Brighton is a coastal middle-ring metropolitan suburb of Adelaide, in Holdfast Bay Council, characterised by heritage streetscapes. It is close to the Holdfast Bay. Notable landmarks include Brighton Jetty.
The suburb is highly walkable compared with similar places, placing it among the highest-ranked middle-ring metropolitan suburbs. Local amenities are a relative strength. Working from home is a very strong feature of the suburb, with working from home 64% above the peer median, and heritage listings are more concentrated than in comparable places. The clearer weaknesses are higher housing costs and higher crime, with median house prices 50% above the peer median.
Brighton is a better fit for people who value walkability and local amenities more than lower housing costs.
Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.
Strengths and weaknesses
Middle-ring metropolitan suburb · compared with middle-ring metropolitan suburbs in South Australia (106)
Strengths
The suburb is highly walkable compared with similar places
Local amenities are a relative strength
Working from home is a relative strength
Heritage listings are more concentrated than in comparable places
Weaknesses
Housing is expensive relative to comparable places
Reported crime is elevated relative to comparable places
What stands out
Heritage streetscapes
Holdfast Bay
Brighton Jetty
Who it suits
Stars are audience-fit ratings derived from Suburb.Guide data, not demographic counts or user reviews.
Families★★★☆☆
Professionals★★★★☆
Retirees★☆☆☆☆
Students★★★☆☆
Budget buyers★★☆☆☆
Housing, growth and risk
How Brighton compares
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median house price
$1.43M
+9.1% change
Median rent
$620/wk
Houses $700 · Units $550
Population (ERP)
4,013
+0.9% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
7.6%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#2
among Coastal & beach · Mature
Crime rate
79th
percentile in state (higher = more crime)
Pop. growth
71st
percentile in SA
Rented dwellings
25%
2021 Census tenure
Advantage (IRSAD)
9/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
78th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
Population growth
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Housing mix
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Risks & flags
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Living here
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
58.9/100 — Good
State standing
Top 3% of South Australia's suburbs
National rank
624th in Australia
State rank
20th in SA
Peer rank
#2 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#2 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
99%
Data sources & freshness
Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
Flats / units (01/01/26 to 31/03/26)
$550
Houses (01/01/26 to 31/03/26)
$700
All types (01/01/26 to 31/03/26)
$620
Rental bonds lodged (01/01/26 to 31/03/26)
25
Median house price (Q1 2026)
$1,428,000
Median price change
+9.1%
Median weekly rent from SA Housing Authority rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Median house sale prices cover metropolitan Adelaide and selected fringe councils (19 LGAs, including Adelaide Hills and Gawler), not all of regional South Australia.
Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band
Data sources & freshness
SA rent report & metro median house sales — Government of South Australia · 1 January - 31 March 2026; 1Q 2026 · Updated · Quarterly; metro-fringe sales only
Population
Estimated resident population
4,013(June 2025)
+0.9% annual · +5.2% over 5 years · 71th percentile in SA
Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.9%
5-year growth
+5.2%
Change in 1 year
+37
Change in 5 years
+199
Growth rank in SA
71th percentile
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Methodology
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~4,200), extrapolated at +0.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
Population
3,834
Median age
49
Median household income / week
$1,692
Dwelling vacancy
7.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
135 of 1,777
Median monthly mortgage
$1,939
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$360
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
45.2% / 30.3% / 24.5%
Employment rate
56.2%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
14.6% / 6.9% / 60.5%
Walked or cycled to work
3.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,030 / 533 / 74 (+ 15 other)
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)
Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
33.8% of adults have a university degree, compared with 22.6% across South Australia. 13.2% have a trade or vocational qualification.
University qualified33.8% · 22.6% SA
Diploma qualified11.3% · 8.6% SA
Trade / vocational13.2% · 17.5% SA
Year 12 or below41.7% · 51.2% SA
Highest qualification field
Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).
Management and commerce21.9%
Society and culture16.6%
Health15.6%
Education13.2%
Engineering and related technologies12.5%
Architecture and building5.3%
How these groups are defined
Measure
Definition
University qualified
Bachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualified
Advanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocational
Certificate III + IV
Year 12
Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12
Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below
People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)
University qualifications from the 2021 Census
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Tax & income
Median taxable income (2023–24)
$61,189
82nd percentile in SA · +4% vs Australia
Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$67,575
91st percentile in SA · +4% vs Australia
Residents with rental investments
15.0%
79th percentile in SA · +9% vs Australia
Median super balance (2023–24)
$124,444
91st percentile in SA · +97% vs Australia
Residents with business income
9.0%
29th percentile in SA · -13% vs Australia
Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 5048 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.
Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
9,939
Taxpayers reporting net rent
1,477
Median net rent
-$57
Taxpayers reporting business income
921
Taxable income vs state median
+13%
Salary / wages vs state median
+17%
Rental investment vs state median
+25%
Super vs state median
+60%
Business income vs state median
-18%
Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in SA, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.
Data sources & freshness
Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary
Community & culture
8.5% speak a language other than English at home; 24.5% born overseas
Language at home
3,414 English only · 316 other
Non-English at home
8.5%
Born overseas
915 (24.5%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
39 (1%)
Australian citizens
3,480
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
14
Top languages other than English
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
Greek19 · 17.9%
Mandarin13 · 12.3%
Portuguese11 · 10.4%
Arabic10 · 9.4%
Punjabi9 · 8.5%
Vietnamese9 · 8.5%
French6 · 5.7%
German6 · 5.7%
Religion
46.6%No religion
No religion is the most common response at 46.6%, while Christianity accounts for 46.2%.
Measure
Suburb
State
No religion
46.6%
45.2%
Christianity
46.2%
40%
Other / not stated
7.2%
14.7%
Christian denominations
Denomination
Suburb
State
Catholic
19%
15.5%
Anglican
10.8%
7.2%
Uniting Church
5.9%
4.8%
Christian (not further defined)
2%
2.6%
Lutheran
2%
2.4%
2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2025–26)
331
Against the person
31
Against property
300
Rate per 1,000 residents
82.5
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 124 residents
State crime-rate percentile
79.4th (higher = more crime)
Family & domestic abuse offences
99
Increase (daily rate)
+13%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
201
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
50.09
Most common offence types
Damage Or Destroy Property38
Motor Vehicle Theft And Related Offences15
Serious Assault15
Theft From A Person28
Theft From Retail Premises178
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates
Brighton Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1077 · 78th percentile · LBOTE 24% · 726 students · Top SEA quarter 30% · 0.4 km awayView on My School →
McAuley Community SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1099 · 84th percentile · LBOTE 5% · 451 students · Top SEA quarter 38% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
Brighton Secondary SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1071 · 76th percentile · LBOTE 19% · 1,737 students · Top SEA quarter 30% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
Christ the King SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1079 · 78th percentile · LBOTE 32% · 179 students · Top SEA quarter 29% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
Paringa Park Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1101 · 85th percentile · LBOTE 18% · 515 students · Top SEA quarter 41% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
Brighton Centre of Deaf Education1 Highet AvenueSpecialist Facilities
Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)
Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts
Good local dining options — 26 food & drink venues nearby
Decent local green space — 7 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Well connected by public transport — 22 public transport stops
Strong local sport and recreation — 11 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
100/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
1.83
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
6.78
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.83
Food & drink(26)
Bakers DelightBakery
Blue Bird BakeryBakery
Brighton Jetty BakeryBakery
Buns on BrightonBakery
Twisted TreatsBakery
Alimentary EateryCafe
Big Shots Cafe and BarCafe
Brighton Food & WineCafe
In Thais CafeCafe
Saigon ƠiCafe
The Alchemist's KitchenCafe
The Seller DoorCafe
Brighton TakeawayFast food
CrustFast food
Hooked on Chicken and GrillFast food
ZambreroFast food
Esplanade HotelPub
A Cafe Etc...Restaurant
Beach PitRestaurant
Charlies DinerRestaurant
CharminarRestaurant
Chicken Spot & Pizza BarRestaurant
Fasta PastaRestaurant
Juniper and PineRestaurant
Ninja Sushi & Noodle BarRestaurant
Vientiane Thai-Laos RestaurantRestaurant
Shopping(13)
BWSBottle shop
