South Lismore NSW 2480
South Lismore is a suburb in New South Wales, 728 km from Sydney CBD, around 7 hours 55 minutes by car. Population is 1,775; the median age is 39 and the median household income is $65,104 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population fell 5.5% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,300. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is low.
Is South Lismore a good suburb?
South Lismore scores a D (23/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on prices, weaker on transit, safety, and community.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 24/100 · 728 km · 476 min drive to Sydney
More affordable than most
Median $448K · More affordable than 90% of NSW
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 93/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 39 · 1,775 residents
Liveability Rating
23 / 100 · Ranked #1408 in NSWEach bar is South Lismore's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
How do you rate the liveability in South Lismore?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
23 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataSouth Lismore's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $448,000, about 10% above where it sat a year earlier.
$447,500
32% below its 4 neighbours (median $658,000)
Based on 18 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 74 days — median across 9 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 5 sales $365K
- 3 bed 13 sales $462K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in South Lismore are currently listed at around $439,000 on average. Based on 9 houses listed in the past six months.
$439K
9 houses listed in the last 6 months.
9 of the suburb's 681 dwellings (1.3%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in South Lismore rent for around $600 a week on average, based on 3 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$600/wk
3 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
4 rentals advertised against an estimated 220 rented homes (1.8%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $680/wk
- 79 bonds
- +37% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $445/wk
- 30 bonds
- +46% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2480 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). 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 2025103 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2480.
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$600/week ($31,000 a year) on a $439,000 median
Based on a small sample (3 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.
Short-Stay Rentals
2 active Airbnb listings: 2 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.3% of the suburb's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is South Lismore safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in South Lismore sits in the high band, with 287 incidents recorded in 2025 — down about 8% on the prior year.
287 offences
8.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20257 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
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. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Council Flood Studies
Lismore City Council has published 4 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
One school serve South Lismore, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 106 students in one school (avg 106)
Primary
Universities nearby
0.7% 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
South Lismore is very car-dependent on foot — at 24/100, nearly all errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside South Lismore.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 24.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 12.1 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 7.0 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 19.9 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 South Lismore.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 62%
- Premises covered
- 1,373
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
Lismore: 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.
South Lismore is home to about 1,800 residents, with a median age of 39, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $65,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.4%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,775
Median Age
39
Median Household Income
$65,104/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,300/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$33,176/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.4%
Unoccupied Dwellings
6.3%
Total Dwellings
681
Owner-Occupier Rate
67.7%
Houses
88.7%
Rental Stress
24.0%
Mortgage Stress
24.0%
Work From Home
7.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 87.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 90.5%
- Employment Rate
- 56.4%
- Completed Year 12
- 30.6%
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.
3 residents (0.2%) 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.
3.6% of residents (61) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Brisbane (29).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,692 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
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (9 of 811).
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 2,408 people work here; 811 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 3.0 jobs for every working resident. At least 63% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
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 $1,487 a year through Lismore based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 48%
- Industrial 24%
- Residential 10%
- Infrastructure and transport 10%
- Parks and recreation 4%
- Environmental 3%
- Zones under 1% 1%
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: Lismore
In the year to August 2026, 138 new dwellings were approved across Lismore. That mix is 70 houses and 68 units.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Ngulingah Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.
Setting
- Elevation
- 12 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 28.0 km
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
6 facilities within 5 km- 0.9 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · n-Hexane · Benzene
- 1.1 km
- 1.9 km
- 2.2 km
- 4.0 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
EV adoption
In postcode 2480, 213 of 37,524 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.3% (1,250 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2480, 13,200 rooftop-solar systems totalling 80.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 19,120 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 817 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$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.
Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).
Mortgage repayments
6 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2480.
Transfer 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 Revenue NSW
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.
At $447,500 this is under the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
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 Kevin Hogan The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kevin Hogan | 40.7% | 59.3% | +1.4 |
| 2022 | Kevin Hogan | 39.3% | 60.7% | +1.3 |
| 2019 | Kevin Hogan | 40.5% | 59.5% | +7.2 |
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 Janelle Saffin Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Janelle Saffin ALP | 65.0% |
| 2019 | Janelle Saffin ALP | 51.4% |
| 2015 | Thomas George NP | 52.9% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in South Lismore?
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 1,775 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
East Lismore NSW 2480
Lismore NSW 2480
Caniaba NSW 2480
North Lismore NSW 2480
Loftville NSW 2480
Booerie Creek NSW 2480
Compare South Lismore to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about South Lismore
Is South Lismore a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in South Lismore is high (93/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect South Lismore?
South Lismore has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is South Lismore a good place to live?
South Lismore has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (23/100), ranked against other NSW 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 South Lismore?
South Lismore, NSW had a population of 1,775 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for South Lismore, NSW?
The postcode for South Lismore, NSW is 2480.
How far is South Lismore from Sydney?
South Lismore is 728 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 476 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in South Lismore?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in South Lismore was $65,104 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 South Lismore?
The median advertised rent in South Lismore is $600 a week for houses (3 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in South Lismore?
The median age of residents in South Lismore was 39 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in South Lismore?
There is 1 school inside the South Lismore boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is South Lismore walkable?
South Lismore scores 24/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in South Lismore?
First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does South Lismore belong to?
South Lismore sits within the Lismore local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in South Lismore?
The average residential rates bill through Lismore is $1,487 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near South Lismore?
Across Lismore, 138 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is South Lismore in?
South Lismore sits within the federal Division of Page, currently held by Kevin Hogan (The Nationals).
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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 · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2023
- 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.