Sunnybank Hills
Detached family housing is the clearest signal in Sunnybank Hills: 84.7% of dwellings are separate houses and only 0.3% are apartments. The suburb has 18,085 residents, a median age of 37 and 54.9% born overseas, which is 33.3 percentage points above the national rate. Compared with nearby Sunnybank and Calamvale, its identity is less apartment-led and more family-house oriented, supported by 48.4% university attainment and household income in the 60.6 percentile.
Population
18,085
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,725/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
29
Median House
$516K
Estimated from rent (2025)
Homebuyers are mainly shopping for space rather than units: 84.7% of homes are separate houses, 56.3% have 4 or more bedrooms and another 37.3% have 3 bedrooms. A current median house price is not available, so carrying cost matters: median mortgage repayments are $1,853 a month and mortgage costs absorb 24.8% of income, below a typical stress line. Because 36.8% own outright and 31.9% have a mortgage, turnover may be steadier than in renter-heavy markets.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are mainly shopping for space rather than units: 84.7% of homes are separate houses, 56.3% have 4 or more bedrooms and another 37.3% have 3 bedrooms. A current median house price is not available, so carrying cost matters: median mortgage repayments are $1,853 a month and mortgage costs absorb 24.8% of income, below a typical stress line. Because 36.8% own outright and 31.9% have a mortgage, turnover may be steadier than in renter-heavy markets.
For Investors
For investors, the demand story is solid but not scarcity-led. Renters make up 31.3% of households, lower than the 68.7% combined owner share, while median rent is $410 a week. Vacancy at 5.6% is higher than a very tight rental setting, so pricing power may depend on presentation and school access. Development activity is moderate with 19 applications in 12 months, and overseas migration adds +542 people a year against -230 internal movement, supporting tenant depth.
Development Activity
Total DAs
115
Last 12 Months
29
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+38.1%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Sunnybank Hills iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Sunnybank Hills State School
Prep-6 · 1686 students
Demographics
Sunnybank Hills is younger and more educated than Australia overall: the median age is 37, which is 3.0 years below the national figure, and 48.4% hold a university qualification, 18.3 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents are 54.9%, 33.3 points above national, shaping everyday demand for multilingual retail and services. Chinese ancestry is the largest named group at 5,844 people, with Mandarin spoken by 2,066 and Cantonese by 552.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
84.7%
Houses
13.6%
Townhouse
0.3%
Apartment
Tenure
The housing stock is strongly detached, with 84.7% separate houses, 13.6% semi-detached homes and just 0.3% apartments. Larger households are supported by 56.3% of dwellings having 4 or more bedrooms, well above the 2.3% with 0 or 1 bedroom. Tenure is balanced: 36.8% own outright, 31.9% are mortgaged and 31.3% rent. With household income in the 60.6 percentile and rent-to-income at 23.8%, costs sit lower than common stress thresholds because larger family incomes help absorb payments.
Mortgage / mo
$1,853
Rent / wk
$410
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$670
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.6%
Unoccupied
343
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
22.9%
Couples, no children
14,359
Total families
Economy & Employment
The employment base leans toward services that travel well across Brisbane: healthcare accounts for 18.9% of workers, followed by professional and tech at 10.2%, education at 9.9%, retail at 8.7% and manufacturing at 6.6%. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 1,903, above clerical and admin at 997 and community and personal roles at 945. SEIFA is mixed because skilled jobs sit beside more modest households: IEO decile 7 and IER decile 6 are above the midpoint, while IRSD decile 4 and IRSAD decile 6 show uneven advantage.
Unemployment
5.6%
Labour Force
5,639
Unemployed
316
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
61.8%
Part-time
30.6%
Participation
53.4%
Employed
7,295
Occupations
Top Industries
University
48.4%
Postgraduate
15.1%
Born Overseas
54.9%
Dwellings
5,721
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-oriented: 81.8% drive to work, far higher than the 9.3% using public transport and 2.0% walking or cycling. Education access is anchored by Sunnybank Hills State School, a Government primary with ICSEA 1119 and 1,686 enrolments; the suburb has 1 listed school and an ICSEA range of 1119 to 1119. IRSAD decile 6 sits above the national midpoint, suggesting moderate advantage, but the low active-transport share means households will value off-street parking and road access.
Drive
81.8%
Public Transport
9.3%
Walk / Cycle
2.0%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.06%/yr
(+112 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is positive but not boom-like. The forecast trend adds 1.06% a year, or about 112 people, with the medium path moving from 10,275 in 2026 to 10,834 in 2031. Migration explains the pattern because overseas inflow averages +542 a year, higher than the -230 annual internal outflow, and is the primary driver. The trajectory is Growing (all ages), rent has grown 11.1%, and gentrification is only at Early signs with a score of 28, below a rapid-upgrade profile.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+542
Net Internal / yr
-230
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +24% since 2011, Net internal outflow -230/yr, Strong overseas inflow +542/yr, COVID recovered (-3% dip → full recovery)
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Sunnybank Hills compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sunnybank Hills a good suburb to live in?
Sunnybank Hills suits households wanting space, with 84.7% separate houses and 56.3% of homes having 4 or more bedrooms. Its 48.4% university attainment is above national, while car use at 81.8% means daily convenience depends heavily on driving.
What is the median house price in Sunnybank Hills?
A current median house price is not available for Sunnybank Hills, so affordability is better read through household costs: mortgage repayments are $1,853 per month, rent is $410 per week, and mortgage costs use 24.8% of income.
What schools are in Sunnybank Hills?
Sunnybank Hills State School is the listed local school: a Government primary with ICSEA 1119 and enrolment of 1,686. The 1-school count is lower than larger education hubs, but it gives families a sizeable local primary option.
Is Sunnybank Hills safe?
A suburb-level crime rate is not available for Sunnybank Hills. For broader livability, IRSAD decile 6 sits above the national midpoint, 81.8% drive to work and 9.3% use public transport, so street-level checks remain useful.
Is Sunnybank Hills good for property investment?
Sunnybank Hills has a practical investor base, with 31.3% of households renting and median rent at $410 a week. Vacancy is 5.6%, higher than a tight market, but +542 annual overseas migration supports tenant depth.
How is Sunnybank Hills's population changing?
Population is growing at 1.06% or 112 people a year in the forecast series. Overseas migration is the main driver at +542 per year, more than offsetting -230 internal movement, and the medium path reaches 10,834 by 2031.
What languages are spoken in Sunnybank Hills?
Mandarin is the largest listed non-English language with 2,066 speakers, followed by Cantonese at 552, Punjabi at 235, Korean at 191 and Arabic at 101. This reflects a 54.9% overseas-born share, above the national rate.
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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