Surrey Hills
At the 92.4 household income percentile, Surrey Hills sits in the premium middle-ring market rather than a growth-fringe cycle. The suburb has 13,655 residents across 4.43 sq km, with a median age of 42 that is 2.0 years above the national level and university attainment 34.1 percentage points above national. The Apr-Jun 2024 median house price is $2,250,000, and compared with Box Hill's activity-centre role, Surrey Hills reads as lower-turnover and house-led. A 31.0 offences per 1,000 crime rate supports the established-family pattern because land scarcity keeps change incremental.
Population
13,655
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,503/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
90
Median House
$2.2M
Apr-Jun 2024
Homebuyers are paying for established land and school-area depth: the median house price is $2,250,000 in Apr-Jun 2024, yet values sit 10.4% below the Jul-Sep 2023 peak of $2,510,000. Separate houses make up 67.0% of dwellings, above apartments at 12.3%, and 4-plus bedroom homes account for 39.5%. The mortgage-to-income burden is 27.7%, below common stress thresholds, because household income is strong at $2,503 a week. Buyers wanting lower entry points may focus on the 26.0% of 2-bedroom stock or 20.5% semi-detached homes.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are paying for established land and school-area depth: the median house price is $2,250,000 in Apr-Jun 2024, yet values sit 10.4% below the Jul-Sep 2023 peak of $2,510,000. Separate houses make up 67.0% of dwellings, above apartments at 12.3%, and 4-plus bedroom homes account for 39.5%. The mortgage-to-income burden is 27.7%, below common stress thresholds, because household income is strong at $2,503 a week. Buyers wanting lower entry points may focus on the 26.0% of 2-bedroom stock or 20.5% semi-detached homes.
For Investors
Investors face a premium, lower-yield style market. Renters are 22.0% of households, lower than the 42.6% owned outright share, so demand is selective rather than purely transient. Median rent is $462 a week and rent-to-income is 18.5%, which helps tenant resilience because local incomes are high. Vacancy is 8.0%, so letting strategy matters, especially for family homes near rail or schools. Development is moderate at 20 applications in 12 months, while overseas migration adds an average 208 people a year compared with -83 internal movement.
Development Activity
Total DAs
102
Last 12 Months
90
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+1700.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Surrey Hills iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Our Holy Redeemer School
Prep-6 · 198 students
Surrey Hills Primary School
Prep-6 · 358 students
Chatham Primary School
Prep-6 · 241 students
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour School
Prep-6 · 145 students
Demographics
Surrey Hills skews older, educated and settled. Median age is 42, which is 2.0 years above the national figure, and 64.2% of residents have a university qualification, 34.1 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents are 27.5%, 5.9 points above national, with English ancestry at 4,843 and Chinese at 2,008. Mandarin is the largest non-English language at 457 speakers. Compared with the stronger student and health-worker pull around Box Hill, Surrey Hills reads as a professional family suburb because household size is 2.6 and couples with children number 4,784.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
67.0%
Houses
20.5%
Townhouse
12.3%
Apartment
Tenure
The housing base is dominated by ownership and larger dwellings. Owned outright homes make up 42.6% and mortgaged homes 35.4%, both well above the 22.0% renting share, so turnover can be thinner than in renter-heavy markets. Prices have risen from $1,323,000 in 2013 to $2,250,000 in Apr-Jun 2024, a 70.1% lift and 3.9% CAGR across 14 years. The latest median is still 10.4% below the $2,510,000 peak in Jul-Sep 2023. With 39.5% at 4-plus bedrooms and 32.8% at 3 bedrooms, family stock drives value because apartments are only 12.3%.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$3,000
Rent / wk
$462
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$1,081
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.0%
Unoccupied
434
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
23.4%
Couples, no children
11,257
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce is strongly professional, which explains the high income settings. Professional/Tech employs 1,018 residents or 18.2%, Healthcare 978 or 17.5%, Education 705 or 12.6%, Finance 495 or 8.9%, and Public Admin 329 or 5.9%. Occupations reinforce this, with 2,937 Professionals and 1,459 Managers. Unemployment is 4.5% and full-time work is 61.8%. SEIFA ranks are very high: IEO decile 10, IRSD 10 and IRSAD 10, while IER is slightly lower at decile 9, suggesting economic resources are a shade less uniform than education and advantage.
Unemployment
2.4%
Labour Force
9,258
Unemployed
223
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
33.7%
Participation
62.9%
Employed
6,851
Occupations
Top Industries
University
64.2%
Postgraduate
20.9%
Born Overseas
27.5%
Dwellings
5,001
Transport to Work
Livability is driven by primary-school access, rail-area convenience and low disadvantage. Four local schools cover Government and Catholic sectors, with ICSEA ranging from 1142 to 1180; Our Holy Redeemer School at 1180, Surrey Hills Primary at 1166 and Chatham Primary at 1147 sit well above average. Travel is still car-led, with 80.4% driving compared with 8.0% using public transport and 5.8% walking or cycling. The crime rate is 31.0 per 1,000, with 339 property and deception offences among 423 total offences. IRSAD decile 10 supports amenity because advantage is broad across the suburb.
Drive
80.4%
Public Transport
8.0%
Walk / Cycle
5.8%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.42%/yr
(+45 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is slow rather than expansionary. The established forecast trend is 0.42% a year, equal to about 45 people annually, with the medium path moving from 10,788 in 2026 to 11,014 in 2031. Migration is the key engine because overseas inflow averages +208 people a year, compared with -83 internal movement. The shift indicators point to an aging trajectory: senior share is up 5.8 points, young share is down 2.2 points, and 10-year population change is 4.0%. Gentrification is scored 20 at an Early signs stage, so price support is more about scarcity than rapid demographic churn.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+208
Net Internal / yr
-83
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Strong overseas inflow +208/yr, COVID recovered (-5% dip → full recovery)
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
423
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
31.0
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 Surrey Hills compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Surrey Hills a good suburb to live in?
Yes for buyers wanting a high-income, established family area: household income sits at the 92.4 percentile, crime is 31.0 offences per 1,000, and 4 local primary schools have ICSEA scores from 1142 to 1180. The main trade-off is price, with houses at $2,250,000.
What is the median house price in Surrey Hills?
The median house price is $2,250,000 for Apr-Jun 2024. That is 10.4% below the Jul-Sep 2023 peak of $2,510,000, but still 70.1% above the 2013 level of $1,323,000, showing long-run strength despite the recent pullback.
What schools are in Surrey Hills?
Surrey Hills has 4 local primary schools: Our Holy Redeemer School, Surrey Hills Primary School, Chatham Primary School and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour School. ICSEA scores range from 1142 to 1180, with enrolments from 145 to 358.
Is Surrey Hills safe?
The recorded crime rate is 31.0 offences per 1,000 residents, with 423 total offences. Property and deception offences are the largest category at 339, while crimes against the person account for 36. Buyers should still assess street-level exposure around shops and stations.
Is Surrey Hills good for property investment?
It suits investors seeking scarcity and tenant quality more than high-volume turnover. Renters make up 22.0% of households, median rent is $462 a week, vacancy is 8.0%, and overseas migration adds an average 208 people a year.
How is Surrey Hills's population changing?
Population growth is modest. The forecast trend is 0.42% a year, about 45 people annually, with the medium path rising from 10,788 in 2026 to 11,014 in 2031. Aging is the main shift, with senior share up 5.8 points.
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 Surrey Hills on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map