Romsey
Spread across 81.22 km2 at just 71.4 residents per km2, Romsey reads as semi-rural rather than suburban, and the housing stock confirms it: 97.1% of dwellings are separate houses and only 0.7% apartments. The 5,797 residents pull a household income in the 77.8th percentile nationally, helped by a workforce that leans on construction and trades. The median house price of $705,100 sits well below Melbourne's metropolitan medians, yet it has fallen 16.0% from the 2022 peak of $839,000. The population skews slightly younger than the country, with a median age of 38, two years below the national figure, even as the longer trajectory is aging.
Population
5,797
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,068/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
6
Median House
$705K
Apr-Jun 2024
At $705,100, the median house price is down 16.0% from the 2022 peak of $839,000, so buyers are entering after a meaningful correction rather than at the top. The stock is almost entirely detached, with separate houses at 97.1% and apartments at just 0.7%, and it skews large: 52.1% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms and 40.3% have three, so smaller two-bedroom homes (6.2%) are scarce. That suits families needing space more than downsizers. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,928, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.5%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold and lower than many Melbourne growth corridors. Outright owners (32.6%) and mortgage holders (56.5%) together make this a clear owner-occupier market, with renters only 10.9%.
For Buyers
At $705,100, the median house price is down 16.0% from the 2022 peak of $839,000, so buyers are entering after a meaningful correction rather than at the top. The stock is almost entirely detached, with separate houses at 97.1% and apartments at just 0.7%, and it skews large: 52.1% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms and 40.3% have three, so smaller two-bedroom homes (6.2%) are scarce. That suits families needing space more than downsizers. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,928, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.5%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold and lower than many Melbourne growth corridors. Outright owners (32.6%) and mortgage holders (56.5%) together make this a clear owner-occupier market, with renters only 10.9%.
For Investors
With renters at just 10.9% of households, Romsey offers a thin tenant pool compared with metropolitan Melbourne, and the 5.4% vacancy rate is on the higher side for a regional town, signalling softer rental demand. Weekly rent of $380 against the $705,100 median implies a gross yield near 2.8%, modest but better than premium inner-city suburbs. Development is light, with only 4 applications lodged in the past 12 months, mostly small subdivisions of 2 to 11 lots rather than apartment supply, so new competing stock is limited. Migration is balanced, adding roughly 46 net internal and 42 net overseas residents a year. Rent growth of 52.1% over the decade is the standout, meaning the investment case rests on rising rents and steady population growth rather than yield or churn.
Development Activity
Total DAs
19
Last 12 Months
6
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+200.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Romsey iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Romsey Primary School
Prep-6 · 323 students
Demographics
Romsey skews younger than the country at a median age of 38, two years below the national figure, though the decade trend is aging, with the senior share up 4.8 points and the working-age share down 1.7 points. The population is strongly Anglo: only 10.5% were born overseas, 11.1 points below national, and ancestry is led by English (2,446), Irish (811) and Scottish (705). Non-English languages are negligible, with Arabic (12) and Italian (11) the most cited. University qualifications reach 23.9%, which is 6.2 points below the national rate, consistent with a trades and construction labour base. Christianity dominates at 2,527 residents, far ahead of Islam (22) and Buddhism (21), and the average household size of 2.7 sits 0.2 above national.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
97.1%
Houses
2.1%
Townhouse
0.7%
Apartment
Tenure
Romsey is overwhelmingly an owner-occupier town: 56.5% of households carry a mortgage and 32.6% own outright, leaving renters at only 10.9%. The dwelling mix is 97.1% separate houses and just 0.7% apartments, and homes run large, with 52.1% holding four or more bedrooms versus 40.3% with three. The median house price has climbed from $387,500 in 2013 to $705,100 by mid 2024, an 82.0% gain at a 4.4% compound annual rate, though it remains 16.0% below the 2022 peak of $839,000. Against a household income in the 77.8th percentile, that pricing keeps the market accessible: mortgage-to-income is 21.5% and rent-to-income 18.4%, both well below the 30% stress line, which explains the high mortgage-holder share.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,928
Rent / wk
$380
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$856
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.4%
Unoccupied
115
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
26.2%
Couples, no children
4,977
Total families
Economy & Employment
Construction is the dominant employer at 17.7% of the workforce (343 workers), ahead of Healthcare at 13.6% (264) and Education at 12.1% (235), a profile that reflects a growing semi-rural town building out its housing. By occupation, Professionals (493) lead, followed by Clerical and Admin (414) and Managers (363). Unemployment is low at 3.5% and the full-time employment rate is 66.5%, though participation of 60.7% is modest because 1,372 residents sit outside the labour force, consistent with the aging trajectory. On SEIFA, Romsey scores decile 7 on IRSD and decile 6 on IRSAD and IEO, all mid-to-upper bands, while IER reaches decile 9, higher than the others because the very low 10.9% renter share lifts aggregate household economic resources.
