Bowen Hills vs Newstead

Bowen Hills is the younger of the two, with a median age of 30 against 33 in Newstead. In both, most households rent, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. Units cost more in Newstead: a median of $931,000, against $686,000 in Bowen Hills, and rent is higher there too. Newstead is closer to the city centre: 3.4 km, against 5.1 km. On these figures, Bowen Hills tends to suit renters, young adults, and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

  • Bowen Hills has more childcare (4 vs 0)
  • Newstead carries lower crime risk (80/100 vs 91/100)

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

First-home buyers

Bowen Hills

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($686,000 vs $931,250)

Weighs unit prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bowen Hills

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($390/wk vs $490/wk)
  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (84% vs 71%)

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

Commuting to the city

Bowen Hills

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (14% vs 1%)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Newstead

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (12% vs 4%)
  • carries lower crime risk (80/100 vs 91/100)

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

Investors

They split

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

  • Bowen Hills returns a higher gross yield on units (5.6% vs 4.7%)
  • Newstead is growing faster (241.8% vs 51.8%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bowen Hills Newstead
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.

Bowen Hills Newstead
Walkability 94 / 97
Bowen Hills — Walkability: 94/100 Newstead — Walkability: 97/100
Safety 9 / 20
Bowen Hills — Safety: 9/100 Newstead — Safety: 20/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Bowen Hills — Low fire risk: 100/100 Newstead — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Newstead has more residents (7,496 vs 4,898); Newstead has higher household incomes ($120,900 vs $80,652).

Bowen Hills Newstead
Population 4,898 7,496
+53% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +51.8% +241.8%
Median age 30 33
Median household income $80,652/yr $120,900/yr
+50% vs other
Median weekly rent $390/wk $490/wk
+26% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bowen Hills Newstead
0-4 2.2% / 2.5%
Bowen Hills — 0-4: 2.2% Newstead — 0-4: 2.5%
5-14 2.3% / 2.2%
Bowen Hills — 5-14: 2.3% Newstead — 5-14: 2.2%
15-19 2.5% / 1.5%
Bowen Hills — 15-19: 2.5% Newstead — 15-19: 1.5%
20-24 18.1% / 9.8%
Bowen Hills — 20-24: 18.1% Newstead — 20-24: 9.8%
25-34 40.9% / 39.1%
Bowen Hills — 25-34: 40.9% Newstead — 25-34: 39.1%
35-44 16.5% / 16.9%
Bowen Hills — 35-44: 16.5% Newstead — 35-44: 16.9%
45-54 8.0% / 8.8%
Bowen Hills — 45-54: 8.0% Newstead — 45-54: 8.8%
55-64 5.3% / 7.3%
Bowen Hills — 55-64: 5.3% Newstead — 55-64: 7.3%
65-74 2.8% / 5.4%
Bowen Hills — 65-74: 2.8% Newstead — 65-74: 5.4%
75-84 1.1% / 4.4%
Bowen Hills — 75-84: 1.1% Newstead — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ 0.2% / 2.0%
Bowen Hills — 85+: 0.2% Newstead — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (40.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bowen Hills 68.3% lone person
Bowen Hills — Lone Person: 68.3% Bowen Hills — Group Household: 17.4% Bowen Hills — Couple Families: 7.4% Bowen Hills — One Parent Families: 4.6% Bowen Hills — Other Families: 2.3%
Newstead 64.0% lone person
Newstead — Lone Person: 64.0% Newstead — Group Household: 18.0% Newstead — Couple Families: 10.4% Newstead — One Parent Families: 5.9% Newstead — Other Families: 1.8%
Lone Person Group Household Couple Families One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bowen Hills 83.5% renting
Bowen Hills — Owned Outright: 4.7% Bowen Hills — Mortgage: 11.8% Bowen Hills — Renting: 83.5%
Newstead 71.3% renting
Newstead — Owned Outright: 13.3% Newstead — Mortgage: 15.4% Newstead — Renting: 71.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bowen Hills Newstead
Bachelor Degree 28.6% / 33.3%
Bowen Hills — Bachelor Degree: 28.6% Newstead — Bachelor Degree: 33.3%
Certificate III & IV 11.0% / 9.0%
Bowen Hills — Certificate III & IV: 11.0% Newstead — Certificate III & IV: 9.0%
Postgraduate Degree 9.0% / 10.4%
Bowen Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 9.0% Newstead — Postgraduate Degree: 10.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.3% / 9.0%
Bowen Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.3% Newstead — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.4% / 3.8%
Bowen Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4% Newstead — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (33.3%).

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.

