Charleston vs Mount Torrens
Charleston is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 45 in Mount Torrens. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Charleston is closer to the city centre: 43.1 km, against 49.3 km. On these figures, Charleston tends to suit families with children, while Mount Torrens 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
Mount Torrens
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house 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
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Charleston sits closer to the CBD (43.1 km vs 49.3 km)
- Mount Torrens is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mount Torrens
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mount Torrens
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.0% vs 2.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Charleston and Mount Torrens 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
Mount Torrens has more residents (768 vs 550); Charleston has higher household incomes ($110,032 vs $98,592).
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 550 | 768 +40% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.2% | +8.0% |
| Median age | 42 | 45 |
| Median household income | $110,032/yr +10% vs other | $98,592/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk +7% vs other | $325/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).
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 (4.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $979,250 | $922,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 27 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 100% |
| Environmental | 2% | 0% |
| Residential | 2% | 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
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 95 across Adelaide Hills same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +53% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 10% of SA | Higher than 1% of SA |
| Income | Higher than 86% of SA | Higher than 78% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 25% of SA | Higher than 67% of SA |
| Affordability | Higher than 97% of SA | Higher than 100% of SA |
| EV adoption | Higher than 80% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 72% of SA | Higher than 50% of SA |
Liveability
Mount Torrens is more walkable (14 vs 0); Charleston scores higher overall (49 vs 44).
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C same for both | |
| Score | 49/100 | 44/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 80/100 | High 77/100 |
| Crime | Low 10/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Flood | Low 30/100 | — |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 4 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Charleston
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Mount Torrens
- St Benedict School Independent · Primary above peers
- Mount Torrens Christian School Independent · Combined below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Mount Torrens sits further from the CBD (49.3 km vs 43.1 km).
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 43.1 km | 49.3 km +14% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 49 min | 52 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 5244 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 82 postcode 5244 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 (76.1%).
Setting
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 429 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 510 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 35.9 km | 38.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 43/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 8% 236 premises | 0% 318 premises |
Climate
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 921 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,727/yr same for both | |
| Council | Adelaide Hills same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mayo same for both | |
| Member | Rebekha Sharkie same for both | |
| Party | Centre Alliance same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Charleston | Mount Torrens | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Charleston
Other comparisons with Mount Torrens
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.