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Suburb Insights · NT 0870

East Side, NT 0870 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

East Side is a regional centre in Northern Territory, Australia, with a population of approximately 3,098, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 1289 km from the Darwin CBD, East Side is a regional area in Northern Territory. The median household income is $115,700 per year.

Investment Score

58 / 100 Moderate

East Side benefits from a high-income resident base, supporting premium property pricing. Regional positioning means lower entry costs but potentially longer hold periods for capital gains.

Location

Darwin
East Side
Northern Territory · 0870
1289 km from Darwin CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
0870

Official Australia Post postcode for East Side. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
3,098

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$393/wk

Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.

Median household income
$115,700/yr

Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.

Distance to CBD
1289 km

Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
1

Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
1

Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,742/mo

Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.

Home type
57% houses

Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.

Why People Like Living in East Side

Who East Side Suits

👨‍👩‍👧FamiliesSchool count or dwelling mix is lighter here.
📊InvestorsRent covers a solid share of the median mortgage.
🏡First-home buyersEntry costs sit at or below the Northern Territory median.
💼ProfessionalsAround 1289 km from the CBD with good access.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Mortgage costs are lower than the Northern Territory median, improving cash-flow margins.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.

Cons

  • Long distance to the CBD (1289 km) — plan for commute time or local employment.
  • Fewer schools inside the suburb itself — verify catchments for neighbouring areas.

Investment Insight

3,098 residents places East Side squarely in the middle of the Northern Territory suburb size distribution (state median 3,057), with market depth comparable to most NT localities. At $115,700/year, household income in East Side is within 2% of the Northern Territory median ($113,308), placing the suburb firmly in the state's mainstream demographic band. Median weekly rent of $393 equates to $1,703/month — about 98% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,742/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. East Side is 1289 km from Darwin, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.

Investment Tip

Regional property can deliver strong cash-flow yields but liquidity is tighter — plan for longer hold periods and verify local employment stability. Local rents consume roughly 18% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

East Side vs Northern Territory Median

How East Side stacks up against the median of all Northern Territory suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean East Side sits above the state median; negative means below.

MetricEast SideNT medianΔ vs state
Population3,0983,057+1%
Median household income$115,700/yr$113,308/yr+2%
Median rent (weekly)$393$360+9%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,742$1,950-11%
Distance to CBD1289 km15 km+8493%
Separate houses57%68%-11pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for East Side — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.

Investment Strategy

⚠️
Buy & Hold

Moderate buy-and-hold potential: East Side's 3,098-person market and $115,700 median household income work for investors who are selective on street location and property quality rather than counting on a suburb-wide rerating.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $393/week (~$1,703/month) covers 98% of the $1,742/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $39/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

Renovation / Flip

Only 57% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 68% NT median) — this is a unit and townhouse market, where cosmetic flips struggle against body-corporate restrictions, thinner after-reno uplift and competing new supply.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a East Side property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for East Side

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Moderate

Capital-growth expectations for East Side are modest for 2026 — incomes close to the NT median of $113,308 and a population of 3,098 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~98% of the typical mortgage ($1,703/month rent vs $1,742/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 58/100 places East Side 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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Frequently Asked Questions

Is East Side a good suburb for investment?

East Side scores 58/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 3,098, median household income of $115,700/year and median weekly rent of $393. 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.

What drives property demand in East Side?

The main demand drivers in East Side are an above-state-median household income of $115,700/year, a dwelling mix that is 57% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 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.

What is the population of East Side?

East Side has a usual resident population of approximately 3,098, compared with a Northern Territory suburb median of 3,057 — 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.

How far is East Side from the Darwin CBD?

East Side sits 1289 km straight-line from the Darwin CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.

What is the median rent in East Side?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $393 in East Side, equating to approximately $20,436/year in gross rental income (state median $360/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.

What is the typical mortgage repayment in East Side?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in East Side is $1,742, or approximately $20,904/year (vs $1,950/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.

Is East Side cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $393 works out to $1,703/month, covering 98% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,742/month. That leaves a $39/month shortfall (around $468/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.

What are the main risks of investing in East Side?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (3,098 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,742 median mortgage, the broader Northern Territory market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.

How we built this East Side profile

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.

Nearby Suburbs

Northern Territory Property Resources