Darlington vs Seacombe Heights

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Seacombe Heights, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Seacombe Heights: a median of $1.08 million, against $890,000 in Darlington, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Darlington tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Seacombe Heights suits 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

Seacombe Heights

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 83/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (99% vs 80%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 54%)

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

First-home buyers

Darlington

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($890,000 vs $1,076,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Darlington

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 13%)
  • has cheaper rent ($325/wk vs $380/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Darlington has more units and townhouses to downsize into (20% vs 2%)
  • Seacombe Heights carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 83/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Darlington Seacombe Heights
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.

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Walkability 74 / 70
Darlington — Walkability: 74/100 Seacombe Heights — Walkability: 70/100
Safety 17 / 74
Darlington — Safety: 17/100 Seacombe Heights — Safety: 74/100
Low fire risk 73 / 100
Darlington — Low fire risk: 73/100 Seacombe Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 41 / 39
Darlington — Low flood risk: 41/100 Seacombe Heights — Low flood risk: 39/100

Demographics

Seacombe Heights has higher household incomes ($99,684 vs $83,252); Seacombe Heights rents higher ($380/wk vs $325/wk).

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Population 1,275 1,549
+21% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.2% +4.2%
Median age 39 40
Median household income $83,252/yr $99,684/yr
+20% vs other
Median weekly rent $325/wk $380/wk
+17% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Darlington Seacombe Heights
0-4 4.7% / 6.2%
Darlington — 0-4: 4.7% Seacombe Heights — 0-4: 6.2%
5-14 10.4% / 12.7%
Darlington — 5-14: 10.4% Seacombe Heights — 5-14: 12.7%
15-19 7.3% / 6.2%
Darlington — 15-19: 7.3% Seacombe Heights — 15-19: 6.2%
20-24 7.2% / 4.5%
Darlington — 20-24: 7.2% Seacombe Heights — 20-24: 4.5%
25-34 14.1% / 12.4%
Darlington — 25-34: 14.1% Seacombe Heights — 25-34: 12.4%
35-44 14.4% / 14.0%
Darlington — 35-44: 14.4% Seacombe Heights — 35-44: 14.0%
45-54 13.4% / 14.4%
Darlington — 45-54: 13.4% Seacombe Heights — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 10.6% / 10.8%
Darlington — 55-64: 10.6% Seacombe Heights — 55-64: 10.8%
65-74 9.6% / 9.7%
Darlington — 65-74: 9.6% Seacombe Heights — 65-74: 9.7%
75-84 5.8% / 7.6%
Darlington — 75-84: 5.8% Seacombe Heights — 75-84: 7.6%
85+ 2.0% / 1.9%
Darlington — 85+: 2.0% Seacombe Heights — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Darlington 36.8% couple families
Darlington — Couple Families: 36.8% Darlington — Lone Person: 35.0% Darlington — One Parent Families: 17.6% Darlington — Group Household: 8.7% Darlington — Other Families: 1.8%
Seacombe Heights 54.5% couple families
Seacombe Heights — Couple Families: 54.5% Seacombe Heights — Lone Person: 26.5% Seacombe Heights — One Parent Families: 11.8% Seacombe Heights — Group Household: 4.6% Seacombe Heights — Other Families: 2.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Darlington 28.8% renting
Darlington — Owned Outright: 33.3% Darlington — Mortgage: 37.9% Darlington — Renting: 28.8%
Seacombe Heights 13.4% renting
Seacombe Heights — Owned Outright: 37.4% Seacombe Heights — Mortgage: 49.2% Seacombe Heights — Renting: 13.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Certificate III & IV 15.2% / 15.4%
Darlington — Certificate III & IV: 15.2% Seacombe Heights — Certificate III & IV: 15.4%
Bachelor Degree 14.2% / 16.1%
Darlington — Bachelor Degree: 14.2% Seacombe Heights — Bachelor Degree: 16.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.6% / 7.8%
Darlington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6% Seacombe Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Postgraduate Degree 5.4% / 5.3%
Darlington — Postgraduate Degree: 5.4% Seacombe Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 1.7%
Darlington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Seacombe Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).

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.

