Cowell vs Miltalie
Miltalie is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 53 in Cowell. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Cowell, about half of households are people living alone. In Miltalie, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Cowell tends to suit older residents, while Miltalie suits families with children and couples.
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 5 things we measure here
- Cowell has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- Miltalie is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 46%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Miltalie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 21%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Cowell
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Cowell
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (42/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (323 min vs 360 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (490 km vs 518.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Cowell
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (42/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 4%)
- But Miltalie has more units and townhouses to downsize into (30% vs 19%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Miltalie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (19.6% vs 1.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cowell and Miltalie 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
Cowell has more residents (1,124 vs 67); Miltalie has higher household incomes ($99,632 vs $60,372).
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,124 +94% vs other | 67 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.4% | +19.6% |
| Median age | 53 | 33 |
| Median household income | $60,372/yr | $99,632/yr +65% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $300/wk +50% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.9%).
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 (19.9%).
Property market
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $350,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $86,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 36 days from 11 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Miltalie has more rural and farming land (90% vs 78%); Cowell has more land zoned for conservation (21% vs 10%).
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 78% | 90% |
| Environmental | 21% | 10% |
| 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
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 5 across Franklin Harbour same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -67% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 28% of SA | Higher than 78% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 78% of SA | Higher than 29% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 28% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 73% of SA | Higher than 13% of SA |
Liveability
Cowell is more walkable (42 vs 0).
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 28/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Miltalie carries more bushfire risk (46 vs 34).
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 34/100 | Moderate 46/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 54/100 | — |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 88/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Cowell
- Cowell Area School Government · Combined above peers
Schools in Miltalie
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 5 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 7 | 15 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 3 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Beaches | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 9 | 3 |
Mobility
Miltalie sits further from the CBD (518.1 km vs 490 km).
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 42/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 490 km | 518.1 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 323 min | 360 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 5602 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 64 postcode 5602 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 (77.3%).
Setting
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 8 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 252 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 546 m | 27.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 44/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 663 premises | 0% 12 premises |
Climate
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 326 mm | 390 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.3°C | 28.0°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.7°C | 7.8°C |
Council rates
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,072/yr same for both | |
| Council | Franklin Harbour same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cowell | Miltalie | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Cowell
Other comparisons with Miltalie
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.