St Kilda
St Kilda packs 19,490 residents into 3.18 sq km, so its 6,131.8 people per sq km density shapes almost every housing and amenity choice. Compared with nearby Elwood and Balaclava, it reads less as a family-house market and more as a dense rental precinct: apartments make up 79.2% of dwellings and renters 62.0%. The trade-off is a very urban risk profile, with vacancy at 21.6% and recorded crime at 200.4 incidents per 1,000 people. Yet university attainment is 53.7%, 23.6 points above national, supporting a high-skill resident base.
Population
19,490
Median Age
36.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,779/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
18
Median House
$1.4M
Apr-Jun 2024
For homebuyers, St Kilda is better read as an apartment market than a house market: only 5.5% of homes are separate houses, while 79.2% are apartments and 46.9% have 2 bedrooms. The Apr-Jun 2024 median house price was $1,398,000, down 20.3% from the 2018 peak of $1,755,000, which gives buyers more leverage than at the top of the cycle. Carrying costs look moderate for existing borrowers, with mortgage payments at 26.0% of income, below stress territory, but larger homes are scarce because only 3.6% have 4 or more bedrooms.
For Buyers
For homebuyers, St Kilda is better read as an apartment market than a house market: only 5.5% of homes are separate houses, while 79.2% are apartments and 46.9% have 2 bedrooms. The Apr-Jun 2024 median house price was $1,398,000, down 20.3% from the 2018 peak of $1,755,000, which gives buyers more leverage than at the top of the cycle. Carrying costs look moderate for existing borrowers, with mortgage payments at 26.0% of income, below stress territory, but larger homes are scarce because only 3.6% have 4 or more bedrooms.
For Investors
Investor appeal is driven by tenant depth rather than scarcity. Renters account for 62.0% of households, higher than the combined 38.0% owned outright or mortgaged share, and the weekly rent measure is $381. The caution is vacancy: 21.6% means leasing assumptions need to be conservative despite the large rental pool. Development activity is modest at 12 applications over 12 months, including small multi-dwelling permits, which suggests incremental supply rather than a building wave. The strongest near-term demand should come from 0 to 2 bedroom stock, because 85.8% of dwellings sit in that range.
Development Activity
Total DAs
25
Last 12 Months
18
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+500.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in St Kilda iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Michael's Grammar School
Prep-12 · 1143 students
St Kilda Park Primary School
Prep-6 · 314 students
St Kilda Primary School
Prep-6 · 437 students
Cheder Levi Yitzchok Inc
Prep-10 · 169 students
Demographics
St Kilda skews younger, educated and internationally connected. The median age is 36, which is 4.0 years below the national benchmark, while 53.7% hold a university qualification, 23.6 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents make up 40.1%, 18.5 points above national, with Italian, French, Mandarin, Greek and Russian among recorded languages. English ancestry is the largest group at 6,335 people, followed by Irish at 3,109. Compared with Elwood, the smaller 1.7 person household size points to more singles, couples without children and share households.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
5.5%
Houses
10.9%
Townhouse
79.2%
Apartment
Tenure
The housing structure is unusually concentrated: 79.2% apartments, 10.9% semi-detached homes and just 5.5% separate houses. Prices have risen 56.7% from $892,000 in 2013 to $1,398,000 in Apr-Jun 2024, but remain 20.3% below the 2018 peak of $1,755,000. That gap matters because buyers are not paying peak-cycle prices, yet the 14 year CAGR of 3.3% is lower than many inner-Melbourne growth stories. Tenure is rental-heavy at 62.0%, with only 14.6% owned outright and 23.4% mortgaged, reinforcing a fluid market where small apartments set the tone.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wk
$381
HH Size
1.7
Personal Income / wk
$1,214
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
21.6%
Unoccupied
2,852
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.0%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
55.0%
Couples, no children
9,477
Total families
Economy & Employment
St Kilda's economy reflects a high-skill resident workforce rather than a single local employer base. Professional/Tech leads at 16.8% or 1,670 workers, followed by Healthcare at 14.0%, Education at 10.1%, Hospitality at 7.1% and Construction at 6.9%. Occupations reinforce this, with 4,504 professionals and 2,161 managers. Unemployment is 5.1% and participation is 68.2%, while household income sits at the 62.7th percentile. SEIFA shows the split clearly: education and occupation rank in decile 10, but economic resources are lower at decile 2, partly because many residents rent and live alone.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
69.8%
Part-time
25.1%
Participation
68.2%
Employed
11,774
Occupations
Top Industries
University
53.7%
Postgraduate
16.7%
Born Overseas
40.1%
Dwellings
10,348
Transport to Work
Livability is strongest for people who value walkable inner-city routines compared with low-density quiet. Walking or cycling accounts for 19.0% of commutes, while 69.9% drive and 6.5% use public transport. Education options are compact but high scoring: 4 local schools span ICSEA 1053 to 1180, led by St Michael's Grammar School at 1180, St Kilda Park Primary at 1142 and St Kilda Primary at 1126, across Independent and Government sectors. The main drawback is safety, with 200.4 offences per 1,000 people, although IRSAD decile 9 signals above-average socio-economic advantage.
Drive
69.9%
Public Transport
6.5%
Walk / Cycle
19.0%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
3,905
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
200.4
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 St Kilda compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is St Kilda a good suburb to live in?
St Kilda suits people who want density, walkability and apartment living. It has 19,490 residents in 3.18 sq km, 19.0% walk or cycle to work, and 4 local schools, but the 200.4 offences per 1,000 people safety figure is a real consideration.
What is the median house price in St Kilda?
The median house price in St Kilda was $1,398,000 in Apr-Jun 2024. That is 20.3% below the 2018 peak of $1,755,000, but still 56.7% above the 2013 level of $892,000.
What schools are in St Kilda?
St Kilda has 4 local schools. St Michael's Grammar School has ICSEA 1180 and 1,143 enrolments, St Kilda Park Primary has ICSEA 1142, St Kilda Primary has ICSEA 1126, and Cheder Levi Yitzchok Inc has ICSEA 1053.
Is St Kilda safe?
St Kilda records a high crime rate at 200.4 offences per 1,000 people, with 3,905 total recorded offences. Property and deception offences are the largest category at 2,251 incidents, so buyers and renters should weigh safety street by street.
Is St Kilda good for property investment?
St Kilda has strong rental depth, with 62.0% of households renting and weekly rent measured at $381. The main risk is the 21.6% vacancy rate, so investors need careful apartment selection and should not assume every 1 or 2 bedroom dwelling leases quickly.
How is St Kilda's population changing?
St Kilda is already highly built up, with 19,490 residents and density of 6,131.8 people per sq km. Change is likely to come through turnover and small redevelopment, supported by 12 development applications over the last 12 months.
What languages are spoken in St Kilda?
St Kilda has a sizeable overseas-born population at 40.1%. Recorded languages include Italian with 143 speakers, French with 121, Mandarin with 119, Greek with 94 and Russian with 90.
How much development is happening in St Kilda?
Development activity is present but not overwhelming, with 12 applications recorded over 12 months. Recent examples include 2 dwelling multi-unit proposals and a 9 lot subdivision of existing residential brick flats.
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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