Darlington Seacombe Heights
England 3.2% / 7.1%
Darlington — England: 3.2% Seacombe Heights — England: 7.1%
India 3.1% / 3.2%
Darlington — India: 3.1% Seacombe Heights — India: 3.2%
China 1.6% / 1.9%
Darlington — China: 1.6% Seacombe Heights — China: 1.9%
Greece 1.3% / 1.2%
Darlington — Greece: 1.3% Seacombe Heights — Greece: 1.2%
Malaysia 2.4% / —
Darlington — Malaysia: 2.4% Seacombe Heights — Malaysia: not among its largest
South Africa — / 1.0%
Darlington — South Africa: not among its largest Seacombe Heights — South Africa: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Darlington 79.6% houses
Darlington — Houses: 79.6% Darlington — Townhouses: 15.3% Darlington — Flats / Apartments: 5.1%
Seacombe Heights 98.6% houses
Seacombe Heights — Houses: 98.6% Seacombe Heights — Townhouses: 2.3% Seacombe Heights — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Median house price $890,000 $1,076,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $1,472,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 35 days
from 8 sales
 24 days
from 14 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.

Darlington Seacombe Heights
3 bed $855K / $990K
Darlington — 3 bed: $855K (10 sales) Seacombe Heights — 3 bed: $990K (18 sales)

10 vs 18 sales

4 bed $1.06M / $1.25M
Darlington — 4 bed: $1.06M (8 sales) Seacombe Heights — 4 bed: $1.25M (14 sales)

8 vs 14 sales

Zoning mix

Darlington has more land zoned for conservation (34% vs 4%).

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Residential 56% 96%
Environmental 34% 4%
Commercial 6% 0%
Industrial 3% 0%
Parks and recreation 1% 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

Darlington Seacombe Heights
New dwellings approved 809
across Marion
same for both
Approvals change year on year -31%
same for both

Ranking within SA

Darlington Seacombe Heights
House price Higher than 25% of SA Higher than 60% of SA
Income Higher than 58% of SA Higher than 79% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 90% of SA Higher than 88% of SA
Affordability Higher than 81% of SA Higher than 62% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 81% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of SA Higher than 85% of SA

Liveability

Seacombe Heights scores higher overall (71 vs 44).

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Grade C A
Score 44/100 71/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Darlington carries more bushfire risk (27 vs 0); Darlington carries more crime risk (83 vs 26).

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Bushfire Low
27/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
83/100
 Low
26/100
Flood Moderate
59/100
 Moderate
61/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Bedford Park, 1.6 km
 2
Bedford Park, 2.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.5% 2.5%

Schools in Darlington

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Seacombe Heights

  • Seaview High School Government · Secondary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Supermarkets 1 0
Parks & reserves 1
same for both
Childcare 0 1
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Fuel stations 2 0

Mobility

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Walkability score 74/100 70/100
Distance to Adelaide 14 km 15 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 20 min 22 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 50/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 41.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 11.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 5047
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 5047
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.

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Car (driver) 73.9% / 76.9%
Darlington — Car (driver): 73.9% Seacombe Heights — Car (driver): 76.9%
Worked from Home 11.7% / 12.2%
Darlington — Worked from Home: 11.7% Seacombe Heights — Worked from Home: 12.2%
Car (passenger) 4.5% / 4.2%
Darlington — Car (passenger): 4.5% Seacombe Heights — Car (passenger): 4.2%
Train 2.4% / 4.2%
Darlington — Train: 2.4% Seacombe Heights — Train: 4.2%
Bus 4.8% / 1.5%
Darlington — Bus: 4.8% Seacombe Heights — Bus: 1.5%
Walked Only 2.6% / 0.6%
Darlington — Walked Only: 2.6% Seacombe Heights — Walked Only: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.9%).

Setting

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Elevation 90 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 92 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.6 km 2.7 km

NBN connectivity

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Connectivity score 74/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 28%
574 premises
 0%
625 premises

Climate

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Annual rainfall 394 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Darlington Seacombe Heights
PM2.5 6.0 µg/m³ —
PM10 17.8 µg/m³ 19.5 µg/m³
NO₂ 1.12 pphm 0.34 pphm

Council rates

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Average residential rate $1,782/yr
same for both
Council Marion
same for both

Federal electorate

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Division Boothby
same for both
Member Louise Miller-Frost
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Darlington Seacombe Heights
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Darlington

Middle-Ring Quiet

Seacombe Heights

Coastal Middle-Ring Parks Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Darlington

Darlington vs Flagstaff Hill Darlington vs Seacombe Gardens Darlington vs Sturt Darlington vs O'Halloran Hill Darlington vs Bedford Park

Other comparisons with Seacombe Heights

Seacombe Heights vs Seacombe Gardens Seacombe Heights vs Dover Gardens Seacombe Heights vs Sturt Seacombe Heights vs O'Halloran Hill Seacombe Heights vs Seaview Downs
Full data on Darlington Full data on Seacombe Heights
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or