Barabba vs Grace Plains
Barabba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 41 in Grace Plains. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Barabba, most households are couple families. In Grace Plains, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Barabba tends to suit couples, while Grace Plains 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Barabba is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 54%)
- Grace Plains carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 63/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Barabba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 29%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Grace Plains
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (56 min vs 61 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (69.2 km vs 74.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Grace Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 63/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Barabba and Grace Plains 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
Barabba has more residents (135 vs 61); Barabba has higher household incomes ($110,500 vs $84,448).
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 135 +55% vs other | 61 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +15.4% | +13.0% |
| Median age | 36 | 41 |
| Median household income | $110,500/yr +24% vs other | $84,448/yr |
| Median weekly rent | — same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).
Zoning mix
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% 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
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 106 across Adelaide Plains same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -21% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 87% of SA | Higher than 60% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 49% of SA | Higher than 40% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 47% of SA | Higher than 51% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 67% of SA | Higher than 63% of SA |
Liveability
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Barabba carries more crime risk (63 vs 51).
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 83/100 | High 84/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 63/100 | Moderate 51/100 |
| Flood | Low 25/100 | — |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
Barabba sits further from the CBD (74.8 km vs 69.2 km).
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 74.8 km +7% vs other | 69.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 61 min | 56 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 5460 | 0.5% postcode 5502 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 73 postcode 5460 | 78 postcode 5502 |
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 (71.8%).
Setting
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 95 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 44 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 28.9 km | 22.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 48 premises | 0% 29 premises |
Climate
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 460 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,698/yr same for both | |
| Council | Adelaide Plains same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Barabba | Grace Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Barabba
Other comparisons with Grace Plains
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.