Adelaide
SAAdelaide is a growing suburb in SA with 18,202 residents.
- SAL code
- 40002
- SA2
- 401011001
- Population
- 18,202
Adelaide, SA had 18,202 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 20.1% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 31. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,733 a month. Around 32.5% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 63.8%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 68.4% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 69 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Adelaide, SA at a glance
Adelaide (SAL 40002) is the Hoddle-grid CBD itself — Colonel Light's square-mile core inside the Park Lands, in the City of Adelaide LGA. Stock is overwhelmingly apartments, with high-rise residential towers stacking on top of laneway retail, the cultural strip on North Terrace and the Central Market precinct to the south. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council-pipeline context.
For homebuyers
Living in the CBD is the closest thing South Australia has to a true walk-everywhere lifestyle. You're picking from apartments rather than houses, with most stock concentrated in towers along Pirie, Waymouth, Grote and the Frome Street fringe. Rundle Mall (the southern hemisphere's longest outdoor mall) and the Central Market are both inside the grid; North Terrace stitches together the State Library, Art Gallery, SA Museum and the University of Adelaide / UniSA campuses. The free City Connector bus loops the grid and tram services run from the Botanic Gardens through to Glenelg. The Park Lands ring the whole thing — roughly 760 hectares of green within a short walk in any direction. Schools inside the square mile are limited (Adelaide High and Sturt Street Primary are the anchors), so families with school-age kids tend to look just outside. In short: a true urban lifestyle for downsizers, students and professionals who want to swap a backyard for cafes, culture and the Central Market on the doorstep.
For investors
Adelaide CBD is an apartment-yield play with a long, deep transaction tail. Median unit sale $515,000 against $620/week rent gives a gross yield of ~5.78% (Your Investment Property May 2026); 12-month unit growth +3.00%, quarterly +2.28%. 717 unit sales in the past 12 months — among the deepest single-suburb apartment markets in the country — at 37 days on market. Houses are a thin secondary market: 93 sales, $985K median, ~3.21% yield. Adelaide-wide vacancy held at 0.8% in January 2026 (SQM Research).
Strengths
- Strong gross apartment yields (~5.78%) for a capital-city CBD — well above Sydney/Melbourne CBD equivalents (Your Investment Property May 2026).
- Exceptionally deep apartment market: ~717 unit sales in 12 months means easy entry and exit at scale.
- Tight Adelaide-wide vacancy (~0.8% Jan 2026, SQM) supports leasing velocity and rent reviews.
- Built-in tenant demand from two universities, three major hospitals (RAH, Women's & Children's, Calvary) and CBD office workers.
Trade-offs
- Modest unit capital growth (~+3.00% YoY) versus +12.89% for the much thinner house market — the apartment story is cashflow, not appreciation.
- Apartment supply pipeline is meaningful: the Market Square tower alone adds 234 new apartments over 35 storeys (City of Adelaide), which can cap near-term rent growth in similar stock.
- Days on market for units (~37) is materially longer than yield-led metro suburbs — exit timing matters.
- Strata, body-corporate and high-rise depreciation profiles vary widely tower-to-tower; due diligence on building quality is non-trivial.
What's coming
City of Adelaide's $295m 2025/26 Business Plan funds $67m of asset renewal across roads, footpaths, Park Lands buildings and laneways, plus the Mainstreet Revitalisation Program. The flagship is the $600m Market Square / Central Market Arcade redevelopment between Grote and Gouger — a new market hall, 53 tenancies, a 13-storey office tower and a 40-storey residential + hotel tower (234 apartments) progressing through 2026. James Place is also being upgraded.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a genuinely walkable urban lifestyle if an apartment fits how you live. For investors: a deep, high-yield apartment market with cashflow as the headline and supply pipeline as the watch-item.
Population
?18,202
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+20.1%
3yr: +17.4% · 10yr: +43.0%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,365/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
31
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?4/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?7.5%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
10
2 primary, 2 secondary
Hospitals
?1
Within suburb
Childcare services
?19
9 long day, 8 OSHC, 1 family
Parks & green space
?69
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?181
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
No data for this suburb
Median Weekly Rent
Based on rental bond lodgements recorded by the state government.
Median House Sale Price
Source: state Valuer-General (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from SA police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Adelaide (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Adelaide suburb alone is ~18,202 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 6,790 to 22,657 over 24 years, averaging 5.1% per year.
Schools
10 in suburbSector
10 public
Type
2 primary · 2 secondary · 2 special
Total enrolment
3,502(4 of 10 reporting)
Avg per school
876
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Parkside Primary School0.1%
- North Adelaide Primary School 0.1%
- Walkerville Primary School 0.0%
- East Adelaide School 0.0%
- Rose Park Primary School 0.0%
- Norwood Primary School 0.0%
- Unley Primary School 0.0%
- Linden Park Primary School 0.0%
- Allenby Gardens Primary School 0.0%
Secondary
Adelaide Botanic High School100.0%
- Adelaide High School 100.0%
- Marryatville High School 0.0%
- Glenunga International High School 0.0%
Source: SA Department for Education — School Zones (primary + high). Boundaries can be amended without notice; confirm with the school before relying on enrolment.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 4.0%Predominantly apartments (68.4%), rental-heavy (63.8% renting), built for families (54% are 2 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
SA 28%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
This suburb falls outside every bushfire polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: SA DHUD Bushfire Hazards Overlay and DEW Flood Mapping.
Flood risk
Source: SA DEW Flood Mapping
As of May 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Planning zones
8 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADELAIDE_PARK_LANDS | Adelaide Park LandsRecreation | 54.9% | 5.75 km² |
| CAPITAL_CITY | Capital CityBusiness | 21.9% | 2.29 km² |
| CITY_RIVERBANK | City RiverbankBusiness | 8.3% | 0.87 km² |
| CITY_LIVING | City LivingResidential | 7.9% | 0.83 km² |
| CITY_MAIN_STREET | City Main StreetBusiness | 4.5% | 0.47 km² |
| URBAN_CORRIDOR_BOULEVARD | Urban Corridor (Boulevard)Business | 1.8% | 0.19 km² |
| COMMUNITY_FACILITIES | Community FacilitiesSpecial use | 0.4% | 0.04 km² |
| ESTABLISHED_NEIGHBOURHOOD | Established NeighbourhoodResidential | 0.1% | 0.01 km² |
Source: SA Planning and Design Code Zones (ZONE_SA/2026-04-30/7965b1556505eb71) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.