Payneham
A $1,620,000 median house price packed into just 0.8 square kilometres makes Payneham one of Adelaide's most intensely valued inner-east suburbs. Fewer than 2,500 residents occupy that footprint, giving a density of 3,067 people per square kilometre that rivals inner-city precincts. Over 51% hold university qualifications, which is 21 points above the national figure, and the overseas-born share of 36% runs 14.5 points above national. The suburb earns an IEO decile of 8 for education and occupation advantage, yet household income sits only in the 41st percentile nationally, because a high renter share (42%) and small average household size of 2.0 compress reported household earnings.
Population
2,438
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,414/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
30
Median House
$1.6M
Median 1Q 2026
The median house price of $1,620,000 rose 7.3% from $1,510,000 in the year to March 2026. Separate houses account for just 41.5% of dwellings, below the national norm, with apartments at 34.8% and semi-detached at 23.3%. Three-bedroom dwellings lead stock at 41.7%, followed by two-bedroom at 40.4%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,700, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 27.8%, below the 30% stress threshold. Outright owners make up 28.7% of households, slightly below the mortgage-holder share of 29.3%.
For Buyers
The median house price of $1,620,000 rose 7.3% from $1,510,000 in the year to March 2026. Separate houses account for just 41.5% of dwellings, below the national norm, with apartments at 34.8% and semi-detached at 23.3%. Three-bedroom dwellings lead stock at 41.7%, followed by two-bedroom at 40.4%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,700, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 27.8%, below the 30% stress threshold. Outright owners make up 28.7% of households, slightly below the mortgage-holder share of 29.3%.
For Investors
Payneham's 42% renter share is higher than most comparable Adelaide suburbs, supporting landlord occupancy. Weekly rent of $300 against the $1,620,000 median implies a gross yield below 1%, so investors rely on capital growth rather than cash flow. The 7.4% vacancy rate signals oversupply in the apartment segment (34.8% of stock). Overseas migration drives net inflow of 296 residents per year, and 30 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months. Price grew 7.3% year-on-year. Capital growth history favours the suburb, but the vacancy rate warrants property-level due diligence before committing.
Development Activity
Total DAs
160
Last 12 Months
30
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+42.9%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 38 is 2 years below the national figure, pointing to a working-age skew. University qualifications reach 51.3%, which is 21.2 points above the national average, among the higher concentrations in metropolitan Adelaide. Overseas-born residents at 36.1% are 14.5 points above national, driven by sustained overseas migration. The leading ancestries are English (699), Italian (454) and Other (344). Italian is the most spoken non-English language (75 speakers), followed by Mandarin (40) and Punjabi (33). Average household size of 2.0 is 0.5 below national, consistent with the couples-without-children profile (33.4% of families) and renters in smaller dwellings.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
41.5%
Houses
23.3%
Townhouse
34.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure divides as 42.0% renting, 29.3% mortgaged and 28.7% owning outright, with renters outnumbering both owner groups because apartments and semi-detached dwellings make up 58.1% of stock. The median house price reached $1,620,000 in the first quarter of 2026, up 7.3% from $1,510,000 a year earlier. Three-bedroom dwellings lead at 41.7%, two-bedroom at 40.4%, with four-plus rooms at just 11.2%. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.8% stays below the 30% stress threshold, and rent-to-income at 21.2% is lower than the national stress zone. Vacancy at 7.4% is concentrated in the apartment segment and warrants attention for owners of smaller units.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,700
Rent / wk
$300
HH Size
2.0
Personal Income / wk
$874
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.4%
Unoccupied
93
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
33.4%
Couples, no children
1,698
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare dominates at 23.9% of workers (236 people), roughly double Education at 13.8% (136). Professional and Technical services follows at 11.4% (113), consistent with a qualification rate of 51.3%, which is above the national average by 21 points. By occupation, Professionals lead at 393 workers, then Clerical and Administrative at 195. Unemployment sits at 3.8% and full-time employment at 60.0%. The SEIFA IEO decile of 8 confirms above-national education and occupation advantage, while the IRSD and IRSAD deciles of 6 indicate near-average disadvantage, pointing to a suburb where professional earners coexist with a sizeable renter cohort.