Unemployment
1.9%
Labour Force
6,615
Unemployed
125
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
66.5%
Part-time
30.0%
Participation
60.7%
Employed
2,695
Occupations
Top Industries
University
23.9%
Postgraduate
4.2%
Born Overseas
10.5%
Dwellings
2,009
Transport to Work
Romsey is built around the car: 92.6% of residents drive to work and only 0.6% use public transport, a function of the 81.22 km2 semi-rural footprint at 71.4 people per km2 with limited rail access. On safety the picture is reassuring, with a crime rate of 25.5 per 1,000 residents and 148 recorded offences, of which property and deception offences (88) form the bulk and crimes against the person are low at 28. The suburb scores decile 6 on IRSAD, a mid-to-upper advantage band, and volunteering runs at 15.8%, above what the population size would suggest. No schools are recorded inside the boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring towns, a common trade-off in low-density rural settings.
Drive
92.6%
Public Transport
0.6%
Walk / Cycle
2.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.66%/yr
(+192 people/yr)
EstablishedRomsey is an established suburb on a steady upward path, with the model projecting 1.66% annual population growth, or about 192 residents a year. Migration is balanced rather than dominated by one source, adding roughly 46 net internal and 42 net overseas residents annually. The decade has already delivered a 24.9% population rise, and gentrification is in its early signs stage, with affordability worsening as the measure moved from 41.6% in 2011 to 43.6% in 2021. Rent growth of 52.1% over the period outpaced the 17.9% real income growth, which is the clearest pressure point. Light development of only 4 applications in 12 months means future supply will lag demand, supporting continued price and rent firmness rather than oversupply.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+42
Net Internal / yr
+46
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +31% since 2011, Accelerating: 9% → 20%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
148
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
25.5
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 Romsey compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Romsey a good suburb to live in?
Romsey scores decile 7 on IRSD and decile 6 on IRSAD, both mid-to-upper advantage bands, with household income in the 77.8th percentile nationally. It suits families, given 97.1% detached houses and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.5%, well below the 30% stress line. The main trade-off is heavy car reliance, with 92.6% driving to work.
What is the median house price in Romsey?
The median house price is $705,100 as of mid 2024, down 16.0% from the 2022 peak of $839,000. Over the longer run it rose from $387,500 in 2013, an 82.0% gain at a 4.4% compound annual rate. Weekly rent averages $380 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,928.
What schools are in Romsey?
No schools are recorded inside the Romsey boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring towns. University qualifications among residents sit at 23.9%, which is 6.2 points below the national figure, consistent with the town's trades and construction labour base.
Is Romsey safe?
Romsey records a crime rate of 25.5 per 1,000 residents across 148 offences, low for its 5,797 population. Property and deception offences dominate at 88, while crimes against the person are low at 28 and drug offences just 7, a pattern typical of a quiet semi-rural town.
Is Romsey good for property investment?
Rent of $380 a week against the $705,100 median gives a gross yield near 2.8%, modest, and the renter pool is thin at 10.9% with a 5.4% vacancy rate. The case rests on rent growth, which reached 52.1% over the decade, and steady 1.66% annual population growth rather than high yield.
How is Romsey's population changing?
Romsey is projected to grow about 1.66% a year, or roughly 192 residents annually, after a 24.9% rise over the past decade. The profile is slowly aging, with the senior share up 4.8 points and the working-age share down 1.7 points, though the median age of 38 still sits two years below national.
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 Romsey on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map