Alice Springs vs Desert Springs

In Alice Springs, most households rent, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. In Desert Springs, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Units cost more in Desert Springs: a median of $400,000, against $305,000 in Alice Springs, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Alice Springs tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Desert Springs suits families with children and couples.

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

Desert Springs

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (67% vs 11%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 21%)
  • But Alice Springs has more childcare (6 vs 2)

Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Alice Springs has cheaper units ($305,000 vs $400,000)
  • Desert Springs leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 32%)

Weighs unit prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Alice Springs

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (74% vs 37%)
  • has cheaper rent ($313/wk vs $500/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Alice Springs

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (87/100 vs 30/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (948 min vs 953 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (1498.1 km vs 1500.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Alice Springs

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (8 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (87/100 vs 30/100)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (89% vs 33%)
  • But Desert Springs has more residents already 65 and over (11% vs 5%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Desert Springs

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (4.0% vs -23.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Alice Springs and Desert Springs drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Walkability 87 / 30
Alice Springs — Walkability: 87/100 Desert Springs — Walkability: 30/100

Demographics

Desert Springs has more residents (1,536 vs 231); Desert Springs has higher household incomes ($157,300 vs $76,076).

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Population 231 1,536
+565% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -23.0% +4.0%
Median age 37 36
Median household income $76,076/yr $157,300/yr
+107% vs other
Median weekly rent $313/wk $500/wk
+60% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Alice Springs Desert Springs
0-4 3.5% / 7.6%
Alice Springs — 0-4: 3.5% Desert Springs — 0-4: 7.6%
5-14 6.5% / 13.0%
Alice Springs — 5-14: 6.5% Desert Springs — 5-14: 13.0%
15-19 3.0% / 6.2%
Alice Springs — 15-19: 3.0% Desert Springs — 15-19: 6.2%
20-24 3.0% / 3.7%
Alice Springs — 20-24: 3.0% Desert Springs — 20-24: 3.7%
25-34 29.0% / 16.1%
Alice Springs — 25-34: 29.0% Desert Springs — 25-34: 16.1%
35-44 21.6% / 16.3%
Alice Springs — 35-44: 21.6% Desert Springs — 35-44: 16.3%
45-54 11.7% / 13.2%
Alice Springs — 45-54: 11.7% Desert Springs — 45-54: 13.2%
55-64 18.2% / 13.2%
Alice Springs — 55-64: 18.2% Desert Springs — 55-64: 13.2%
65-74 3.5% / 7.5%
Alice Springs — 65-74: 3.5% Desert Springs — 65-74: 7.5%
75-84 — / 2.6%
Alice Springs — 75-84: not among its largest Desert Springs — 75-84: 2.6%
85+ 1.3% / 0.6%
Alice Springs — 85+: 1.3% Desert Springs — 85+: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Alice Springs 67.2% lone person
Alice Springs — Lone Person: 67.2% Alice Springs — Couple Families: 14.9% Alice Springs — Group Household: 11.9% Alice Springs — One Parent Families: 6.0% Alice Springs — Other Families: 0.0%
Desert Springs 26.8% lone person
Desert Springs — Lone Person: 26.8% Desert Springs — Couple Families: 58.2% Desert Springs — Group Household: 4.9% Desert Springs — One Parent Families: 8.2% Desert Springs — Other Families: 1.9%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Alice Springs 73.6% renting
Alice Springs — Owned Outright: 11.1% Alice Springs — Mortgage: 15.3% Alice Springs — Renting: 73.6%
Desert Springs 36.7% renting
Desert Springs — Owned Outright: 22.8% Desert Springs — Mortgage: 40.5% Desert Springs — Renting: 36.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Bachelor Degree 10.4% / 17.4%
Alice Springs — Bachelor Degree: 10.4% Desert Springs — Bachelor Degree: 17.4%
Certificate III & IV 13.4% / 13.4%
Alice Springs — Certificate III & IV: 13.4% Desert Springs — Certificate III & IV: 13.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 9.2%
Alice Springs — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Desert Springs — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2%
Postgraduate Degree 7.8% / 8.1%
Alice Springs — Postgraduate Degree: 7.8% Desert Springs — Postgraduate Degree: 8.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 2.0%
Alice Springs — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Desert Springs — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

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.

