Underdale
Compressed into 1.03 square kilometres on Adelaide's western fringe, the suburb averages 2,354 residents per km2 and sits at 47% university qualification, which is 16.9 percentage points above the national figure. The 38% renter share and median age of 38, two years below national, suggest a mix of established owner-occupiers alongside younger professionals who cannot yet afford to buy.
Local council: West Torrens
Population
2,429
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,578/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
28
Median House
$1.6M
First quarter 2026
Separate houses account for 63.6% of dwellings, with 3-bedroom homes the most common at 46.9%, followed by 2-bedroom at 30.2%. Apartments are 18.7% of stock and semi-detached 17.8%, giving buyers some entry-point options below the house median. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,786, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, because household incomes are around the 51.5th percentile nationally. Outright owners (30.3%) and mortgage holders (31.7%) are roughly matched, with renters at 38.0%, pointing to a suburb that retains long-held properties but also draws new buyers steadily.
For Buyers
Separate houses account for 63.6% of dwellings, with 3-bedroom homes the most common at 46.9%, followed by 2-bedroom at 30.2%. Apartments are 18.7% of stock and semi-detached 17.8%, giving buyers some entry-point options below the house median. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,786, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, because household incomes are around the 51.5th percentile nationally. Outright owners (30.3%) and mortgage holders (31.7%) are roughly matched, with renters at 38.0%, pointing to a suburb that retains long-held properties but also draws new buyers steadily.
For Investors
The 7.7% vacancy rate is elevated and worth monitoring, as it suggests some softness in rental demand relative to stock. On the positive side, 21 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, including a 6-dwelling residential flat building and multiple Torrens title land divisions, indicating active densification that signals council acceptance of higher-density development. The 41% price growth from 1Q 2025 to 1Q 2026 confirms the suburb has delivered strong capital returns, but investors entering at today's median face a challenging yield environment compared to other Adelaide markets.
Development Activity
Total DAs
154
Last 12 Months
28
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+21.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Underdale
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Underdale High School
Demographics
The median age of 38 is 2.0 years below the national figure, consistent with the suburb attracting professionals in their 30s rather than retirees. University qualifications reach 47.0%, which is 16.9 percentage points above the national average, among the highest you will find in metropolitan Adelaide. Overseas-born residents account for 33.6%, running 12.0 percentage points above national. English (596) and Italian (340) lead by ancestry, followed by Greek (207) and Chinese (167), reflecting a southern European heritage that is more prominent here than in most SA suburbs. Among non-English languages, Greek (71 speakers) and Italian (47) feature alongside Punjabi (51) and Mandarin (46), a combination of established Mediterranean communities and newer arrivals. Household size averages 2.3, which is 0.2 below national, fitting the proportion of couples without children at 28.4%.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
63.6%
Houses
17.8%
Townhouse
18.7%
Apartment
Tenure
Despite this, the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 26.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, and the rent-to-income ratio at 19.6% is comfortable for tenants. Tenure splits across three near-equal groups: 30.3% own outright, 31.7% carry a mortgage, 38.0% rent. Stock is predominantly 3-bedroom separate houses (46.9% bedrooms, 63.6% separate house), with apartments at 18.7% offering a lower entry tier. The 7.7% vacancy rate is the one caution flag in an otherwise tight market, suggesting not all rental stock is absorbed. At 1.03 km2, new supply is physically constrained, which is the structural driver behind the price premium.
Mortgage / mo
$1,786
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$310
Census 2021
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$830
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.7%
Unoccupied
84
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.1%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
44.0%
Couples with children
40.0%
Couples, no children
13.7%
Single parent
650
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads local employment at 20.8% of workers (196 residents), followed by Education at 11.8% (111) and Public Administration at 9.4% (89), a pattern consistent with proximity to major Adelaide hospitals and the university precinct to the east. Professional/Tech services add 8.8% and Construction 7.1%. By occupation, Professionals are the largest group (316), ahead of Clerical/Admin (198) and Community/Personal (175), which aligns with the 47% university qualification rate that is 16.9 points above national. The unemployment rate is 5.7% and the full-time employment rate is 60.7%, with a participation rate of 63.3%. Household income sits at the 51.5th percentile nationally, slightly above the median, reflecting the professional orientation without the top-decile incomes of more expensive SA postcodes.
