ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
South Penrith is a regional centre in New South Wales, Australia, with a population of approximately 12,005, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 48 km from the Sydney CBD, South Penrith is a regional area in New South Wales. The median household income is $97,240 per year.
South Penrith benefits from a high-income resident base, supporting premium property pricing. Distance from major centres is a consideration, though regional markets can offer higher rental yields.
Official Australia Post postcode for South Penrith. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 3 schools within or near this suburb.
Find schools near South Penrith on My School →Estimated 5 parks and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
With 12,005 residents, South Penrith is one of New South Wales's more populous suburbs — roughly 2.3× the state median of 5,325 — giving it a deep buyer and tenant pool that typically supports higher transaction volumes and shorter average days on market. At $97,240/year, household income in South Penrith is within 0% of the New South Wales median ($97,552), placing the suburb firmly in the state's mainstream demographic band. Rent of $420/week (84% coverage of the $2,167/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $347/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. At 48 km from Sydney, South Penrith is an outer-metro location where buyers are typically trading commute time for floor space and a lower entry price.
This suburb suits yield-focused investors who are comfortable with lower liquidity. Employment concentration and local population trends matter more here than in metro markets. Local rents consume roughly 22% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How South Penrith stacks up against the median of all New South Wales suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean South Penrith sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | South Penrith | NSW median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,005 | 5,325 | +125% |
| Median household income | $97,240/yr | $97,552/yr | 0% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $420 | $430 | -2% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $2,167 | $2,167 | 0% |
| Distance to CBD | 48 km | 45 km | +7% |
| Separate houses | 88% | 76% | +12pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for South Penrith — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Solid buy-and-hold profile: a population of 12,005 and household income close to the NSW median ($97,240 vs $97,552) give the market enough depth for patient capital growth without the premium entry price of inner suburbs.
Moderate rental coverage: rent of $420/week covers 84% of a $2,167/month mortgage, leaving a $347/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.
A dwelling mix skewed to houses (88% vs 76% NSW median) combined with a population of 12,005 creates a deeper market for value-add renovations — older stock, separate titles and stronger buyer competition are the usual pattern here.
Run the numbers on a South Penrith property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Property values in South Penrith should track the wider New South Wales market through 2026, with the $97,240/year median household income (close to the $97,552 state median) keeping the suburb firmly mid-pack. Rental coverage runs at ~84% of the typical mortgage ($1,820/month rent vs $2,167/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 56/100 places South Penrith in the mid tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is balanced heading into the second half of 2026.
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South Penrith scores 56/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 12,005, median household income of $97,240/year and median weekly rent of $420. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in South Penrith are a median household income of $97,240/year, a dwelling mix that is 88% separate houses, roughly 3 schools and 5 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
South Penrith has a usual resident population of approximately 12,005, compared with a New South Wales suburb median of 5,325 — placing it in the upper half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
South Penrith sits 48 km straight-line from the Sydney CBD. This is an outer-metro location; local employment and infrastructure announcements tend to move prices more than CBD connectivity alone.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $420 in South Penrith, equating to approximately $21,840/year in gross rental income (state median $430/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in South Penrith is $2,167, or approximately $26,004/year (vs $2,167/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.
A median weekly rent of $420 works out to $1,820/month, covering 84% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,167/month. That leaves a $347/month shortfall (around $4,164/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $2,167 median mortgage, the broader New South Wales market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.