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Suburb Insights · SA 5162

Morphett Vale, SA 5162 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Morphett Vale is a coastal suburb in South Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 24,002, making it a sizeable community. Located approximately 22 km from the Adelaide CBD, Morphett Vale is a coastal area in South Australia. The median household income is $62,348 per year.

Investment Score

53 / 100 Moderate

Morphett Vale's income profile suggests a value-oriented market with competitive purchase prices. The coastal setting provides a lifestyle factor that underpins property values.

Location

Adelaide
Morphett Vale
South Australia · 5162
22 km from Adelaide CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
5162

Official Australia Post postcode for Morphett Vale. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
24,002

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$295/wk

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

Median household income
$62,348/yr

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

Distance to CBD
22 km

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

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
6

Estimated 6 schools within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
10

Estimated 10 parks and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,300/mo

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

Home type
80% houses

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

Why People Like Living in Morphett Vale

Who Morphett Vale Suits

👨‍👩‍👧Families6 schools nearby, 80% separate houses.
📊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

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Mortgage costs are lower than the South Australia median, improving cash-flow margins.
  • Access to several schools nearby (around 6).
  • Local parks and reserves (around 10) 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

With 24,002 residents, Morphett Vale is one of South Australia's more populous suburbs — roughly 6.5× the state median of 3,699 — giving it a deep buyer and tenant pool that typically supports higher transaction volumes and shorter average days on market. Morphett Vale's median household income of $62,348/year is 23% 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 $295 equates to $1,278/month — about 98% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,300/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. 22 km from Adelaide places Morphett Vale 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

This suburb can suit investors targeting renter demand driven by lifestyle. Insurance, climate risk, and seasonal rental patterns all warrant a close look. Local rents consume roughly 25% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Morphett Vale vs South Australia Median

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

MetricMorphett ValeSA medianΔ vs state
Population24,0023,699+549%
Median household income$62,348/yr$80,964/yr-23%
Median rent (weekly)$295$320-8%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,300$1,616-20%
Distance to CBD22 km13 km+69%
Separate houses80%73%+7pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Morphett Vale — 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 23% below the SA median ($62,348 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: $295/week (~$1,278/month) covers 98% of the $1,300/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $22/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 80% houses in a 24,002-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 Morphett Vale property

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30-year projections for Morphett Vale

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Moderate Investor Sentiment: Moderate

Capital-growth expectations for Morphett Vale are modest for 2026 — incomes 23% below the SA median of $80,964 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~98% of the typical mortgage ($1,278/month rent vs $1,300/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 53/100 places Morphett 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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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Morphett Vale a good suburb for investment?

Morphett Vale scores 53/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 24,002, median household income of $62,348/year and median weekly rent of $295. 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 Morphett Vale?

The main demand drivers in Morphett Vale are proximity to Adelaide (22 km), a median household income of $62,348/year, a dwelling mix that is 80% separate houses, roughly 6 schools and 10 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 Morphett Vale?

Morphett Vale has a usual resident population of approximately 24,002, 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 Morphett Vale from the Adelaide CBD?

Morphett Vale sits 22 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 Morphett Vale?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $295 in Morphett Vale, equating to approximately $15,340/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 Morphett Vale?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Morphett Vale is $1,300, or approximately $15,600/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 Morphett Vale cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $295 works out to $1,278/month, covering 98% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,300/month. That leaves a $22/month shortfall (around $264/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 Morphett Vale?

The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,300 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($62,348 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 Morphett Vale 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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