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Suburb Insights · VIC 3006

Southbank, VIC 3006 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Southbank is an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Australia, with a population of approximately 22,631, making it a sizeable community. Located 1 km from the Melbourne CBD, Southbank is a inner city area in Victoria. The median household income is $100,152 per year.

Investment Score

82 / 100 Strong

Strong household incomes in Southbank underpin solid property demand. Close CBD access strengthens tenant appeal and resale value.

Location

Melbourne
Southbank
Victoria · 3006
1 km from Melbourne CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
3006

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

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Population
22,631

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$411/wk

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

Median household income
$100,152/yr

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

Distance to CBD
1 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
9

Estimated 9 parks and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,900/mo

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

Home type
0% houses

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

Why People Like Living in Southbank

Who Southbank Suits

👨‍👩‍👧FamiliesSchool count or dwelling mix is lighter here.
📊InvestorsRent covers a solid share of the median mortgage.
🏡First-home buyersEntry costs sit at or below the Victoria median.
💼ProfessionalsAround 1 km from the CBD with good access.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Mortgage costs are lower than the Victoria median, improving cash-flow margins.
  • Access to several schools nearby (around 6).
  • Local parks and reserves (around 9) 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 22,631 residents, Southbank is one of Victoria's more populous suburbs — roughly 3.1× the state median of 7,416 — giving it a deep buyer and tenant pool that typically supports higher transaction volumes and shorter average days on market. Households here earn $100,152/year on average — 5% above the VIC suburb median of $95,160 — a modest premium that supports resilient owner-occupier demand. Median weekly rent of $411 equates to $1,781/month — about 94% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,900/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. At 1 km from the Melbourne CBD, Southbank sits inside the high-demand inner ring — properties here compete directly with the city's employment, transport and amenity networks. Only 0% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 78% state median), so this is a unit-heavy market where body-corporate decisions and strata supply meaningfully shape investor returns.

Investment Tip

This suburb suits investors prioritising tenant demand over capital-cost efficiency. Rents are supported by proximity to amenities, but strata fees and entry prices can eat into yield. Local rents consume roughly 21% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Southbank vs Victoria Median

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

MetricSouthbankVIC medianΔ vs state
Population22,6317,416+205%
Median household income$100,152/yr$95,160/yr+5%
Median rent (weekly)$411$380+8%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,900$1,950-3%
Distance to CBD1 km32 km-97%
Separate houses0%78%-78pp

Investor Checklist

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

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Solid buy-and-hold profile: a population of 22,631 and household income close to the VIC median ($100,152 vs $95,160) give the market enough depth for patient capital growth without the premium entry price of inner suburbs.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $411/week (~$1,781/month) covers 94% of the $1,900/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $119/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

Renovation / Flip

Only 0% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 78% VIC 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 Southbank property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Southbank

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Moderate Rental Demand: Strong Investor Sentiment: Strong

Property values in Southbank should track the wider Victoria market through 2026, with the $100,152/year median household income (5% above the $95,160 state median) keeping the suburb firmly mid-pack. Rental coverage runs at ~94% of the typical mortgage ($1,781/month rent vs $1,900/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 82/100 places Southbank in the top tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is constructive heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Southbank a good suburb for investment?

Southbank scores 82/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a strong rating. That score is driven by a population of 22,631, median household income of $100,152/year and median weekly rent of $411. 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 Southbank?

The main demand drivers in Southbank are proximity to Melbourne (1 km), an above-state-median household income of $100,152/year, a dwelling mix that is 0% separate houses, roughly 6 schools and 9 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 Southbank?

Southbank has a usual resident population of approximately 22,631, compared with a Victoria suburb median of 7,416 — 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 Southbank from the Melbourne CBD?

Southbank sits 1 km straight-line from the Melbourne CBD. This is inner-ring territory — pricing competes directly with established Melbourne employment nodes.

What is the median rent in Southbank?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $411 in Southbank, equating to approximately $21,372/year in gross rental income (state median $380/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 Southbank?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Southbank is $1,900, or approximately $22,800/year (vs $1,950/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 Southbank cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $411 works out to $1,781/month, covering 94% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,900/month. That leaves a $119/month shortfall (around $1,428/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 Southbank?

The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,900 median mortgage, a unit-heavy dwelling mix (0% houses) where body-corporate costs and apartment supply affect resale, the broader Victoria 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 Southbank 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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