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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
South Arm is a well-established middle-ring suburb of Hobart, Australia, with a population of approximately 963, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 19 km from the Hobart CBD, South Arm is a middle ring area in Tasmania. The median household income is $71,916 per year.
Household earnings in South Arm are below the state average, which may affect long-term capital growth.
Official Australia Post postcode for South Arm. 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 South Arm on My School →Estimated 1 park 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.
South Arm is a smaller community of 963 — about 25% of the Tasmania suburb median (3,902) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. At $71,916/year, household income in South Arm is within 3% of the Tasmania median ($73,944), placing the suburb firmly in the state's mainstream demographic band. Median weekly rent of $350 equates to $1,517/month — about 100% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,517/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. 19 km from Hobart places South Arm in the middle commuter belt, close enough for daily trips by car or rail but at a materially lower price point than inner suburbs.
How South Arm stacks up against the median of all Tasmania suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean South Arm sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | South Arm | TAS median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 963 | 3,902 | -75% |
| Median household income | $71,916/yr | $73,944/yr | -3% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $350 | $320 | +9% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,517 | $1,378 | +10% |
| Distance to CBD | 19 km | 24 km | -21% |
| Separate houses | 84% | 80% | +4pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for South Arm — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 963 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider Tasmania market over full cycles.
Strong rental coverage: $350/week (~$1,517/month) covers 100% of the $1,517/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $0/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
With 84% houses in a 963-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 South Arm property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for South Arm are modest for 2026 — incomes close to the TAS median of $73,944 and a population of 963 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~100% of the typical mortgage ($1,517/month rent vs $1,517/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 51/100 places South Arm 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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South Arm scores 51/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 963, median household income of $71,916/year and median weekly rent of $350. 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 South Arm are proximity to Hobart (19 km), a median household income of $71,916/year, a dwelling mix that is 84% 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.
South Arm has a usual resident population of approximately 963, compared with a Tasmania suburb median of 3,902 — 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.
South Arm sits 19 km straight-line from the Hobart CBD. This is comfortable commuter territory, with reasonable rail and road access to the city.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $350 in South Arm, equating to approximately $18,200/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 South Arm is $1,517, or approximately $18,204/year (vs $1,378/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 $350 works out to $1,517/month, covering 100% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,517/month. That means rent exceeds the median repayment by roughly $-0/month, so on these numbers South Arm leans cash-flow-positive before accounting for strata, council rates, insurance and maintenance. 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 (963 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,517 median mortgage, the broader Tasmania 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.