88.6%
Houses
1.9%
Townhouse
6.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Separate houses account for 88.6% of dwellings, which is well above the national average for detached stock. Tenure splits into 47.0% owned outright, 15.7% carrying a mortgage and 37.3% renting. The unusually high outright ownership share, compared to the national norm, reflects long-term residents who have paid down their homes over decades. Three-bedroom dwellings are the most common at 38.2%, followed by two-bedroom at 28.6% and four-plus at 17.7%. Median house price data is absent because transaction volumes are too low to generate a reliable figure. The 41.0% vacancy rate is the defining housing characteristic, pointing to structural depopulation rather than short-term softness. Monthly mortgage repayments of $630 remain manageable against local incomes.
Mortgage / mo
$630
Rent / wk
$163
HH Size
1.8
Personal Income / wk
$498
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
41.0%
Unoccupied
466
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.0%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
35.3%
Couples, no children
776
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the largest employer at 24.2% of workers (79 people), reflecting the service needs of a remote community. Hospitality follows at 17.7% (58), driven by tourism to the opal fields, then Retail at 12.8%, Education at 12.2% and Public Administration at 11.6%. Community and personal service workers are the most common occupation (103), consistent with the healthcare and tourism profile. Unemployment sits at 12.9%, well above the national average, and the participation rate of 39.3% is low, with 499 residents not in the labour force. All four SEIFA deciles sit at 1, the lowest tier nationally, meaning the local economy ranks among Australia's most disadvantaged. Real incomes fell 5.4% over the decade despite rent growth of 35.8%, compressing household purchasing power.
Unemployment
21.8%
Labour Force
740
Unemployed
161
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
66.8%
Part-time
20.3%
Participation
39.3%
Employed
473
Occupations
Top Industries
University
17.1%
Postgraduate
4.2%
Born Overseas
33.3%
Dwellings
668
Transport to Work
Car dependence is pronounced: 76.9% drive to work, public transport use is just 1.4% and the area lacks the density to support frequent services. Walking and cycling account for 12.7% of commutes, higher than many regional towns, which reflects the compact town core. The crime rate of 394.6 incidents per 1,000 residents is far above national norms, reflecting both the small population base and the remote location. IRSAD decile 1 places Coober Pedy in the most disadvantaged tier nationally, and the need-for-assistance rate of 7.0% (90 residents) is elevated relative to the town's size. No schools appear in the dataset for the suburb. Volunteering runs at 19.3%, a notable rate for a community of this size, suggesting strong local engagement despite broader disadvantage.
Drive
76.9%
Public Transport
1.4%
Walk / Cycle
12.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
-1.83%/yr
(-28 people/yr)
EstablishedPopulation has been declining steadily, falling from 1,740 pre-COVID to 1,526 by 2025, a 10-year change of negative 7.7%. The suburb has not recovered from the COVID-period dip of negative 6.8% and sits 4.9% below its COVID low. The medium forecast projects a further decline to 1,353 by 2031, equivalent to losing about 28 residents per year. Internal migration is the primary drag at negative 28 net annually, partly offset by overseas arrivals of 8 per year. Affordability has worsened slightly, with the housing-cost-to-income ratio rising from 28.0% in 2011 to 32.7% in 2021, despite already low prices, because real incomes have fallen. The gentrification score is 0, confirming the trajectory is decline rather than renewal.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+8
Net Internal / yr
-28
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
618
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
394.6
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Coober Pedy compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Coober Pedy a good suburb to live in?
Coober Pedy scores decile 1 on all four SEIFA indexes, placing it in the most disadvantaged tier nationally, with household income in the 3.9th percentile. Unemployment is 12.9% and the vacancy rate is 41.0%. The appeal is its unique desert setting and opal heritage, but services and amenity levels are limited compared to metropolitan areas.
What is the median house price in Coober Pedy?
No reliable median house price is available for Coober Pedy because transaction volumes are too low. Indicative affordability figures show monthly mortgage repayments averaging $630 and weekly rent at $163, both well below the South Australian state medians, reflecting the remote location and the 41.0% vacancy rate.
What schools are in Coober Pedy?
No schools are recorded within the Coober Pedy suburb boundary in this dataset. The town does have educational facilities servicing the community, but they are not captured in the suburb-level school data. University qualification rates stand at 17.1%, which is 13.0 percentage points below the national figure.
Is Coober Pedy safe?
Coober Pedy records a crime rate of 394.6 incidents per 1,000 residents, which is well above the national average. The town's small population of 1,566 means even a modest absolute number of incidents produces a high per-capita rate. SEIFA decile 1 on all indexes is also associated with higher disadvantage and related risk factors.
Is Coober Pedy good for property investment?
The investment case is difficult. A 41.0% vacancy rate and a population declining at 1.83% per year, with a forecast drop to 1,353 residents by 2031, point to shrinking demand. Weekly rent of $163 is low and no reliable median price exists for yield calculation. Internal migration is running at negative 28 net residents annually.
How is Coober Pedy's population changing?
Population fell 7.7% over 10 years, from 1,740 to around 1,526 by 2025, losing roughly 28 residents a year. The medium forecast puts the population at 1,353 by 2031. Internal migration removes about 28 residents annually while overseas arrivals add 8, leaving a net outflow that has been consistent over the decade.
What languages are spoken in Coober Pedy?
About 33.3% of residents were born overseas, which is 11.7 percentage points above the national figure. Greek is the most common non-English language at 47 speakers, followed by Sinhala at 34 and Serbian and Croatian at 22 and 21 respectively. English, German and Greek are the leading ancestries in the community.
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.
Explore Coober Pedy on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map