Payneham SA 5070
Payneham sits 6 km from Adelaide CBD in South Australia, around 13 minutes by car. Census data records 2,438 residents with a median age of 38 and a median household income of $73,528 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The suburb grew 6.3% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,700. Payneham is characterised by high flood risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is high.
Is Payneham a good suburb?
Payneham scores a A (69/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community, weaker on prices and safety.
Walkable and central
Walkability 84/100 · 6.2 km · 13 min drive to Adelaide
Above the state median
Median $1.2M · Less affordable than 92% of SA
High flood risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 39/100 · Flood 85/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 38 · 2,438 residents
Liveability Rating
69 / 100 · Ranked #94 in SAEach bar is Payneham'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 Payneham?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
69 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataPayneham's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.2 million, roughly 37% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$1,200,000
8% below its 8 neighbours (median $1,301,500)
Based on 71 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 20 days — median across 32 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 12 sales $708K
- 3 bed 37 sales $1.18M
- 4 bed 14 sales $1.6M
Units
$584,000
9% below its 3 neighbours (median $638,750)
Based on 37 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 18 days — median across 6 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 31 sales $626K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Payneham are currently listed at around $1.3 million on average. Based on 5 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$1.3M
5 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$662K
6 units listed in the last 6 months.
11 of the suburb's 1,162 dwellings (0.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Payneham rent for around $550 a week on average, based on 9 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$550/wk
9 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$550/wk
10 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
19 rentals advertised against an estimated 488 rented homes (3.9%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Apr–Jun 2026- 2-bed units
- $555/wk
- 15 bonds
- +49% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025105 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5070.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$550/week ($29,000 a year) on a $1.3 million median
Based on a small sample (5 listings) — indicative only.
$550/week ($29,000 a year) on a $662,000 median
Based on a small sample (6 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Payneham safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Payneham sits in the low band, with 47 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 45% on the prior year.
47 offences
45.3% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20255 crashes
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
Universities nearby
- 3.2 kmAdelaide University, Magill CampusAdelaide University · 112 courses
- 5.0 kmAdelaide University, Adelaide City CampusAdelaide University · 472 courses
- 5.0 kmFlinders City CampusFlinders University · 156 courses
2.7% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Payneham is very walkable on foot — at 84/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Payneham.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 37.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 26.8 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 14.4 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 18.0 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Payneham.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 9%
- Premises covered
- 1,422
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
Norwood Payneham and St Peters: 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
The ABS scores 5 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 2 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Payneham is home to about 2,400 residents, with a median age of 38, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $74,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.6%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
2,438
Median Age
38
Median Household Income
$73,528/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,700/mo
Avg Household Size
2.0
Median Personal Income
$45,448/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.6%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.0%
Total Dwellings
1,162
Owner-Occupier Rate
58.0%
Houses
41.6%
Rental Stress
21.2%
Mortgage Stress
27.7%
Work From Home
10.2%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
32 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 17 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 452 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 62.0%
- English Spoken at Home
- 65.5%
- Employment Rate
- 63.4%
- Completed Year 12
- 57.8%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
255 residents (10.5%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 2,310 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
28% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (370 of 1,315).
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.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 946 people work here; 1,315 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (0.7 per resident). At least 28% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,995 a year through Norwood Payneham and St Peters based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 98%
- Commercial 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: Norwood Payneham and St Peters
In the year to August 2026, 227 new dwellings were approved across Norwood Payneham and St Peters. That mix is 121 houses and 106 units. Approvals are up 141.4% 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, 4.5 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Adelaide (West Terrace / Ngayirdapira), 6.2 kmDry climate — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 62 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 13.2 km
- Annual rainfall
- 457 mm
- 77 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 29.1°C
- 21 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 8.5°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
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
3 facilities within 5 km- 4.1 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 4.2 kmWine and Other Alcoholic Beverage ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Ethanol
- 4.2 kmHigher EducationTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
EV adoption
In postcode 5070, 163 of 11,597 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.8% (439 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.2%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5070, 3,292 rooftop-solar systems totalling 22.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 7,014 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 235 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
8 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 26 across postcode 5070.
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 2026-10-26 — 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 Claire Clutterham Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Claire Clutterham | 56.6% | 43.4% | +7.1 |
| 2022 | James Stevens | 49.5% | 50.5% | -6.4 |
| 2019 | James Stevens | 43.1% | 56.9% | +1.5 |
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 Cressida O'Hanlon Australian Labor Party
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Cressida O'Hanlon ALP | 58.1% |
| 2022 | Steven Marshall LP | 50.5% |
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 Payneham?
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 2,438 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.
Featured in
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Adelaide There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Adelaide suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Marden SA 5070
Felixstow SA 5070
Glynde SA 5070
Payneham South SA 5070
Firle SA 5070
Evandale SA 5069
Compare Payneham to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other SA suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Payneham
Is Payneham a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Payneham is low (39/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Payneham?
Payneham has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a high share of it (85/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Payneham a good place to live?
Payneham has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (69/100), 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 Payneham?
Payneham, SA had a population of 2,438 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Payneham, SA?
The postcode for Payneham, SA is 5070.
How far is Payneham from Adelaide?
Payneham is 6 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 13 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Payneham?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Payneham was $73,528 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 Payneham?
The median advertised rent in Payneham is $550 a week for houses (9 listings) and $550 a week for units (10 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Payneham?
The median age of residents in Payneham was 38 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Payneham walkable?
Payneham scores 84/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the weather like in Payneham?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Payneham, Adelaide (West Terrace / Ngayirdapira) (6.2 km away), summer days average 29.1°C, winter nights 8.5°C, 457 mm of rain a year over 77 rainy days, and 21 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Payneham?
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 Payneham belong to?
Payneham sits within the Norwood Payneham and St Peters local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Payneham?
The average residential rates bill through Norwood Payneham and St Peters is $1,995 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Payneham?
Across Norwood Payneham and St Peters, 227 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 141.4% 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 Payneham in?
Payneham sits within the federal Division of Sturt, currently held by Claire Clutterham (Australian Labor Party).
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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
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- 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.