ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Darling Heights is a regional centre in Queensland, Australia, with a population of approximately 5,157, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 110 km from the Brisbane CBD, Darling Heights is a regional area in Queensland. The median household income is $76,388 per year.
Darling Heights has a solid income profile that supports reliable occupancy rates. Regional positioning means lower entry costs but potentially longer hold periods for capital gains.
Official Australia Post postcode for Darling Heights. 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 1 school within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Darling Heights on My School →Estimated 2 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.
5,157 residents places Darling Heights squarely in the middle of the Queensland suburb size distribution (state median 5,474), with market depth comparable to most QLD localities. Household income of $76,388/year is 15% below the Queensland median of $90,298, typically translating into lower entry prices and a tenant base more sensitive to rent increases. Median weekly rent of $320 equates to $1,387/month — about 103% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,347/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Darling Heights is 110 km from Brisbane, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
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 22% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How Darling Heights stacks up against the median of all Queensland suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Darling Heights sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Darling Heights | QLD median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,157 | 5,474 | -6% |
| Median household income | $76,388/yr | $90,298/yr | -15% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $320 | $385 | -17% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,347 | $1,733 | -22% |
| Distance to CBD | 110 km | 62 km | +77% |
| Separate houses | 73% | 77% | -4pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Darling Heights — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Moderate buy-and-hold potential: Darling Heights's 5,157-person market and $76,388 median household income work for investors who are selective on street location and property quality rather than counting on a suburb-wide rerating.
Strong rental coverage: $320/week (~$1,387/month) covers 103% of the $1,347/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $0/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
With 73% houses in a 5,157-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.
Run the numbers on a Darling Heights property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Darling Heights are modest for 2026 — incomes 15% below the QLD median of $90,298 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~103% of the typical mortgage ($1,387/month rent vs $1,347/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 41/100 places Darling Heights in the mid tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.
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Darling Heights scores 41/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 5,157, median household income of $76,388/year and median weekly rent of $320. 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 Darling Heights are a median household income of $76,388/year, a dwelling mix that is 73% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 2 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.
Darling Heights has a usual resident population of approximately 5,157, compared with a Queensland suburb median of 5,474 — placing it in the lower 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.
Darling Heights sits 110 km straight-line from the Brisbane CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $320 in Darling Heights, equating to approximately $16,640/year in gross rental income (state median $385/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 Darling Heights is $1,347, or approximately $16,164/year (vs $1,733/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 $320 works out to $1,387/month, covering 103% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,347/month. That means rent exceeds the median repayment by roughly $40/month, so on these numbers Darling Heights leans cash-flow-positive before accounting for strata, council rates, insurance and maintenance. 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 $1,347 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($76,388 vs $90,298 state median), the broader Queensland 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.