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Suburb Insights · SA 5309

Sandalwood, SA 5309 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Sandalwood is a regional centre in South Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 62, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 152 km from the Adelaide CBD, Sandalwood is a regional area in South Australia. The median household income is $55,224 per year.

Investment Score

21 / 100 Weak

Lower income levels in Sandalwood typically translate to more affordable entry points for investors. Distance from major centres is a consideration, though regional markets can offer higher rental yields.

Location

Adelaide
Sandalwood
South Australia · 5309
152 km from Adelaide CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
5309

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

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Population
62

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$120/wk

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

Median household income
$55,224/yr

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

Distance to CBD
152 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
1

Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
N/A

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

Home type
62% houses

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

Investment Insight

Sandalwood is a smaller community of 62 — about 2% of the South Australia suburb median (3,699) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Sandalwood's median household income of $55,224/year is 32% 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. The median weekly rent of $120 translates to approximately $6,240/year in gross rental income, setting the upper bound on yield before vacancy, rates, insurance and maintenance. Sandalwood is 152 km from Adelaide, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.

Sandalwood vs South Australia Median

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

MetricSandalwoodSA medianΔ vs state
Population623,699-98%
Median household income$55,224/yr$80,964/yr-32%
Median rent (weekly)$120$320-62%
Distance to CBD152 km13 km+1069%
Separate houses62%73%-11pp

Investor Checklist

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

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 62 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider South Australia market over full cycles.

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Rental Yield

Gross rent of $120/week (~$6,240/year) sets the yield ceiling. Cross-check against your purchase price to confirm whether this suburb hits the 4–5% gross yield most Australian investors target.

Renovation / Flip

Only 62% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 73% SA median) — this is a unit and townhouse market, where cosmetic flips struggle against body-corporate restrictions, thinner after-reno uplift and competing new supply.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Sandalwood property

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30-year projections for Sandalwood

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Low

Capital-growth expectations for Sandalwood are modest for 2026 — incomes 32% below the SA median of $80,964 and a population of 62 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rents sit around $120/week, setting the baseline gross rental income at roughly $6,240/year — refine this against current listings before running your numbers. The EquitySight investment score of 21/100 places Sandalwood 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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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sandalwood a good suburb for investment?

Sandalwood scores 21/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 62, median household income of $55,224/year and median weekly rent of $120. 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 Sandalwood?

The main demand drivers in Sandalwood are a median household income of $55,224/year, a dwelling mix that is 62% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 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 Sandalwood?

Sandalwood has a usual resident population of approximately 62, compared with a South Australia suburb median of 3,699 — placing it in the lower 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 Sandalwood from the Adelaide CBD?

Sandalwood sits 152 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.

What is the median rent in Sandalwood?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $120 in Sandalwood, equating to approximately $6,240/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 Sandalwood?

A reliable median mortgage figure was not captured for Sandalwood. Use our loan serviceability calculator to estimate a realistic monthly repayment for your target purchase price and deposit.

Is Sandalwood cash-flow positive for investors?

Census data was not complete enough in Sandalwood to compute a clean rent-to-mortgage coverage. Use current listings to benchmark weekly rent, then plug your expected purchase price into our rental yield calculator to see whether the investment runs cash-flow positive or negative.

What are the main risks of investing in Sandalwood?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (62 residents), interest-rate sensitivity, below-median household incomes ($55,224 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 Sandalwood 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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