Alice Springs vs Stuart
Stuart is the younger of the two, with a median age of 28 against 37 in Alice Springs. In both, most households rent. In Alice Springs, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments and most households are people living alone. Units cost more in Stuart: a median of $369,000, against $305,000 in Alice Springs, though rent is higher in Alice Springs. On these figures, Alice Springs tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Stuart suits families with children.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Alice Springs has more childcare (6 vs 1)
- Stuart has more separate houses rather than flats (47% vs 11%)
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 $369,000)
- Stuart leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 32%)
Weighs unit prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Stuart
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 21%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $313/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Alice Springs is more walkable (87/100 vs 10/100)
- Stuart sits closer to the CBD (1496 km vs 1498.1 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 10/100)
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (89% vs 53%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Stuart
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-1.5% vs -23.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Alice Springs and Stuart 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
Alice Springs rents higher ($313/wk vs $150/wk); Stuart has more residents (459 vs 231).
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 231 | 459 +99% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -23.0% | -1.5% |
| Median age | 37 | 28 |
| Median household income | $76,076/yr | $105,300/yr +38% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $313/wk +52% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.0%).
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 (13.4%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $650,000 |
| Median unit price | $305,000 | $369,000 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Development activity
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 30 across Alice Springs same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +25% same for both | |
Ranking within NT
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 45% of NT | Higher than 66% of NT |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 99% of NT | Higher than 58% of NT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 68% of NT | Higher than 69% of NT |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 70% of NT same for both | |
Liveability
Alice Springs is more walkable (87 vs 10).
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 5 within 5 km |
Schools
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| 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 Stuart
- St Philip's College Independent · Secondary
Amenities in the suburb
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 2 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 12 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Childcare | 6 | 1 |
| 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 same for both | |
Mobility
Alice Springs sits further from the CBD (1498.1 km vs 1496 km).
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 87/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Darwin | 1498.1 km | 1496 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 948 min same for both | |
| Public transport score | 56/100 Bus | 21/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 22.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 3.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 4 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.4%).
Setting
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 582 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 601 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 57/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 23% 794 premises | 22% 147 premises |
Climate
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,106/yr same for both | |
| Council | Alice Springs same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lingiari same for both | |
| Member | Marion Scrymgour same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Alice Springs | Stuart | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $50,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Alice Springs
Stuart
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Alice Springs
Other comparisons with Stuart
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.