Unemployment
3.1%
Labour Force
7,969
Unemployed
251
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.0%
Part-time
36.2%
Participation
63.1%
Employed
1,257
Occupations
Top Industries
University
51.3%
Postgraduate
14.7%
Born Overseas
36.1%
Dwellings
1,165
Transport to Work
Car travel dominates at 79.5% of commuters, above most comparable inner-city precincts, while public transport accounts for 9.7% and walking or cycling for 4.9%. No schools are recorded within the Payneham boundary, so families rely on adjacent suburbs. The crime rate is 35.7 incidents per 1,000 residents (87 total). The IRSAD decile of 6 places the suburb near the national median for relative advantage, slightly above the average disadvantage tier. Volunteering runs at 19.6%. Housing stress is contained: rent-to-income at 21.2% and mortgage-to-income at 27.8% both stay below the 30% threshold, meaning most households absorb housing costs without financial pressure.
Drive
79.5%
Public Transport
9.7%
Walk / Cycle
4.9%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.79%/yr
(+112 people/yr)
EstablishedPopulation grew 8.8% over the decade to approximately 2,438 residents, above the low-growth baseline for established inner-Adelaide suburbs. The annual trend rate is 0.79%, adding around 19 people per year. Overseas migration is the primary driver at a net 296 arrivals per year, while internal migration is a net negative of 43. Gentrification signals score 29 out of 100 (early signs), driven by 13% population growth since 2011 and accelerating overseas inflow. Affordability improved from 48.3% in 2011 to 42.9% in 2021, showing that incomes rose faster than prices over that period. The medium forecast projects the broader SA2 reaching approximately 14,526 by 2031.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+296
Net Internal / yr
-43
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +13% since 2011, Strong overseas inflow +296/yr, Accelerating: 1% → 12%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
87
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
35.7
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Payneham compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Payneham a good suburb to live in?
Payneham offers access to inner-Adelaide amenity with a median age of 38, below the national figure by 2 years, and university qualifications at 51.3%, which is 21.2 points above national. The IRSAD decile of 6 indicates near-average advantage. The main trade-offs are a $1,620,000 median house price and a 7.4% vacancy rate in the apartment stock.
What is the median house price in Payneham?
The median house price in Payneham is $1,620,000 as of the first quarter of 2026, up 7.3% from $1,510,000 a year earlier. Weekly rent averages $300 and monthly mortgage repayments average $1,700, with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.8%.
What schools are in Payneham?
No schools are recorded inside the Payneham boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is highly educated, with 51.3% holding university qualifications, which is 21.2 percentage points above the national average.
Is Payneham safe?
The recorded crime rate in Payneham is 35.7 incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 87 total incidents. As a broader indicator, the suburb scores decile 6 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, near the national median, and housing stress measures are below the standard 30% threshold for both renters (21.2%) and mortgage holders (27.8%).
Is Payneham good for property investment?
The median house price rose 7.3% in one year to $1,620,000, and overseas migration adds a net 296 residents per year to the broader area. However, weekly rent of $300 against that median implies a gross yield below 1%, and the vacancy rate of 7.4% signals some apartment oversupply. Investment returns depend primarily on capital growth rather than rental yield.
How is Payneham's population changing?
Payneham grew 8.8% over the past decade and adds roughly 19 residents per year at the current 0.79% annual rate. Overseas migration is the primary driver at a net 296 arrivals per year, while internal migration is a net negative of 43 per year. Early gentrification signals include a 13% population rise since 2011 and accelerating overseas inflow.
What languages are spoken in Payneham?
About 36.1% of residents were born overseas, which is 14.5 percentage points above the national figure. Italian is the most common non-English language with 75 speakers, followed by Mandarin (40), Punjabi (33), Nepali (25) and Greek (17), reflecting both long-established Italian settlement and newer migration from Asia and South Asia.
How much development is happening in Payneham?
There were 30 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, including proposals for two-storey group dwellings and performance-assessed works. Given the suburb covers only 0.8 square kilometres with a density of 3,067 per square kilometre, most new activity involves infill and medium-density projects rather than broad greenfield expansion.
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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