Sunshine West
More than half of Sunshine West residents were born overseas, at 54.3%, which is 32.7 percentage points above the national benchmark. Unlike station-centred Sunshine or Albion, Sunshine West reads as a lower-density, car-based family suburb, with 82.6% separate houses and only 3.2% apartments. The $680,000 median house price sits below its 2022 peak, while household income is in the 41.1 percentile, so affordability rather than prestige is the main driver for its 18,552 residents.
Population
18,552
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,416/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
14
Median House
$680K
Apr-Jun 2024
Sunshine West suits buyers who want land and 3-bedroom stock more than apartment choice: 82.6% of dwellings are separate houses, 63.8% have 3 bedrooms, and just 3.2% are apartments. The $680,000 median house price is 9.5% below the 2022 peak of $751,500, giving buyers more room than at the top of the cycle. Repayments are relatively contained because the median mortgage is $1,700 per month and mortgage costs take 27.7% of income, below common stress thresholds.
For Buyers
Sunshine West suits buyers who want land and 3-bedroom stock more than apartment choice: 82.6% of dwellings are separate houses, 63.8% have 3 bedrooms, and just 3.2% are apartments. The $680,000 median house price is 9.5% below the 2022 peak of $751,500, giving buyers more room than at the top of the cycle. Repayments are relatively contained because the median mortgage is $1,700 per month and mortgage costs take 27.7% of income, below common stress thresholds.
For Investors
Investors face a mixed rental signal. Renting accounts for 28.9% of households and the median rent is $346 per week, while rent growth in the shift indicators is 30.8%, above the pressure implied by modest population growth. The caution is vacancy: 7.8% is higher than investors usually want, so leasing risk matters. Development is not excessive, with 15 applications in 12 months, and overseas migration of +344 people a year helps offset net internal outflow of -247.
Development Activity
Total DAs
34
Last 12 Months
14
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+100.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Sunshine West iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Paul's School
Prep-6 · 515 students
Marian College
7-12 · 856 students
St Peter's School
Prep-6 · 190 students
Ardeer South Primary School
Prep-6 · 139 students
Sunshine College
7-12 · 1217 students
Demographics
Sunshine West is younger than the national age profile, with a median age of 38, or 2 years below the national benchmark. Education is stronger than income might suggest: 35.8% hold a university qualification, 5.7 percentage points above national. The suburb is also migrant-majority, with 54.3% born overseas and household size of 2.8, which is 0.3 above national. Vietnamese ancestry is prominent at 3,601 people, alongside English at 1,944 and Chinese at 1,350.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
82.6%
Houses
14.2%
Townhouse
3.2%
Apartment
Tenure
The housing market has risen materially over the long term but cooled from its high. The median moved from $384,500 in 2013 to $680,000 in Apr-Jun 2024, a 76.9% gain and 4.2% CAGR over 14 years, but it remains 9.5% below the $751,500 peak in 2022. Ownership is comparatively settled, with 40.5% owned outright versus 30.6% mortgaged and 28.9% renting. That matters because a high outright-owner share can reduce forced selling during weaker price periods.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,700
Rent / wk
$346
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$565
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.8%
Unoccupied
522
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
20.7%
Couples, no children
14,726
Total families
Economy & Employment
Sunshine West has a practical employment base rather than a high-income profile. Healthcare leads at 15.9% of workers, followed by transport at 8.9%, education at 8.4%, retail at 8.3% and professional or tech at 8.2%. Occupations show the same split: 1,249 professionals sit alongside 1,101 labourers and 1,036 machinery or driver roles. Unemployment is 9.3% and participation is 49.7%, below stronger labour markets. SEIFA is low across all measures: IEO decile 3, IER decile 2, IRSD decile 1 and IRSAD decile 2.
Unemployment
7.3%
Labour Force
5,993
Unemployed
435
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.1%
Part-time
26.6%
Participation
49.7%
Employed
6,961
Occupations
Top Industries
University
35.8%
Postgraduate
8.3%
Born Overseas
54.3%
Dwellings
6,217
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-oriented: 85.7% drive to work, compared with only 5.0% using public transport and 1.7% walking or cycling. School choice is a plus, with 6 local schools across Catholic and government sectors and ICSEA scores ranging from 921 to 1015. St Paul's School leads at 1015, while Marian College and St Peter's School both sit at 999. Safety is more mixed, with 1,387 recorded offences and a crime rate of 74.8 per 1,000 residents; IRSAD decile 2 also points to below-average advantage.
Drive
85.7%
Public Transport
5.0%
Walk / Cycle
1.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.56%/yr
(+57 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady rather than rapid. The established-area forecast trend is 0.56% a year, or about 57 people annually, with the medium path rising from 10,245 in 2026 to 10,532 in 2031. Compared with the 6.9% population change recorded over 10 years, the outlook is stable. Migration explains the pattern: overseas migration adds +344 people a year while internal migration subtracts -247. The gentrification score is 10 and the stage is Not gentrifying, so change is more demographic replacement than high-end price reset.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+344
Net Internal / yr
-247
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -247/yr, Strong overseas inflow +344/yr
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
1,387
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
74.8
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 Sunshine West compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sunshine West a good suburb to live in?
Sunshine West can suit households wanting space and relative value, with 82.6% separate houses and a $680,000 median house price. It is more car-dependent than inner areas, with 85.7% driving to work, so buyers should weigh affordability against transport convenience.
What is the median house price in Sunshine West?
The median house price in Sunshine West is $680,000 for Apr-Jun 2024. That is 9.5% below the 2022 peak of $751,500, but still 76.9% higher than the 2013 median of $384,500.
What schools are in Sunshine West?
Sunshine West has 6 local schools across Catholic and government sectors. Leading ICSEA scores include St Paul's School at 1015, Marian College at 999 and St Peter's School at 999, with the overall local range running from 921 to 1015.
Is Sunshine West safe?
Sunshine West recorded 1,387 offences and a crime rate of 74.8 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences were the largest category at 834 incidents, so safety is more mixed than in lower-crime suburbs.
Is Sunshine West good for property investment?
Sunshine West has investor appeal through a 28.9% rental share, $346 median weekly rent and 30.8% rent growth in the shift indicators. The main caution is the 7.8% vacancy rate, which is higher than many landlords would prefer.
How is Sunshine West's population changing?
The established-area forecast points to modest growth of 0.56% a year, equal to about 57 people annually. Overseas migration is the main driver at +344 people a year, offset by net internal outflow of -247.
What languages are spoken in Sunshine West?
Sunshine West is strongly multicultural, with 54.3% of residents born overseas. Listed home languages include Greek with 418 speakers, Cantonese with 219, Macedonian with 203, Arabic with 188 and Mandarin with 168.
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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