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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
McLaren Vale is a coastal suburb in South Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 4,061, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 32 km from the Adelaide CBD, McLaren Vale is a coastal area in South Australia. The median household income is $69,212 per year.
Lower income levels in McLaren Vale typically translate to more affordable entry points for investors. Coastal lifestyle appeal adds a premium that supports long-term demand.
Official Australia Post postcode for McLaren Vale. 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 McLaren Vale 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.
4,061 residents places McLaren Vale squarely in the middle of the South Australia suburb size distribution (state median 3,699), with market depth comparable to most SA localities. Household income of $69,212/year is 15% below the South Australia median of $80,964, typically translating into lower entry prices and a tenant base more sensitive to rent increases. Median weekly rent of $328 equates to $1,421/month — about 91% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,560/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. At 32 km from Adelaide, McLaren Vale is an outer-metro location where buyers are typically trading commute time for floor space and a lower entry price.
Coastal markets benefit from lifestyle appeal but require a buffer for higher insurance and occasional weather-driven vacancies. Local rents consume roughly 25% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How McLaren Vale stacks up against the median of all South Australia suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean McLaren Vale sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | McLaren Vale | SA median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,061 | 3,699 | +10% |
| Median household income | $69,212/yr | $80,964/yr | -15% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $328 | $320 | +3% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,560 | $1,616 | -3% |
| Distance to CBD | 32 km | 13 km | +146% |
| Separate houses | 78% | 73% | +5pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for McLaren Vale — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Moderate buy-and-hold potential: McLaren Vale's 4,061-person market and $69,212 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: $328/week (~$1,421/month) covers 91% of the $1,560/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $139/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
With 78% houses in a 4,061-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 McLaren Vale property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for McLaren Vale are modest for 2026 — incomes 15% below the SA median of $80,964 and a population of 4,061 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~91% of the typical mortgage ($1,421/month rent vs $1,560/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 51/100 places McLaren Vale 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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McLaren Vale scores 51/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 4,061, median household income of $69,212/year and median weekly rent of $328. 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 McLaren Vale are a median household income of $69,212/year, a dwelling mix that is 78% 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.
McLaren Vale has a usual resident population of approximately 4,061, 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.
McLaren Vale sits 32 km straight-line from the Adelaide CBD. This is an outer-metro location; local employment and infrastructure announcements tend to move prices more than CBD connectivity alone.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $328 in McLaren Vale, equating to approximately $17,056/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 McLaren Vale is $1,560, or approximately $18,720/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 $328 works out to $1,421/month, covering 91% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,560/month. That leaves a $139/month shortfall (around $1,668/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.
The main risks are a thin buyer pool (4,061 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,560 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.
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.