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Suburb Insights · SA 5600

Whyalla Playford, SA 5600 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Whyalla Playford is a coastal suburb in South Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 2,540, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 232 km from the Adelaide CBD, Whyalla Playford is a coastal area in South Australia. The median household income is $74,308 per year.

Investment Score

41 / 100 Moderate

Household incomes in Whyalla Playford sit in a comfortable mid-range for the South Australia market. The coastal setting provides a lifestyle factor that underpins property values.

Location

Adelaide
Whyalla Playford
South Australia · 5600
232 km from Adelaide CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
5600

Official Australia Post postcode for Whyalla Playford. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
2,540

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$200/wk

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

Median household income
$74,308/yr

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

Distance to CBD
232 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
$1,280/mo

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

Home type
74% houses

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

Why People Like Living in Whyalla Playford

Who Whyalla Playford Suits

👨‍👩‍👧FamiliesSchool count or dwelling mix is lighter here.
📊InvestorsRental coverage trails the state average.
🏡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.
  • Coastal lifestyle attracts renters and owner-occupiers alike.

Cons

  • Long distance to the CBD (232 km) — plan for commute time or local employment.
  • Transport options are limited — car dependency is likely.
  • Fewer schools inside the suburb itself — verify catchments for neighbouring areas.

Investment Insight

Whyalla Playford is a smaller community of 2,540 — about 69% of the South Australia suburb median (3,699) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Household income of $74,308/year is 8% below the South Australia median of $80,964, typically translating into lower entry prices and a tenant base more sensitive to rent increases. Median rent of $200/week (~$867/month) covers only 68% of the median mortgage of $1,280/month — the remaining $413/month must be funded from other income, so this suburb tilts toward capital growth rather than yield. Whyalla Playford is 232 km from Adelaide, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.

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 14% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Whyalla Playford vs South Australia Median

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

MetricWhyalla PlayfordSA medianΔ vs state
Population2,5403,699-31%
Median household income$74,308/yr$80,964/yr-8%
Median rent (weekly)$200$320-37%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,280$1,616-21%
Distance to CBD232 km13 km+1685%
Separate houses74%73%+1pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Whyalla Playford — 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 2,540 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider South Australia market over full cycles.

⚠️
Rental Yield

Moderate rental coverage: rent of $200/week covers 68% of a $1,280/month mortgage, leaving a $413/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 74% houses in a 2,540-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 Whyalla Playford property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Whyalla Playford

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Low

Capital-growth expectations for Whyalla Playford are modest for 2026 — incomes 8% below the SA median of $80,964 and a population of 2,540 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~68% of the typical mortgage ($867/month rent vs $1,280/month repayment), leaving a manageable top-up for most investors. The EquitySight investment score of 41/100 places Whyalla Playford in the mid 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 Whyalla Playford a good suburb for investment?

Whyalla Playford scores 41/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 2,540, median household income of $74,308/year and median weekly rent of $200. 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 Whyalla Playford?

The main demand drivers in Whyalla Playford are a median household income of $74,308/year, a dwelling mix that is 74% 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 Whyalla Playford?

Whyalla Playford has a usual resident population of approximately 2,540, 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 Whyalla Playford from the Adelaide CBD?

Whyalla Playford sits 232 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 Whyalla Playford?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $200 in Whyalla Playford, equating to approximately $10,400/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 Whyalla Playford?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Whyalla Playford is $1,280, or approximately $15,360/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 Whyalla Playford cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $200 works out to $867/month, covering 68% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,280/month. That leaves a $413/month shortfall (around $4,956/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 Whyalla Playford?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (2,540 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,280 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 Whyalla Playford 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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