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Suburb Insights · SA 5164

Christie Downs, SA 5164 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Christie Downs is a coastal suburb in South Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 5,239, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 24 km from the Adelaide CBD, Christie Downs is a coastal area in South Australia. The median household income is $46,228 per year.

Investment Score

46 / 100 Moderate

Lower income levels in Christie Downs typically translate to more affordable entry points for investors. Seaside positioning attracts both owner-occupiers and holiday rental demand.

Location

Adelaide
Christie Downs
South Australia · 5164
24 km from Adelaide CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
5164

Official Australia Post postcode for Christie Downs. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
5,239

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$250/wk

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

Median household income
$46,228/yr

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

Distance to CBD
24 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
2

Estimated 2 parks and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,148/mo

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

Home type
70% houses

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

Why People Like Living in Christie Downs

Who Christie Downs 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 South Australia median.
💼ProfessionalsLonger commute to the CBD.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Mortgage costs are lower than the South Australia median, improving cash-flow margins.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.
  • Coastal lifestyle attracts renters and owner-occupiers alike.

Cons

  • Fewer schools inside the suburb itself — verify catchments for neighbouring areas.
  • Traffic can build during peak hours, especially on arterial roads.

Investment Insight

Christie Downs's population of 5,239 sits 42% above the South Australia suburb median of 3,699, giving it a wider tenant and buyer catchment than the average SA locality. Christie Downs's median household income of $46,228/year is 43% below the South Australia suburb median ($80,964) — this is an affordability play where returns lean on yield and patient capital growth rather than demographic premium. Median weekly rent of $250 equates to $1,083/month — about 94% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,148/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. 24 km from Adelaide places Christie Downs in the middle commuter belt, close enough for daily trips by car or rail but at a materially lower price point than inner suburbs.

Investment Tip

Coastal markets benefit from lifestyle appeal but require a buffer for higher insurance and occasional weather-driven vacancies. Local rents consume roughly 28% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Christie Downs vs South Australia Median

How Christie Downs stacks up against the median of all South Australia suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Christie Downs sits above the state median; negative means below.

MetricChristie DownsSA medianΔ vs state
Population5,2393,699+42%
Median household income$46,228/yr$80,964/yr-43%
Median rent (weekly)$250$320-22%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,148$1,616-29%
Distance to CBD24 km13 km+85%
Separate houses70%73%-3pp

Investor Checklist

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

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Limited buy-and-hold upside: household incomes 43% below the SA median ($46,228 vs $80,964) means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider South Australia market over full cycles.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $250/week (~$1,083/month) covers 94% of the $1,148/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $65/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 70% houses in a 5,239-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Christie Downs property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Christie Downs

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Moderate Investor Sentiment: Low

Capital-growth expectations for Christie Downs are modest for 2026 — incomes 43% below the SA median of $80,964 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~94% of the typical mortgage ($1,083/month rent vs $1,148/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 46/100 places Christie Downs 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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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Christie Downs a good suburb for investment?

Christie Downs scores 46/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 5,239, median household income of $46,228/year and median weekly rent of $250. 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 Christie Downs?

The main demand drivers in Christie Downs are proximity to Adelaide (24 km), a median household income of $46,228/year, a dwelling mix that is 70% 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.

What is the population of Christie Downs?

Christie Downs has a usual resident population of approximately 5,239, compared with a South Australia suburb median of 3,699 — 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 Christie Downs from the Adelaide CBD?

Christie Downs sits 24 km straight-line from the Adelaide CBD. This is comfortable commuter territory, with reasonable rail and road access to the city.

What is the median rent in Christie Downs?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $250 in Christie Downs, equating to approximately $13,000/year in gross rental income (state median $320/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 Christie Downs?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Christie Downs is $1,148, or approximately $13,776/year (vs $1,616/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 Christie Downs cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $250 works out to $1,083/month, covering 94% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,148/month. That leaves a $65/month shortfall (around $780/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 Christie Downs?

The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,148 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($46,228 vs $80,964 state median), the broader South Australia 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 Christie Downs 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.

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