Unemployment
5.4%
Labour Force
1,380
Unemployed
74
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
57.4%
Part-time
37.1%
Participation
66.8%
Employed
1,306
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
47.0%
Postgraduate
13.0%
Born Overseas
33.6%
Dwellings
1,008
Transport to Work
Car use is the dominant commute mode at 81.0% of residents, while 7.1% use public transport and 6.9% walk or cycle, broadly in line with inner-to-middle Adelaide patterns. No schools are recorded within the 1.03 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families depend on institutions in adjacent suburbs. The crime rate of 70.0 incidents per 1,000 residents (170 total incidents) provides a raw safety indicator, though the figure should be read alongside the relatively small resident population of 2,429 where any incident lifts the rate noticeably. Volunteering runs at 15.4% and only 4.0% of residents (95 people) need daily assistance, consistent with the younger-than-national median age of 38. The rent-to-income ratio of 19.6% keeps Underdale comfortable for the 38% of households who rent, which is below the 30% stress threshold by a meaningful margin.
Drive
71.1%
Public Transport
6.7%
Walk / Cycle
6.1%
Work from Home
11.7%
Growth Outlook
The 41% house price increase from 1Q 2025 to 1Q 2026 is the clearest growth signal, though it reflects a single data period rather than a long trend and should be interpreted alongside broader Adelaide momentum. The suburb's 1.03 km2 footprint creates a physical ceiling on new supply, and the 21 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, including land divisions and a 6-dwelling flat building, show the development sector is responding to that constraint through densification rather than expansion. A 21.6% population turnover rate means more than 1 in 5 residents relocated in the reference year, which is high and suggests the suburb is a transit point for upwardly mobile households rather than a permanently settled community. The 38-year median age and strong university qualification rate position Underdale to attract continued professional demand as incomes grow.
Population trend: West Torrens council area
Underdale sits in the West Torrens council area. These are the council area's residents, not Underdale's.
Residents 2025
66,547
Growth, 5 yr average
+1.2%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+0.9%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
170
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
70.0
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Underdale compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are in Underdale?
No schools are recorded within the Underdale boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is highly educated: 47% hold university qualifications, which is 16.9 percentage points above the national figure, and the suburb's proximity to Adelaide's university corridor supports this pattern.
Is Underdale safe?
Underdale recorded 170 total incidents, giving a crime rate of 70.0 per 1,000 residents. That figure is influenced by the small resident base of 2,429, where any incident lifts the per-capita rate. The 4.0% of residents needing daily assistance (95 people) is low, consistent with a relatively young and able population at a median age of 38.
How is Underdale's population changing?
Underdale has a population of 2,429 within its 1.03 km2 boundary, giving a density of 2,354 per km2. The 21.6% annual turnover rate means more than 1 in 5 residents relocated in the reference year, higher than settled suburbs, suggesting the area attracts mobile professionals rather than long-term stayers. The 78.4% who stayed indicates a stable core alongside that turnover.
What languages are spoken in Underdale?
Underdale has 33.6% overseas-born residents, which is 12.0 percentage points above the national average. Non-English languages include Greek (71 speakers), Punjabi (51), Italian (47) and Mandarin (46), reflecting both established Mediterranean communities from older migration waves and newer arrivals. Italian (340) and Greek (207) feature prominently in ancestry data.
How much development is happening in Underdale?
There were 21 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, including a 6-dwelling residential flat building and multiple Torrens and community title land divisions creating 2 allotments from 1. This level of activity in a 1.03 km2 suburb shows developers responding to constrained land supply by subdividing and building denser residential product.
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), SA Department for Housing and Urban Development (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications).
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