Alice Springs Desert Springs
India 8.7% / 4.0%
Alice Springs — India: 8.7% Desert Springs — India: 4.0%
New Zealand 5.6% / 3.1%
Alice Springs — New Zealand: 5.6% Desert Springs — New Zealand: 3.1%
England 1.3% / 2.7%
Alice Springs — England: 1.3% Desert Springs — England: 2.7%
Nepal 3.9% / —
Alice Springs — Nepal: 3.9% Desert Springs — Nepal: not among its largest
Thailand 2.6% / 0.7%
Alice Springs — Thailand: 2.6% Desert Springs — Thailand: 0.7%
Philippines — / 2.3%
Alice Springs — Philippines: not among its largest Desert Springs — Philippines: 2.3%
Vietnam 1.7% / —
Alice Springs — Vietnam: 1.7% Desert Springs — Vietnam: not among its largest
South Africa — / 1.4%
Alice Springs — South Africa: not among its largest Desert Springs — South Africa: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Alice Springs 84.3% flats / apartments
Alice Springs — Flats / Apartments: 84.3% Alice Springs — Houses: 10.8% Alice Springs — Townhouses: 4.8%
Desert Springs 1.7% flats / apartments
Desert Springs — Flats / Apartments: 1.7% Desert Springs — Houses: 66.9% Desert Springs — Townhouses: 31.4%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Median house price — $760,000
Median unit price $305,000 $400,000
Median land price — $720,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 54 days
from 20 sales

Development activity

Alice Springs Desert Springs
New dwellings approved 30
across Alice Springs
same for both
Approvals change year on year +25%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Houses — 7.0%
$1,275/wk on $948K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NT

Alice Springs Desert Springs
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 45% of NT Higher than 97% of NT
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 99% of NT Higher than 75% of NT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 68% of NT Higher than 72% of NT
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of NT Higher than 74% of NT
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 89% of NT

Liveability

Alice Springs is more walkable (87 vs 30).

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Grade — B
Score — 64/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Bushfire Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Crime Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Alice Springs

  • Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College - Bath Street Campus Catholic · Primary

Schools in Desert Springs

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 12 3
Parks & reserves 3 1
Childcare 6 2
GPs 8 0
Pharmacies 3 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 0
Fuel stations 3 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Desert Springs sits further from the CBD (1500.7 km vs 1498.1 km).

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Walkability score 87/100 30/100
Distance to Darwin 1498.1 km 1500.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 948 min 953 min
Public transport score 56/100
Bus
 18/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 22.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 1.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 2 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 0870
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 40
postcode 0870
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.

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Car (driver) 50.0% / 76.6%
Alice Springs — Car (driver): 50.0% Desert Springs — Car (driver): 76.6%
Walked Only 35.6% / 3.0%
Alice Springs — Walked Only: 35.6% Desert Springs — Walked Only: 3.0%
Car (passenger) 2.9% / 8.6%
Alice Springs — Car (passenger): 2.9% Desert Springs — Car (passenger): 8.6%
Worked from Home 6.7% / 4.2%
Alice Springs — Worked from Home: 6.7% Desert Springs — Worked from Home: 4.2%
Bicycle 4.8% / 5.7%
Alice Springs — Bicycle: 4.8% Desert Springs — Bicycle: 5.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.6%).

Setting

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Elevation 582 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 584 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Connectivity score 57/100 68/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 23%
794 premises
 42%
656 premises

Climate

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Annual rainfall 285 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 36.6°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.5°C
same for both

Council rates

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Average residential rate $2,106/yr
same for both
Council Alice Springs
same for both

Federal electorate

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Division Lingiari
same for both
Member Marion Scrymgour
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Alice Springs Desert Springs
Grant amount $50,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Alice Springs

Apartments Multicultural Parks River

Desert Springs

Quiet Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Alice Springs

Alice Springs vs Gillen Alice Springs vs East Side Alice Springs vs The Gap Alice Springs vs Stuart Alice Springs vs Ciccone

Other comparisons with Desert Springs

Desert Springs vs East Side Desert Springs vs Sadadeen Desert Springs vs The Gap Desert Springs vs Mount Johns
Full data on Alice Springs Full data on Desert Springs
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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