Bowhill vs Karoonda
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bowhill, about half of households are people living alone. In Karoonda, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Bowhill: a median of $512,000, against $330,000 in Karoonda, though rent is higher in Karoonda. On these figures, Karoonda tends to suit older residents 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
Karoonda
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (96% vs 86%)
- But Bowhill carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 53/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Karoonda
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($56,000 vs $587,500)
- has cheaper houses ($330,000 vs $511,932)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Bowhill
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (28% vs 18%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 21%)
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
- Bowhill sits closer to the CBD (136.6 km vs 146.4 km)
- Karoonda is more walkable (44/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Bowhill has more units and townhouses to downsize into (14% vs 4%)
- Karoonda is more walkable (44/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Karoonda
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.0% vs -8.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bowhill and Karoonda 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
Karoonda has more residents (517 vs 127); Bowhill has higher household incomes ($60,112 vs $42,744).
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 127 | 517 +307% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -8.0% | +1.0% |
| Median age | 54 | 55 |
| Median household income | $60,112/yr +29% vs other | $42,744/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $160/wk | $170/wk +6% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
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 (8.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $511,932 | $330,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $587,500 | $56,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 45 days from 5 sales | 30 days from 4 sales |
Zoning mix
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 100% |
| Environmental | 4% | 0% |
| 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
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1 across Karoonda East Murray same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 27% of SA | Higher than 8% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 16% of SA | Higher than 79% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 36% of SA | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 45% of SA | Higher than 47% of SA |
Liveability
Karoonda is more walkable (44 vs 0).
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 42/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Karoonda carries more crime risk (53 vs 26).
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 26/100 | Moderate 53/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| 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
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Bowhill
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Karoonda
- Karoonda Area School Government · Combined above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 4 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Karoonda sits further from the CBD (146.4 km vs 136.6 km).
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 44/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 136.6 km | 146.4 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 104 min | 102 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 5238 | 0.0% postcode 5307 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 5238 | 64 postcode 5307 |
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 (64.4%).
Setting
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 115 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 69 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 98 premises | 0% 273 premises |
Climate
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 345 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,044/yr same for both | |
| Council | Karoonda East Murray same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bowhill | Karoonda | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Bowhill
Karoonda
More comparisons
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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.