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Suburb Insights · SA 5089

Highbury, SA 5089 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Highbury is a well-established middle-ring suburb of Adelaide, Australia, with a population of approximately 6,956, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 13 km from the Adelaide CBD, Highbury is a middle ring area in South Australia. The median household income is $105,976 per year.

Investment Score

76 / 100 Good

Strong household incomes in Highbury underpin solid property demand. The short commute to the city centre is a key demand driver.

Location

Adelaide
Highbury
South Australia · 5089
13 km from Adelaide CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
5089

Official Australia Post postcode for Highbury. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
6,956

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$369/wk

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

Median household income
$105,976/yr

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

Distance to CBD
13 km

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

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
2

Estimated 2 schools within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
3

Estimated 3 parks and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,733/mo

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

Home type
93% houses

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

Why People Like Living in Highbury

Who Highbury Suits

👨‍👩‍👧FamiliesSchool count or dwelling mix is lighter here.
📊InvestorsRent covers a solid share of the median mortgage.
🏡First-home buyersPrices sit above the South Australia median — stretch goal.
💼ProfessionalsAround 13 km from the CBD with good access.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Local parks and reserves (around 3) add to liveability.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.

Cons

  • Traffic can build during peak hours, especially on arterial roads.
  • Prices may rise further as demand continues.

Investment Insight

Highbury's population of 6,956 sits 88% above the South Australia suburb median of 3,699, giving it a wider tenant and buyer catchment than the average SA locality. Median household income of $105,976/year runs 31% above the South Australia suburb median of $80,964, indicating strong purchasing power and the type of demographic profile that tends to sustain premium property prices through market cycles. Median weekly rent of $369 equates to $1,599/month — about 92% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,733/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. 13 km from Adelaide places Highbury in the middle commuter belt, close enough for daily trips by car or rail but at a materially lower price point than inner suburbs. Separate houses make up 93% of dwellings — 20 percentage points above the South Australia median of 73% — pointing to a family-oriented, land-rich market where value is concentrated in the underlying block.

Investment Tip

Middle-ring locations like this one historically reward patient holders — focus on homes near catchment-zone schools and major transport. Local rents consume roughly 18% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Highbury vs South Australia Median

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

MetricHighburySA medianΔ vs state
Population6,9563,699+88%
Median household income$105,976/yr$80,964/yr+31%
Median rent (weekly)$369$320+15%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,733$1,616+7%
Distance to CBD13 km13 km0%
Separate houses93%73%+20pp

Investor Checklist

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

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Strong buy-and-hold fundamentals: household incomes run 31% above the South Australia suburb median ($105,976 vs $80,964), and the 13 km CBD distance keeps this suburb in the primary demand zone. In South Australia, suburbs with this profile have historically clustered in the upper tercile of 10-year capital growth.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $369/week (~$1,599/month) covers 92% of the $1,733/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $134/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

Renovation / Flip

A dwelling mix skewed to houses (93% vs 73% SA median) combined with a population of 6,956 creates a deeper market for value-add renovations — older stock, separate titles and stronger buyer competition are the usual pattern here.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Highbury property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Highbury

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Strong Rental Demand: Moderate Investor Sentiment: Strong

Highbury enters 2026 with a demographic tailwind — household incomes 31% above the South Australia suburb median of $80,964 and a population of 6,956 give it the depth and purchasing power to outperform the wider SA market over the next 12–18 months. Rental coverage runs at ~92% of the typical mortgage ($1,599/month rent vs $1,733/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 76/100 places Highbury in the upper-middle tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is constructive heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Highbury a good suburb for investment?

Highbury scores 76/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 6,956, median household income of $105,976/year and median weekly rent of $369. 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 Highbury?

The main demand drivers in Highbury are proximity to Adelaide (13 km), an above-state-median household income of $105,976/year, a dwelling mix that is 93% separate houses, roughly 2 schools and 3 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 Highbury?

Highbury has a usual resident population of approximately 6,956, 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 Highbury from the Adelaide CBD?

Highbury sits 13 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 Highbury?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $369 in Highbury, equating to approximately $19,188/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 Highbury?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Highbury is $1,733, or approximately $20,796/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 Highbury cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $369 works out to $1,599/month, covering 92% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,733/month. That leaves a $134/month shortfall (around $1,608/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 Highbury?

The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,733 median mortgage, 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 Highbury 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

South Australia Property Resources