Boulder vs South Boulder
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Boulder: a median of $370,000, against $330,000 in South Boulder. On these figures, Boulder tends to suit 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
Boulder
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Boulder has cheaper units ($343,250 vs $410,000)
- South Boulder has cheaper houses ($330,000 vs $370,000)
Weighs house prices, unit 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
Boulder
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (62/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Boulder
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (62/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
South Boulder
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- is growing faster (9.5% vs 1.0%)
- returns a higher gross yield on houses (8.7% vs 7.9%)
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Boulder and South Boulder 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
Boulder has more residents (4,872 vs 1,506).
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,872 +69% vs other | 1,506 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.0% | +9.5% |
| Median age | 35 same for both | |
| Median household income | $102,336/yr +6% vs other | $96,096/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
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 (7.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $370,000 | $330,000 |
| Median unit price | $343,250 | $410,000 |
| Median land price | — | $240,500 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 36 days from 62 sales | 26 days from 12 sales |
House price by bedroom count
Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.
14 vs 5 sales
99 vs 34 sales
35 vs 19 sales
Development activity
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 48 across Kalgoorlie-Boulder same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -8% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 7.9% $700/wk on $459K | 8.7% $700/wk on $419K |
| Units | 8.4% $550/wk on $340K | — |
Ranking within WA
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 68% of WA | Higher than 60% of WA |
| Schools | Higher than 62% of WA | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 87% of WA | Higher than 60% of WA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 1% of WA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 74% of WA | Higher than 75% of WA |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 97% of WA | Higher than 98% of WA |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 96% of WA | — |
Liveability
Boulder is more walkable (62 vs 0); Boulder scores higher overall (41 vs 13).
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | D |
| Score | 41/100 | 13/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
South Boulder carries more flood risk (61 vs 31).
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 93/100 | High 89/100 |
| Flood | Low 31/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 9 within 5 km | 4 within 5 km |
Schools
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 3 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Boulder
- Kalgoorlie School Of The Air Government · Primary above peers
- Boulder Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary below peers
Schools in South Boulder
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 62/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Perth | 595.1 km | 596.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 403 min | 402 min |
| Public transport score | 69/100 Bus | 34/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 30.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 9.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 6432 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 34 postcode 6432 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 (81.5%).
Setting
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 359 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 338 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 60/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 28% 2,415 premises | 26% 739 premises |
Climate
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 261 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 33.2°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,625/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kalgoorlie-Boulder same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | O'connor same for both | |
| Member | Rick Wilson same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Boulder | South Boulder | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $800,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Boulder
South Boulder
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Boulder
Other comparisons with South Boulder
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.