Charleston is a suburb in South Australia, 43 km from Adelaide CBD, around 49 minutes by car. Population is 550; the median age is 42 and the median household income is $110,032 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 40% nationally. Population grew 2.2% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $350 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,920. The area shows high bushfire risk. Walkability is low.
Is Charleston a good suburb?
Charleston scores a C (49/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on prices and community, weaker on transit and safety.
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 43.1 km · 49 min drive to Adelaide
More affordable than most
Median $979K · More affordable than 97% of SA
High bushfire risk
Fire 80/100 · Crime 10/100 · Flood 30/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 8/10 · median age 42 · 550 residents
Liveability Rating
49 / 100 · Ranked #273 in SAEach bar is Charleston's rank among SA suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Charleston?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
49 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataThe median house sale price in Charleston sits at $979,000, broadly flat year-on-year.
$979,250
13% above its 3 neighbours (median $865,000)
Based on 10 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
By bedrooms
- 4 bed 5 sales $1M
Is Charleston safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Charleston sits in the low band, with 1 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 50% on the prior year.
1 offences
50.0% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20251 crash
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. This state’s crash data does not name the road.
Schools
Walkability
Charleston is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Charleston.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 8%
- Premises covered
- 236
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Adelaide Hills: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Charleston is home to 550 residents, with a median age of 42, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $110,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
550
Median Age
42
Median Household Income
$110,032/yr
Census Median Rent
$350/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,920/mo
Avg Household Size
2.8
Median Personal Income
$45,916/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
6.4%
Total Dwellings
187
Owner-Occupier Rate
86.2%
Houses
101.1%
Rental Stress
16.5%
Mortgage Stress
20.9%
Work From Home
14.6%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 87.5%
- English Spoken at Home
- 92.9%
- Employment Rate
- 71.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 43.5%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
6% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (20 of 309).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,727 a year through Adelaide Hills based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 96%
- Environmental 2%
- Residential 2%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Adelaide Hills
In the year to August 2026, 95 new dwellings were approved across Adelaide Hills. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are up 53.3% on the same period a year earlier.
Air Quality
This station does not measure fine particles (PM2.5).
NO₂ averaged 0.51 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Northfield monitoring station, 28.2 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Lenswood, 11.5 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 429 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 35.9 km
- Annual rainfall
- 921 mm
- 87 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
4 facilities within 5 km- 4.2 kmMeat ProcessingTop reported: Ammonia (total) · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 4.6 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · n-Hexane · Toluene (methylbenzene)
- 4.6 kmWine and Other Alcoholic Beverage ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Ethanol
- 4.7 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Ammonia (total)
EV adoption
In postcode 5244, 50 of 4,379 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.1% (92 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.2%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5244, 1,452 rooftop-solar systems totalling 11.4 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,765 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 108 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$15,000 for new homes.
No purchase-price cap. Stamp duty is fully exempted for eligible first-home buyers as a separate concession.
Mortgage repayments
3 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 5244.
Conveyance duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with RevenueSA
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Rebekha Sharkie Centre Alliance
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rebekha Sharkie | 55.0% | 45.0% | +3.4 |
| 2022 | Rebekha Sharkie | 51.6% | 48.4% | -4.1 |
| 2019 | Rebekha Sharkie | 47.5% | 52.5% | -0.7 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Matt Schultz Independent
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Matt Schultz IND | 60.6% |
| 2022 | Dan Cregan IND | 75.5% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2024, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of South Australia.
Looking at a specific address in Charleston?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 550 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Charleston to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other SA suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Charleston
Is Charleston a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Charleston is low (10/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Charleston?
Charleston has a high recorded bushfire history (80/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a low share of it (30/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Charleston a good place to live?
Charleston has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (49/100), ranked against other SA suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Charleston?
Charleston, SA had a population of 550 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Charleston, SA?
The postcode for Charleston, SA is 5244.
How far is Charleston from Adelaide?
Charleston is 43 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 49 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Charleston?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Charleston was $110,032 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Charleston?
There are too few current rental listings in Charleston for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $350, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Charleston?
The median age of residents in Charleston was 42 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Charleston at risk of bushfire?
Charleston has a high recorded bushfire history (80/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
What is the weather like in Charleston?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Charleston, Lenswood (11.5 km away), 921 mm of rain a year over 87 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Charleston?
First-home buyers in SA may be eligible for $15,000 towards new homes. The grant is administered by RevenueSA; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Charleston belong to?
Charleston sits within the Adelaide Hills local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Charleston?
The average residential rates bill through Adelaide Hills is $2,727 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Charleston?
Across Adelaide Hills, 95 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 53.3% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Charleston in?
Charleston sits within the federal Division of Mayo, currently held by Rebekha Sharkie (Centre Alliance).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2026
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.