Dakabin
A 264.8% population jump over the decade marks Dakabin as one of the faster building fronts on Brisbane's northern edge, and the demographics follow the construction. The median age of 30 sits a full 10 years below the national figure, renters make up 62.4% of households, and the $473,000 median house price keeps the suburb firmly affordable against capital city benchmarks. SEIFA places it in decile 4 across IRSAD, IRSD and IEO, a middle-band reading that reflects modest household incomes in the 59.3rd percentile rather than disadvantage. Forecasts point to continued 4.5% annual growth, adding roughly 279 residents a year toward 7,934 by 2031.
Population
5,275
Median Age
30.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,689/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
17
Median House
$473K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At a $473,000 median house price, Dakabin costs a fraction of inner-Brisbane markets, and the affordability is real rather than nominal: monthly mortgage repayments average $1,800, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 24.6%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. Stock favours families, with 58.4% separate houses and 43.6% of dwellings carrying four or more bedrooms, well above the share of smaller homes at 9.3% for two-bedroom and 5.3% for one-bedroom or studio. The trade-off is youth of the housing: only 11.5% of residents own outright while 26.1% carry a mortgage, a low ownership base that signals a suburb still filling with first buyers rather than long-settled owners. For a household earning near the 59.3rd percentile, the entry point here is among the more attainable in greater Brisbane.
For Buyers
At a $473,000 median house price, Dakabin costs a fraction of inner-Brisbane markets, and the affordability is real rather than nominal: monthly mortgage repayments average $1,800, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 24.6%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. Stock favours families, with 58.4% separate houses and 43.6% of dwellings carrying four or more bedrooms, well above the share of smaller homes at 9.3% for two-bedroom and 5.3% for one-bedroom or studio. The trade-off is youth of the housing: only 11.5% of residents own outright while 26.1% carry a mortgage, a low ownership base that signals a suburb still filling with first buyers rather than long-settled owners. For a household earning near the 59.3rd percentile, the entry point here is among the more attainable in greater Brisbane.
For Investors
With 62.4% of households renting, Dakabin gives landlords a deeper tenant pool than most outer suburbs, and the demand backdrop is firm. Weekly rent of $360 against the $473,000 median implies a gross yield near 4.0%, far stronger than the sub-2% returns typical of premium Sydney or Melbourne markets. The vacancy rate of 4.2% is loose enough to suggest tenants have choice, a function of the heavy new supply, yet population growth running at 4.5% a year keeps absorbing it. Net internal migration adds about 94 residents annually as the primary driver, with overseas migration contributing another 40, so demand is locally sourced and durable. Rent-to-income sits at 21.3%, leaving tenants room before stress, which supports rent stability more than rapid escalation.
Development Activity
Total DAs
64
Last 12 Months
17
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-60.5%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Dakabin iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Northpine Christian College
Prep-12 · 952 students
Dakabin State High School
7-12 · 980 students
Demographics
Dakabin skews young and family heavy. The median age of 30 runs 10 years below the national figure, the widest age gap you will see in most established areas, and average household size of 2.6 sits 0.1 above national, consistent with the 1,762 couples raising children. University qualifications reach 22.4%, which is 7.7 points below national, because the workforce leans toward trades, care and clerical roles rather than knowledge professions. Overseas-born residents make up 23.9%, just 2.3 points above national, and ancestry is strongly Anglo, led by English (2,107), Scottish (536) and Irish (483). The leading non-English languages are Samoan (41 speakers) and Punjabi (26), a small but distinct Pacific and South Asian presence layered over the Anglo majority.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
58.4%
Houses
37.0%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure in Dakabin tilts sharply toward renting at 62.4%, with mortgage holders at 26.1% and outright owners at only 11.5%, a structure that reflects a young suburb where few residents have had time to pay down a home. The built form is suburban and family scaled: 58.4% separate houses and 37.0% semi-detached or townhouse stock, with four-plus bedroom homes at 43.6% and three-bedroom at 41.8% together covering 85% of dwellings. At a $473,000 median, the price-to-income ratio stays modest against the 59.3rd-percentile household income, and that affordability shows in the numbers: mortgage-to-income of 24.6% and rent-to-income of 21.3% both sit well below the 30% stress line, a rare combination in a high-growth corridor.
