The suburb of South Coogee is located on the eastern boundary of Randwick City and is bounded by the South Pacific Ocean to the east, Coogee to the north, and the suburbs of Kingsford and Maroubra to the west and south. The suburb includes a number of large areas of open space, including Latham Park and Randwick Cemetery. The coastal walkway continues through South Coogee, with some road links where coastal access is impeded. South Coogee is predominantly a low-density residential environment, with pockets of public housing flats of the 1950s and 1960s era located in the west of the suburb, contrasting with the adjacent suburbs of Coogee and Maroubra.
There is no distinct commercial area in South Coogee, however a number of small neighbourhood shops are located throughout the suburb. Bus services operate along Malabar Road and are the only form of public transport available.
South Coogee is one of the few suburbs which experienced a decrease in population between 1996 and 2001 and is forecast to experience low population growth in the future. The suburb had slightly more lone persons households with a population that tended to move less frequently than the average. A large proportion of the housing in South Coogee is public housing in 1950s and 1960s residential apartments.