Melrose Park
At a median house price of $1,157,500 in a 1.32 km2 footprint, Melrose Park packs significant property value into one of Adelaide's more compact inner-south suburbs. University qualifications reach 42.6% of residents, which is 12.5 percentage points above the national average, pointing to a knowledge-worker base that is driving both demand and income growth. Household income sits at the 51.6th percentile nationally, roughly median, yet prices are well above what that income rank typically sustains in outer suburbs, because proximity to the CBD and Flinders precinct commands a premium. The suburb is predominantly owner-occupied, with 32.2% owning outright and 40.5% carrying a mortgage, while only 27.3% rent.
Population
2,319
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,583/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
29
Median House
$1.2M
Median 1Q 2026
The median house price of $1,157,500 as of the first quarter of 2026 rose 1.5% from $1,140,000 a year earlier, a modest but positive trend in a market where many Adelaide suburbs have run harder. Separate houses make up 74.4% of dwellings, which is the dominant stock type, and three-bedroom homes account for 49.1% of all dwellings, giving buyers a clear sense of what is available. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,900, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.7%, below the 30% stress threshold and lower than many comparable suburbs in comparable price brackets. Four-plus bedroom homes are present at 17.7%, so larger family configurations do trade, just at a premium above the median. Mortgage holders at 40.5% outnumber renters at 27.3%, signalling a stable owner-occupier community rather than an investor-dominated market.
For Buyers
The median house price of $1,157,500 as of the first quarter of 2026 rose 1.5% from $1,140,000 a year earlier, a modest but positive trend in a market where many Adelaide suburbs have run harder. Separate houses make up 74.4% of dwellings, which is the dominant stock type, and three-bedroom homes account for 49.1% of all dwellings, giving buyers a clear sense of what is available. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,900, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.7%, below the 30% stress threshold and lower than many comparable suburbs in comparable price brackets. Four-plus bedroom homes are present at 17.7%, so larger family configurations do trade, just at a premium above the median. Mortgage holders at 40.5% outnumber renters at 27.3%, signalling a stable owner-occupier community rather than an investor-dominated market.
For Investors
Renters make up 27.3% of the market, which is below the national average for inner-city precincts, and weekly rent runs at $350, a figure that against the $1,157,500 median implies a gross yield around 1.6%. The vacancy rate of 7.7% is elevated compared to tighter Adelaide markets and suggests that demand for rental stock is not running ahead of supply. Development activity in the past 12 months reached 28 applications, mostly additions and carports consistent with an established suburb improving existing dwellings rather than adding new supply. The 1.5% capital growth recorded from 2025 to 2026 is positive but modest, so the investment case rests more on long-run capital preservation in a well-educated, employed catchment than on yield or rapid appreciation. Healthcare and education workers, at a combined 35.4% of the local workforce, provide stable demand from public-sector employment.
Development Activity
Total DAs
143
Last 12 Months
29
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+61.1%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Melrose Park iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Edwardstown Primary School
R-6 · 512 students
Demographics
The median age of 38 is 2.0 years below the national figure, pointing to a working-age community rather than a retiree-heavy one. Overseas-born residents account for 22.2% of the population, which is 0.6 percentage points above the national average and reflects modest international diversity. Ancestry is Anglo-Celtic in character, led by English (825 residents), Irish (198) and Scottish (184), with German heritage (176) also well represented. University qualifications reach 42.6%, which is 12.5 points above the national figure, one of the stronger education profiles in suburban Adelaide. The average household size of 2.4 is marginally below the national average, consistent with the mix of couples without children (24.6% of families) and couples with children (850 families out of 1,746 total). Volunteering engages 18.4% of residents, above what lower-education suburbs typically return.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
74.4%
Houses
11.6%
Townhouse
14.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure in Melrose Park is owner-occupier-oriented: 32.2% own outright and 40.5% carry a mortgage, leaving renters at 27.3%. The outright ownership share indicates a base of established, longer-term residents who have paid down debt. Stock is predominantly detached houses at 74.4%, with apartments at 14.1% and semi-detached at 11.6%, a distribution that limits the supply of lower-entry-point dwellings. Three-bedroom homes at 49.1% define the typical dwelling, followed by two-bedroom at 27.1% and four-plus at 17.7%. Price history shows the median moved from $1,140,000 in the first quarter of 2025 to $1,157,500 in the first quarter of 2026, a 1.5% annual gain. Rent-to-income at 22.1% keeps tenants below the 30% stress threshold, which is a relative affordability signal compared to higher-cost city markets.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,900