Bowen Hills Newstead
England 3.1% / 5.0%
Bowen Hills — England: 3.1% Newstead — England: 5.0%
New Zealand 3.6% / 3.7%
Bowen Hills — New Zealand: 3.6% Newstead — New Zealand: 3.7%
China 2.1% / 2.2%
Bowen Hills — China: 2.1% Newstead — China: 2.2%
India 2.9% / 1.0%
Bowen Hills — India: 2.9% Newstead — India: 1.0%
Brazil 2.4% / 0.9%
Bowen Hills — Brazil: 2.4% Newstead — Brazil: 0.9%
South Africa — / 1.5%
Bowen Hills — South Africa: not among its largest Newstead — South Africa: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bowen Hills 94.6% flats / apartments
Bowen Hills — Flats / Apartments: 94.6% Bowen Hills — Houses: 3.0% Bowen Hills — Townhouses: 2.4%
Newstead 99.5% flats / apartments
Newstead — Flats / Apartments: 99.5% Newstead — Houses: 0.2% Newstead — Townhouses: 0.3%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Bowen Hills Newstead
Median house price $2,200,000 —
Median unit price $686,000 $931,250
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 3 sales
 —

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Bowen Hills Newstead
1 bed $585K / $720K
Bowen Hills — 1 bed: $585K (105 sales) Newstead — 1 bed: $720K (81 sales)

105 vs 81 sales

2 bed $759K / $1.02M
Bowen Hills — 2 bed: $759K (111 sales) Newstead — 2 bed: $1.02M (189 sales)

111 vs 189 sales

3 bed $820K / $1.67M
Bowen Hills — 3 bed: $820K (14 sales) Newstead — 3 bed: $1.67M (58 sales)

14 vs 58 sales

Development activity

Bowen Hills Newstead
New dwellings approved 9,382
across Brisbane
same for both
Approvals change year on year +9%
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.

Bowen Hills Newstead
Houses —
same for both
Units 5.6%
$730/wk on $682K
 4.7%
$910/wk on $1,000K

Ranking within QLD

Bowen Hills Newstead
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 51% of QLD Higher than 90% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 99% of QLD Higher than 100% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 99% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of QLD Higher than 96% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 82% of QLD Higher than 63% of QLD

Liveability

Newstead scores higher overall (78 vs 68).

Bowen Hills Newstead
Grade A
same for both
Score 68/100 78/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Bowen Hills carries more crime risk (91 vs 80).

Bowen Hills Newstead
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
91/100
 High
80/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 9
within 5 km
 11
within 5 km

Schools

Bowen Hills Newstead
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
Universities within 10 km 3
90 Bowen Terrace, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006, 1.3 km
 3
90 Bowen Terrace, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006, 1.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 5.2% 2.7%

Amenities in the suburb

Bowen Hills Newstead
Supermarkets 1 2
Cafes & restaurants 9 32
Parks & reserves 5 4
Childcare 4 0
GPs 2
same for both
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 3
Fuel stations 2
same for both
EV chargers 1 2
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Bowen Hills Newstead
Walkability score 94/100 97/100
Distance to Brisbane 5.1 km
+33% vs other
 3.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 9 min
same for both
Public transport score 96/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 144.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 75.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 3.6%
postcode 4006
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 4
postcode 4006
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.

Bowen Hills Newstead
Car (driver) 35.4% / 37.0%
Bowen Hills — Car (driver): 35.4% Newstead — Car (driver): 37.0%
Worked from Home 21.7% / 31.2%
Bowen Hills — Worked from Home: 21.7% Newstead — Worked from Home: 31.2%
Walked Only 19.1% / 15.4%
Bowen Hills — Walked Only: 19.1% Newstead — Walked Only: 15.4%
Bus 5.8% / 10.3%
Bowen Hills — Bus: 5.8% Newstead — Bus: 10.3%
Train 13.5% / 0.9%
Bowen Hills — Train: 13.5% Newstead — Train: 0.9%
Car (passenger) 3.2% / 3.7%
Bowen Hills — Car (passenger): 3.2% Newstead — Car (passenger): 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (37.0%).

Setting

Bowen Hills Newstead
Elevation 10 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 8.4 km
2.8 km to a named beach
 7.7 km
3.5 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Bowen Hills Newstead
Connectivity score 84/100 91/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 50%
3,820 premises
 75%
6,411 premises

Climate

Bowen Hills Newstead
Annual rainfall 1,032 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Bowen Hills Newstead
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Bowen Hills Newstead
Average residential rate $1,519/yr
same for both
Council Brisbane
same for both

Federal electorate

Bowen Hills Newstead
Division Brisbane
same for both
Member Madonna Jarrett
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bowen Hills Newstead
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bowen Hills

Apartments Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Parks Professionals River Students Trains Transport Hub

Newstead

Apartments Cafe Culture Inner Parks Premium Professionals Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bowen Hills

Bowen Hills vs Fortitude Valley Bowen Hills vs Windsor Bowen Hills vs Spring Hill Bowen Hills vs Albion Bowen Hills vs Herston

Other comparisons with Newstead

Newstead vs Fortitude Valley Newstead vs Hamilton Newstead vs Bulimba Newstead vs Teneriffe Newstead vs Albion
Full data on Bowen Hills Full data on Newstead
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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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