Frankston South
Detached housing and high owner control set Frankston South apart within the Frankston area. With 18,801 residents, 86.0% separate houses and 38.6% owned outright, it reads closer to Mount Eliza than central Frankston because larger established homes dominate. The median house price is $1,180,300, while household income sits in the 76.3 percentile nationally. A median age of 44, 4 years above the national benchmark, adds to the settled family and downsizer feel.
Population
18,801
Median Age
44.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,038/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
62
Median House
$1.2M
Apr-Jun 2024
Homebuyers are paying for space, school access and established streets rather than density. The median house price is $1,180,300 in Apr-Jun 2024, sitting 9.2% below the Oct-Dec 2023 peak of $1,300,000, which gives buyers more room than at the top of the cycle. Housing is heavily detached at 86.0%, with apartments only 1.7%, so compared with unit-rich suburbs there are fewer low-maintenance entry points. Large homes dominate, with 44.0% having 4 or more bedrooms and 41.1% having 3 bedrooms, while mortgage costs take 24.6% of income.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are paying for space, school access and established streets rather than density. The median house price is $1,180,300 in Apr-Jun 2024, sitting 9.2% below the Oct-Dec 2023 peak of $1,300,000, which gives buyers more room than at the top of the cycle. Housing is heavily detached at 86.0%, with apartments only 1.7%, so compared with unit-rich suburbs there are fewer low-maintenance entry points. Large homes dominate, with 44.0% having 4 or more bedrooms and 41.1% having 3 bedrooms, while mortgage costs take 24.6% of income.
For Investors
The investor case is selective because Frankston South is mainly an owner-occupier market. Renters make up 16.9% of households, and the median rent is $420 per week, but a 5.1% vacancy rate is a higher risk signal than the rental share alone suggests. Demand support comes from overseas migration averaging +254 people a year, compared with internal migration at -76 a year. Development activity is active but mostly incremental, with 31 applications in 12 months, so rental competition can vary street by street.
Development Activity
Total DAs
77
Last 12 Months
62
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+785.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Frankston South iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Derinya Primary School
Prep-6 · 834 students
St Augustine's School
Prep-6 · 318 students
Mount Erin Secondary College
7-12 · 490 students
Demographics
Frankston South skews older, educated and Anglo-leaning compared with national averages. The median age is 44, which is 4.0 years above the national benchmark, while 36.1% hold a university qualification, 6.0 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents are 22.3%, only 0.7 points above national, so migration is present but not dominant. English ancestry counts 8,164 people, followed by Irish at 2,297 and Scottish at 2,248, which helps explain the suburb's established family profile.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
86.0%
Houses
11.9%
Townhouse
1.7%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is the defining feature because stock is large, detached and tightly held. The median house price rose from $535,000 in 2013 to $1,180,300 in Apr-Jun 2024, a 120.6% gain and 5.8% CAGR over 14 years, although it remains 9.2% below the $1,300,000 peak. Ownership is high compared with renter-led markets: 38.6% own outright, 44.5% have a mortgage and 16.9% rent. Bedroom mix reinforces the family bias, with 85.1% of homes having 3 or more bedrooms.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wk
$420
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$862
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.1%
Unoccupied
365
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.6%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
25.0%
Couples, no children
15,560
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce is weighted to stable service and professional sectors, supporting above-average socio-economic scores. Healthcare is the largest industry at 19.1% with 1,225 workers, followed by education at 14.3%, construction at 13.0%, professional/tech at 9.5% and manufacturing at 7.4%. Professionals number 2,394 and managers 1,517, while unemployment is 3.8% and full-time work is 60.7% of employed residents. SEIFA is strong: IEO decile 8, IER decile 9, IRSD decile 9 and IRSAD decile 8, with resources ranking higher than education/occupation because home ownership and income are substantial.
Unemployment
7.5%
Labour Force
13,477
Unemployed
1,006
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.7%
Part-time
35.5%
Participation
58.6%
Employed
8,581
Occupations
Top Industries
University
36.1%
Postgraduate
7.7%
Born Overseas
22.3%
Dwellings
6,810
Transport to Work
Livability is strongest for households that drive and value schools, because daily transport is car-led. Car drivers make up 90.1% of commuters, compared with only 1.3% using public transport and 2.4% walking or cycling. There are 3 local schools with ICSEA scores from 985 to 1097; Derinya Primary is the highest at 1097 with 834 enrolments, while St Augustine's adds a Catholic primary option at 1053. Safety is comparatively comfortable for an established suburb, with 641 offences and a crime rate of 34.1 per 1,000, alongside IRSAD decile 8.
Drive
90.1%
Public Transport
1.3%
Walk / Cycle
2.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.6%/yr
(+151 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady rather than speculative. The forecast trend is 0.6% a year, or about 151 people annually, below the pace of high-growth fringe suburbs but consistent with established housing. The medium scenario moves from 24,891 people in 2026 to 25,644 in 2031. Migration is the key driver because overseas migration averages +254 people a year while internal migration averages -76. The gentrification score is 14 and the stage is Not gentrifying, compared with shift indicators showing mixed change, including 34.0% rent growth and 17.3% real income growth.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+254
Net Internal / yr
-76
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +12% since 2011, Strong overseas inflow +254/yr
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
641
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
34.1
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Frankston South compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Frankston South a good suburb to live in?
Yes, especially for households wanting larger homes and a settled streetscape. It has 86.0% separate houses, a median age of 44 and 3 local schools, but it suits drivers best because 90.1% commute by car.
What is the median house price in Frankston South?
The median house price is $1,180,300 for Apr-Jun 2024. That is 9.2% below the $1,300,000 peak recorded in Oct-Dec 2023, but still 120.6% above the 2013 median of $535,000.
What schools are in Frankston South?
Frankston South has 3 local schools: Derinya Primary School, St Augustine's School and Mount Erin Secondary College. ICSEA scores range from 985 to 1097, with Derinya Primary the highest at 1097.
Is Frankston South safe?
Frankston South records 641 offences and a crime rate of 34.1 per 1,000 residents. The largest category is property and deception offences with 360 incidents, followed by 110 crimes against the person.
Is Frankston South good for property investment?
It can suit investors seeking established family housing, but the rental market is smaller. Renters are 16.9% of households, median rent is $420 per week and vacancy is 5.1%, so tenant demand needs close checking.
How is Frankston South's population changing?
Population growth is forecast at 0.6% a year, or about 151 people annually. The medium scenario rises from 24,891 in 2026 to 25,644 in 2031, driven by +254 overseas migration a year despite -76 internal migration.
Is there much development in Frankston South?
Development is active but mostly small-scale. There were 31 applications in 12 months, including dwelling extensions, pool-related works and tree removals, which points to reinvestment in existing homes rather than major apartment growth.
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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