Mortgage / mo
$1,800
Rent / wk
$360
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$877
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.2%
Unoccupied
84
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.6%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
22.3%
Couples, no children
4,190
Total families
Economy & Employment
Employment in Dakabin concentrates in service and care work rather than office-based industries. Healthcare leads at 21.9% of workers (392 people), followed by Retail at 10.2% (183), Education at 9.6% (173) and Construction at 8.6% (154), with Professional and Technical services trailing at 7.0%. By occupation, Professionals (478) edge out Clerical and Administrative workers (430) and Community and Personal Service staff (395), a spread that matches the below-national university rate of 22.4%. Unemployment sits at 6.4%, above the tight readings of wealthier suburbs, while the full-time employment rate of 66.7% and participation of 65.7% point to a working-age base still settling in. SEIFA decile 4 on IRSAD, with the IER economic-resources index a notch lower at decile 3, reflects the high renter share suppressing accumulated household wealth.
Unemployment
5.9%
Labour Force
3,816
Unemployed
226
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
66.7%
Part-time
26.9%
Participation
65.7%
Employed
2,507
Occupations
Top Industries
University
22.4%
Postgraduate
3.6%
Born Overseas
23.9%
Dwellings
1,888
Transport to Work
Dakabin is built for car-based living, with 86.8% of commuters driving and only 6.4% using public transport and 0.9% walking or cycling, well below the active-transport share of denser inner suburbs and a reflection of the spread-out, low-density layout at 947.6 residents per km2. No schools are recorded inside the 5.57 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical consideration given the high share of households raising children. On the social side, 5.3% of residents (261 people) need daily assistance and volunteering runs at 11.3%, while SEIFA decile 4 on the IRSD disadvantage index places the suburb in the middle band nationally rather than at either extreme.
Drive
86.8%
Public Transport
6.4%
Walk / Cycle
0.9%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+4.5%/yr
(+279 people/yr)
High GrowthDakabin is among the fastest growing pockets in its region, with population up 264.8% over the past decade and forecast to keep climbing 4.5% a year, or about 279 residents annually. The medium projection lifts the count from 6,538 in 2026 to 7,934 by 2031, roughly a fifth larger in five years. Internal migration is the primary engine, adding around 94 residents a year against 40 from overseas, so the inflow is mostly Brisbane households trading inward prices for outer-corridor space. The suburb reads as new development rather than gentrifying, with a gentrification score of 0, because growth comes from greenfield housing rather than displacement of existing residents. Affordability improved from 54.1% of income in 2011 to 41.0% in 2021 as incomes rose 7.1% in real terms.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+40
Net Internal / yr
+94
Gentrification Signal
New development
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Dakabin compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dakabin a good suburb to live in?
Dakabin suits younger families chasing affordability, with a median age of 30, ten years below national, and a $473,000 median house price. SEIFA places it in decile 4 across IRSAD and IRSD, a middle band nationally, and both rent-to-income at 21.3% and mortgage-to-income at 24.6% sit below the 30% stress line.
What is the median house price in Dakabin?
The median house price is $473,000, a fraction of inner-Brisbane levels. Weekly rent averages $360 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,800, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 24.6%, well below the 30% stress threshold for a household near the 59.3rd income percentile.
What schools are in Dakabin?
No schools are recorded inside the 5.57 km2 Dakabin boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. This matters for the 1,762 couples raising children locally, and helps explain why 86.8% of residents commute by car.
Is Dakabin safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Dakabin in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 4 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, a middle band nationally, and only 5.3% of its 5,275 residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a typical outer-suburban profile.
Is Dakabin good for property investment?
Rent of $360 a week against a $473,000 median gives a gross yield near 4.0%, far above premium-city returns under 2%. The renter share is high at 62.4% and population is growing 4.5% a year, though the 4.2% vacancy rate shows new supply gives tenants some choice.
How is Dakabin's population changing?
Population has surged 264.8% over the decade and is forecast to grow 4.5% a year, adding about 279 residents annually. The medium projection lifts the count from 6,538 in 2026 to 7,934 by 2031, driven mainly by internal migration of roughly 94 residents a year.
What is the rental market like in Dakabin?
Renters make up 62.4% of households, well above owner-occupier suburbs, with weekly rent averaging $360 and a vacancy rate of 4.2%. Rent-to-income sits at a manageable 21.3%, and demand is supported by population growth of 4.5% a year, mostly from internal migration.
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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