South Lake, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Less advantaged than the national average
South Lake is more socio-economically advantaged than about 32% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 955, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Is South Lake a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Lower on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for South Lake from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
32/100Less advantaged than the national average
Less advantaged than the national average — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (32/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
32/100Less affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $350 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 32% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
South Lake at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,831
- Median age
- 36
- Median weekly household income
- $1,742
- SEIFA score
- 955
- Local government area
- Cockburn
- Coordinates
- -32.1072, 115.8385
Map of South Lake
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in South Lake
What it costs to live in South Lake and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $350
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,600
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 73%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 26%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the South Lake demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
South Lake demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile South Lake using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 30% and 34% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,041 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 765 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,758 | 30% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,539 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 724 | 12% |
Share of the 5,827 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 522 | 25% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,014 | 48% |
| Rented | 553 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,979 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 146 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 8 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,133 occupied private dwellings in South Lake.
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,037
- Median weekly personal income
- $795
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,885 (34%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,262 (23%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 233 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,541 (55%)
- Labour-force participation
- 66.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 6%
- Employed full-time
- 1,853
- Employed part-time
- 951
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in South Lake
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in South Lake is February (average daytime high around 29.9°C) and the coolest is August (around 17.6°C). The area receives roughly 624 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.8°C | 18.9°C | 23 mm |
| Feb | 29.9°C | 19°C | 20 mm |
| Mar | 28.2°C | 18.1°C | 40 mm |
| Apr | 24.2°C | 14.9°C | 42 mm |
| May | 20.7°C | 12°C | 78 mm |
| Jun | 18.2°C | 10.5°C | 99 mm |
| Jul | 17.2°C | 10.4°C | 112 mm |
| Aug | 17.6°C | 9.7°C | 97 mm |
| Sep | 19.1°C | 10.7°C | 47 mm |
| Oct | 21.6°C | 12.5°C | 37 mm |
| Nov | 25°C | 14.9°C | 21 mm |
| Dec | 28.1°C | 17.4°C | 8 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about South Lake
Is South Lake a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, South Lake rates 32/100 overall (Lower on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in South Lake?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in South Lake was $350, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,600. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is South Lake?
South Lake is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia, in the Cockburn local government area.
What is the population of South Lake?
At the 2021 Census, South Lake had a population of about 5,831.
Is South Lake an advantaged area?
South Lake has an ABS SEIFA score of 955, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 32 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 32% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in South Lake?
South Lake has average daytime highs of about 23.3°C and overnight lows of about 14.1°C, with roughly 624 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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