Elizabeth South
Healthcare accounts for 24.2% of local jobs, while reported crime is 222.3 incidents per 1,000 residents. Buyers comparing Elizabeth South with nearby Elizabeth Grove or Smithfield should test tenure and transport needs carefully, because 77.9% drive to work and only 6.7% use public transport.
Local council: Playford
Population
2,933
Median Age
35.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$774/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
56
Median House
$680K
First quarter 2026
Elizabeth South suits buyers prioritising a three bedroom format, but the recent price jump needs scrutiny. Semi detached homes make up 57.8%, compared with 41.6% separate houses, so title, outdoor space and community title terms matter. Mortgage costs equal 25.9% of household income, below the 28.4% rent burden, because the median monthly repayment is $867. With 64.9% renting and only 16.2% owning outright, buyers should compare exact condition and land component rather than relying on the suburb median.
For Buyers
Elizabeth South suits buyers prioritising a three bedroom format, but the recent price jump needs scrutiny. Semi detached homes make up 57.8%, compared with 41.6% separate houses, so title, outdoor space and community title terms matter. Mortgage costs equal 25.9% of household income, below the 28.4% rent burden, because the median monthly repayment is $867. With 64.9% renting and only 16.2% owning outright, buyers should compare exact condition and land component rather than relying on the suburb median.
For Investors
Elizabeth South has a clear rental orientation: 64.9% of households rent, compared with 16.2% owning outright and 17.6% paying a mortgage. Weekly rent is $220 and vacancy is 8.7%, so investors need to balance the low asking rent against a looser leasing environment than a tight market. Development activity reached 52 applications in 12 months, which may add competition or improve housing choice because projects include group dwellings and allotment divisions. Growth is forecast at 0.79% annually, driven by overseas migration, but a 20.8% unemployment rate points to tenant affordability risk.
Development Activity
Total DAs
238
Last 12 Months
56
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+30.2%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Elizabeth South
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Elizabeth South Primary School
Demographics
Elizabeth South is younger than the national profile, with a median age of 35, five years below the national comparison, and a 2.3 person average household size, 0.2 below the national figure. University attainment is 10.7%, or 19.4 percentage points below the national comparison, which aligns with a workforce concentrated in labouring, community and personal services, trades, and machinery or driving roles. English ancestry is recorded for 1,069 people, while home languages include Nepali, Arabic, Khmer and Punjabi, with counts of 32, 19, 14 and 13. No religion is the largest recorded affiliation at 1,302 people, ahead of Christianity at 903. One parent families represent 43.6% of families, while overseas born residents account for 27.5%, 5.9 points above the national comparison.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
41.6%
Houses
57.8%
Townhouse
0.6%
Apartment
Tenure
Elizabeth South's housing mix is strongly weighted toward semi detached stock: 57.8% compared with 41.6% separate houses and 0.6% apartments. The typical home has three bedrooms, representing 67.9% of dwellings, while four or more bedrooms account for 10.3%. Renting dominates at 64.9%, compared with 17.6% mortgages and 16.2% outright ownership. Household income is $774 weekly, and mortgage costs equal 25.9% of income, below the 28.4% rent burden, so tenure and cash flow remain more important than the median alone.
Mortgage / mo
$867
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$220
Census 2021
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$457
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.7%
Unoccupied
110
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
28.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
29.1%
Couples with children
23.7%
Couples, no children
43.6%
Single parent
659
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads at 24.2% of jobs, followed by manufacturing at 11.7%, retail at 10.5%, construction at 8.2% and administration at 7.9%. The mix aligns with 198 labourers, 114 community or personal service workers, 101 trades workers and 100 machinery or drivers. Household income sits at the 4th percentile nationally, while unemployment is 20.8%, participation is 39.4%, and full time employment is 50.8%. All four SEIFA measures are in decile 1, covering education and occupation, economic resources, relative disadvantage and overall advantage or disadvantage. These conditions help explain why accessible work and local services matter more than high professional employment.
Unemployment
20.8%
Labour Force
912
Unemployed
190
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
50.8%
Part-time
40.4%
Participation
39.4%
Employed
722
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
10.7%
Postgraduate
2.2%
Born Overseas
27.5%
Dwellings
1,143
Transport to Work
Elizabeth South provides a practical, car dependent setting, with 77.9% driving to work, 6.7% using public transport and 4.0% working from home. It has 1 local government primary school, Elizabeth South Primary School; families should check enrolment zones and nearby secondary choices against the exact address because boundaries matter more than suburb labels. Reported crime is 222.3 incidents per 1,000 residents, a higher risk marker than many buyers may accept, so street by street inspection and security costs are important. Socioeconomic access is also low: the IRSAD score is 717 in decile 1, while the education and occupation deciles are both 1. A volunteering rate of 8.9% and 13.4% needing assistance suggest community services matter.
Drive
77.9%
Public Transport
6.7%
Walk / Cycle
1.8%
Work from Home
4.0%
Growth Outlook
Elizabeth South has an established growth profile, with annual change forecast at 0.79% and population change across the wider area of 9.6% over 10 years. Overseas migration is the primary driver, while the trajectory is labelled Mixed, so growth is more likely to be uneven than a simple expansion story. Gentrification is at the Early signs stage, with a score of 30; a separate shift measure scores 44 and also labels the stage Early signs. Affordability is worsening, moving from 44.4 in 2011 to 48.9 in 2021, while rent growth reached 39.8%. Real income growth was 3.0%, below the pressure implied by housing costs, and the working share rose 2.4 points as the senior share fell 2.6 points. These signals point to gradual change driven by migration rather than rapid redevelopment.
Population trend: Playford council area
Elizabeth South sits in the Playford council area. These are the council area's residents, not Elizabeth South's.
Residents 2025
115,790
Growth, 5 yr average
+3.3%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+3.9%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
652
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
222.3
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Elizabeth South compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Elizabeth South a good suburb to live in?
It can suit buyers who value established housing and car access, but priorities matter. The suburb has 2,933 residents, 64.9% renters and a crime rate of 222.3 incidents per 1,000 people, so inspect streets, transport and nearby services before deciding rather than relying on a general impression.
What schools are in Elizabeth South?
Elizabeth South has 1 local government primary school, Elizabeth South Primary School. Families can check the exact enrolment zone and compare nearby options, especially for secondary years, because access can change across suburb boundaries rather than simply following the suburb name.
Is Elizabeth South safe?
Safety requires a close look. Reported crime is 652 incidents, equal to 222.3 per 1,000 residents, and socioeconomic disadvantage sits in IRSAD decile 1. Those figures are higher risk markers than many buyers prefer, so inspect the immediate street, parking arrangements and lighting at different times.
How is Elizabeth South's population changing?
The wider area's population change is forecast at 9.6% over 10 years, with annual growth of 0.79%. Overseas migration is the primary driver and the trajectory is Mixed, while gentrification is at the Early signs stage with a score of 30. Elizabeth South itself has 2,933 residents today, suggesting gradual change rather than a sudden population surge.
What development is occurring in Elizabeth South?
Development activity reached 52 applications in 12 months, including group dwellings, an allotment division into 3 community title lots and a warehouse use change. This may gradually alter housing choice and local activity, but buyers should assess each site's approvals, parking and title arrangements rather than assume every application becomes construction.
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), SA Department for Housing and Urban Development (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications).
Explore Elizabeth South on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map