Rent / wk
$350
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$832
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.7%
Unoccupied
79
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
24.6%
Couples, no children
1,746
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare dominates the local industry mix at 22.7% of employed residents (195 workers), which is consistent with proximity to Flinders Medical Centre and the broader Flinders health precinct to the south. Education follows at 12.7% (109 workers) and Professional/Technical services at 9.5% (82 workers), together forming a knowledge and service economy. By occupation, Professionals are the largest group at 347 workers, with Managers adding 136, meaning white-collar workers account for a strong share of the employed base. The unemployment rate is 4.2% and the participation rate is 61.7%, both broadly in line with metropolitan norms. Full-time employment covers 59.5% of those employed, above what part-time-heavy service suburbs typically record. The household income at the 51.6th percentile nationally is mid-range, though the high university qualification rate of 42.6% suggests incomes are set to grow as careers progress.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.5%
Part-time
36.3%
Participation
61.7%
Employed
1,108
Occupations
Top Industries
University
42.6%
Postgraduate
10.8%
Born Overseas
22.2%
Dwellings
952
Transport to Work
The suburb is car-dependent, with 82.6% of residents commuting by car, while 6.5% use public transport and 6.5% walk or cycle. The crime rate of 65.1 incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 151 recorded offences, is a figure that buyers should benchmark against neighbouring suburbs in Mitcham LGA, as the raw rate reflects both population density and policing geography. No schools are recorded within the 1.32 km2 boundary, so families draw on institutions in adjacent suburbs including Mitcham and Edwardstown. Rent-to-income at 22.1% and mortgage-to-income at 27.7% both sit below the 30% stress threshold, meaning neither owner-occupiers nor renters face acute housing cost pressure relative to their incomes. Only 6.7% of residents (150 people) require daily assistance, a low figure consistent with the younger-than-average median age of 38.
Drive
82.6%
Public Transport
6.5%
Walk / Cycle
6.5%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
151
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
65.1
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Melrose Park compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Melrose Park a good suburb to live in?
Melrose Park suits professional households: 42.6% of residents hold university qualifications, which is 12.5 points above the national average, and mortgage-to-income sits at 27.7%, below the 30% stress threshold. The crime rate of 65.1 per 1,000 residents and the absence of schools within the boundary are the main considerations for families.
What is the median house price in Melrose Park?
The median house price reached $1,157,500 in the first quarter of 2026, up 1.5% from $1,140,000 a year earlier. Weekly rent averages $350 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,900, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.7%.
What schools are in Melrose Park?
No schools are recorded inside the Melrose Park boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in adjacent suburbs such as Mitcham and Edwardstown. Locally, 42.6% of adults hold university qualifications, which is 12.5 percentage points above the national average, reflecting a highly educated adult population.
Is Melrose Park safe?
Melrose Park recorded 151 total incidents in the reference period, translating to a crime rate of 65.1 per 1,000 residents. Detailed category breakdowns are not available in this dataset, so buyers should cross-reference SA Police suburb crime statistics when comparing against the Mitcham LGA average.
Is Melrose Park good for property investment?
Renters make up 27.3% of the market and weekly rent is $350, implying a gross yield around 1.6% against the $1,157,500 median, which is low. The 7.7% vacancy rate is elevated compared to tighter Adelaide markets. Capital growth was 1.5% over the past year, so returns depend on long-run appreciation rather than yield.
How is Melrose Park's population changing?
Forecast data is not available in this brief, but the suburb's 19.4% annual turnover rate against 80.6% who stayed suggests a stable resident base. The 2,319 residents in 1.32 km2 produce a density of 1,760 per km2, modest by inner-Adelaide standards, and 28 development applications in 12 months point to incremental improvement rather than significant new supply.
How much development is happening in Melrose Park?
There were 28 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. Recent examples include a garage, carport and verandah, consistent with an established suburb where owners are adding or improving rather than subdividing. This level of activity signals confidence among owner-occupiers, who make up 72.7% of residents across outright and mortgage tenure.
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 Melrose Park on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map