Arno Bay vs Port Neill
Arno Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 56 in Port Neill. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Arno Bay, about half of households are people living alone. In Port Neill, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Port Neill: a median of $492,000, against $325,000 in Arno Bay, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Arno Bay tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Port Neill suits people living alone.
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
Arno Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 30%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Arno Bay
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 34%)
- has cheaper houses ($325,000 vs $492,500)
- has cheaper land ($140,000 vs $203,500)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Arno Bay
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (534.5 km vs 568.7 km)
- has a shorter drive in (352 min vs 374 min)
- But Port Neill is more walkable (29/100 vs 20/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Port Neill
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (29/100 vs 20/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Port Neill
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (12.4% vs -5.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Arno Bay and Port Neill 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
Arno Bay has more residents (314 vs 218); Arno Bay has higher household incomes ($51,064 vs $44,200).
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 314 +31% vs other | 218 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -5.1% | +12.4% |
| Median age | 52 | 56 |
| Median household income | $51,064/yr +13% vs other | $44,200/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $183/wk | $194/wk +6% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (4.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $325,000 | $492,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $140,000 | $203,500 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 53 days from 5 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 95% |
| Environmental | 4% same for both | |
| Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09. | ||
Development activity
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 13 across Cleve | 13 across Tumby Bay |
| Approvals change year on year | — | -50% |
Ranking within SA
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 16% of SA | Higher than 9% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 71% of SA | Higher than 75% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 60% of SA | Higher than 69% of SA |
Liveability
Port Neill is more walkable (29 vs 20).
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 63/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 80/100 | High 76/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Arno Bay
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Port Neill
- Port Neill Primary School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 same for both | |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 3 |
Mobility
Port Neill sits further from the CBD (568.7 km vs 534.5 km).
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 20/100 | 29/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 534.5 km | 568.7 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 352 min | 374 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 5603 | 0.0% postcode 5604 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 60 postcode 5603 | 45 postcode 5604 |
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 (82.6%).
Setting
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 11 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 17 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.0 km | 266 m |
NBN connectivity
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 243 premises | 0% 227 premises |
Climate
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 326 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.3°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,474/yr | $1,976/yr |
| Council | Cleve | Tumby Bay |
Federal electorate
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Arno Bay | Port Neill | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Arno Bay
Other comparisons with Port Neill
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.