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Suburb Insights · SA 5156

Upper Sturt, SA 5156 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Upper Sturt is a regional centre in South Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 1,005, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 13 km from the Adelaide CBD, Upper Sturt is a regional area in South Australia. The median household income is $115,908 per year.

Investment Score

62 / 100 Good

Upper Sturt benefits from a high-income resident base, supporting premium property pricing. Close CBD access strengthens tenant appeal and resale value.

Location

Adelaide
Upper Sturt
South Australia · 5156
13 km from Adelaide CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
5156

Official Australia Post postcode for Upper Sturt. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
1,005

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$345/wk

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

Median household income
$115,908/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
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
$1,800/mo

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

Home type
92% houses

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

Investment Insight

Upper Sturt is a smaller community of 1,005 — about 27% of the South Australia suburb median (3,699) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Median household income of $115,908/year runs 43% 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. Rent of $345/week (83% coverage of the $1,800/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $305/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. 13 km from Adelaide places Upper Sturt 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 92% of dwellings — 19 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.

Upper Sturt vs South Australia Median

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

MetricUpper SturtSA medianΔ vs state
Population1,0053,699-73%
Median household income$115,908/yr$80,964/yr+43%
Median rent (weekly)$345$320+8%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,800$1,616+11%
Distance to CBD13 km13 km0%
Separate houses92%73%+19pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Upper Sturt — 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 43% above the South Australia suburb median ($115,908 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.

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Rental Yield

Moderate rental coverage: rent of $345/week covers 83% of a $1,800/month mortgage, leaving a $305/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.

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Renovation / Flip

With 92% houses in a 1,005-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 Upper Sturt property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Upper Sturt

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Strong Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Moderate

Upper Sturt enters 2026 with a demographic tailwind — household incomes 43% above the South Australia suburb median of $80,964 and a population of 1,005 give it the depth and purchasing power to outperform the wider SA market over the next 12–18 months. Rental coverage runs at ~83% of the typical mortgage ($1,495/month rent vs $1,800/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 62/100 places Upper Sturt in the upper-middle 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 Upper Sturt a good suburb for investment?

Upper Sturt scores 62/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 1,005, median household income of $115,908/year and median weekly rent of $345. 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 Upper Sturt?

The main demand drivers in Upper Sturt are proximity to Adelaide (13 km), an above-state-median household income of $115,908/year, a dwelling mix that is 92% 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 Upper Sturt?

Upper Sturt has a usual resident population of approximately 1,005, 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 Upper Sturt from the Adelaide CBD?

Upper Sturt 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 Upper Sturt?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $345 in Upper Sturt, equating to approximately $17,940/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 Upper Sturt?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Upper Sturt is $1,800, or approximately $21,600/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 Upper Sturt cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $345 works out to $1,495/month, covering 83% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,800/month. That leaves a $305/month shortfall (around $3,660/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 Upper Sturt?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (1,005 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,800 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 Upper Sturt 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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