Airdmillan vs Alva
Airdmillan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 56 in Alva. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Airdmillan, most households are couple families. On these figures, Airdmillan tends to suit families with children and couples, while Alva suits people living alone and older residents.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Airdmillan
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (33/100 vs 54/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 60%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Airdmillan
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 20%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Airdmillan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (1273.5 km vs 1278.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Airdmillan carries lower crime risk (33/100 vs 54/100)
- Alva has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Airdmillan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (41.3% vs -23.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Airdmillan and Alva drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Alva rents higher ($250/wk vs $150/wk); Airdmillan has higher household incomes ($106,548 vs $64,116).
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 154 | 214 +39% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +41.3% | -23.3% |
| Median age | 41 | 56 |
| Median household income | $106,548/yr +40% vs other | $64,116/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $250/wk +67% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $540,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Development activity
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 22 across Burdekin same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -9% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 79% of QLD | Higher than 30% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 27% of QLD | Higher than 3% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 14% of QLD | Higher than 13% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of QLD | Higher than 49% of QLD |
Liveability
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Alva carries more crime risk (54 vs 33).
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 33/100 | Moderate 54/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 99/100 | High 97/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 7 | 3 |
Mobility
Alva sits further from the CBD (1278.3 km vs 1273.5 km).
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1273.5 km | 1278.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 874 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 4807 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 68 postcode 4807 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (84.8%).
Setting
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 4 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 6 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.0 km | 3.0 km 4.7 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 83 premises | 0% 172 premises |
Climate
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 992 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 17.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,502/yr same for both | |
| Council | Burdekin same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Dawson same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Willcox same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Airdmillan | Alva | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Airdmillan
Other comparisons with Alva
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.