CellarbrationsBottle shop
LiquorlandBottle shop
Brighton City MeatButcher
OTRConvenience store
BRIGHTON MITRE 10Hardware store
SalvosOp shop
VinniesOp shop
FoodlandSupermarket
WoolworthsSupermarket
Everyday services(2)
OTR BrightonPetrol station
480 484 Brighton Road
Australia Post - Brighton 5048Post office
Community(5)
Emali Early Learning Centre - BrightonChildcare
Multiple SolutionsCommunity centre
Kindergarten
Brighton Library - City of Holdfast BayLibrary
Brighton Primary SchoolSchool
Health & services(4)
National PharmaciesPharmacy
Pharmacy
TerryWhite ChemmartPharmacy
Brighton Veterinary HospitalVeterinary
Sport & outdoors(28)
BBQ (2)
Marino Rocks GreenwayCycling route
Sturt River Bike PathCycling route
Drinking water (5)
45 Training Brighton SAGym
Fitstop BrightonGym
Kefi Studio PilatesGym
447 Brighton Road
Bindarra ReservePark
Jack Chaston ParkPark
Park (5)
Playground
Public toilets
Brighton Pump TrackSports field
Sports field
Swimming pool (5)
Entertainment(1)
Windsor TheatresCinema
Transport(19)
18 bus stops · 1 train stations
Other(53)
Artwork (4)
GyreArtwork
Hang LooseArtwork
Kathleen (Kitty) WhyteArtwork
Bespoke Facial Body ClinicBeauty salon
Brighton Jetty Nail Bar & BeautyBeauty salon
Bench (37)
Bicycle Parking (6)
Bicycle Repair Station
Brighton CrashCar repair
Car wash
Aqua LivingClothes
Eva & Paige EmporiumClothes
Get into the MooseClothes
Unit 1 49 Jetty Road
Karl Chehade Dry CleaningDry Cleaning
Force Electronics PTY Ltd.Electronics
Brighton FloristFlorist
Brighton UBET UBET (TAB)Gambling
Garden (14)
Have You Met CharlieGift
Lotus Lifestyle1Gift
Brighton Barber ShopHairdresser
ChapsHairdresser
Euphoria HairHairdresser
Kaz HairHairdresser
Zink The Element of HairHairdresser
Happy Wanderer Caravan Accessories RV Supply Store
CopenhagenIce Cream
St Louis GelateriaIce Cream
City Of Holdfast BayInformation
James Ramsey Manufacturing JewellerJewelry
Unit Shop 3 515 Brighton Road
Esplanade HotelOutdoor Seating
Brighton Park 'n' RideParking
Parking (72)
Parking Space (4)
Picnic Table (6)
Brighton Catholic ParishPlace of worship
Brighton Uniting ChurchPlace of worship
Church of ChristPlace of worship
Coastlands churchPlace of worship
Lighthouse Community ChurchPlace of worship
26 Jetty Road, Brighton
St Jude's Anglican ChurchPlace of worship
Trinity BayPlace of worship
Post Box
Brighton Fresh SeafoodsSeafood
Shelter (8)
Shower (7)
TelstraTelephone
Jetty BabesToys
Helloworld TravelTravel Agency
Brighton TyrepowerTyres
Waste Basket (12)
The Boxing RoomYes
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap and the SA Sports Vouchers venue list, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.
Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)
Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000
Data sources & freshness
OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries
Places of worship
7 places of worship within ~1.5 km
Brighton Catholic Parish
Brighton Uniting Church
Church of Christ
Coastlands church
Lighthouse Community Church
26 Jetty Road, Brighton
St Jude's Anglican Church
Trinity Bay
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Summer (Dec–Feb)
Usual max / min
27° / 16°
Rainfall
49 mm · ~6 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
Usual max / min
22° / 13°
Rainfall
94 mm · ~12 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
Usual max / min
16° / 8°
Rainfall
161 mm · ~20 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
Usual max / min
21° / 11°
Rainfall
95 mm · ~12 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid against all current SA Planning risk layers (high, medium, general, urban interface, regional, outback). Flood cover is the share of the suburb boundary overlapping current SA Planning flood overlays (flooding and evidence required). Safer places from CFS designated locations.
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 2.0 km away).
Coalition 37.6%Labor 62.4%
1.3 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +10.3 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
BrightonLabor 62.4% · Coalition 37.6% TPP (2025)0.2 km away
Brighton SouthLabor 60.7% · Coalition 39.3% TPP (2025)0.7 km away
SeacliffLabor 65.1% · Coalition 34.9% TPP (2025)1.5 km away
Brighton WestLabor 60.4% · Coalition 39.6% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
WarradaleLabor 67.7% · Coalition 32.3% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)