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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Encounter Bay is a regional centre in South Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 5,305, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 72 km from the Adelaide CBD, Encounter Bay is a regional area in South Australia. The median household income is $48,308 per year.
Lower income levels in Encounter Bay typically translate to more affordable entry points for investors. Regional positioning means lower entry costs but potentially longer hold periods for capital gains.
Official Australia Post postcode for Encounter Bay. 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 Encounter Bay 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.
Encounter Bay's population of 5,305 sits 43% above the South Australia suburb median of 3,699, giving it a wider tenant and buyer catchment than the average SA locality. Encounter Bay's median household income of $48,308/year is 40% 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 $305 equates to $1,322/month — about 113% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,170/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Encounter Bay is 72 km from Adelaide, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
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 33% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How Encounter Bay stacks up against the median of all South Australia suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Encounter Bay sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Encounter Bay | SA median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,305 | 3,699 | +43% |
| Median household income | $48,308/yr | $80,964/yr | -40% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $305 | $320 | -5% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,170 | $1,616 | -28% |
| Distance to CBD | 72 km | 13 km | +454% |
| Separate houses | 71% | 73% | -2pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Encounter Bay — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: household incomes 40% below the SA median ($48,308 vs $80,964) means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider South Australia market over full cycles.
Strong rental coverage: $305/week (~$1,322/month) covers 113% of the $1,170/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $0/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
With 71% houses in a 5,305-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 Encounter Bay property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Encounter Bay are modest for 2026 — incomes 40% below the SA median of $80,964 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~113% of the typical mortgage ($1,322/month rent vs $1,170/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 35/100 places Encounter Bay in the lower tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.
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Encounter Bay scores 35/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 5,305, median household income of $48,308/year and median weekly rent of $305. 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 Encounter Bay are a median household income of $48,308/year, a dwelling mix that is 71% 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.
Encounter Bay has a usual resident population of approximately 5,305, 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.
Encounter Bay sits 72 km straight-line from the Adelaide 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 $305 in Encounter Bay, equating to approximately $15,860/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.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in Encounter Bay is $1,170, or approximately $14,040/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.
A median weekly rent of $305 works out to $1,322/month, covering 113% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,170/month. That means rent exceeds the median repayment by roughly $152/month, so on these numbers Encounter Bay 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 $1,170 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($48,308 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.
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.