Devonport vs Burnie
In both, most homes are detached houses. In Devonport, most households own their home and about half of households are people living alone. In Burnie, about half of households rent and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Burnie tends to suit renters and people living alone.
Devonport is a significantly larger centre with 14,481 residents compared to Burnie's 693, offering more amenities and services. Devonport sits closer to Hobart at 281.4 km versus Burnie's 325.3 km, and has a slightly higher median household income of $56,836 annually. Burnie edges ahead on walkability (82 versus 79) and liveability score (63 versus 61), and ranks higher on the socio-economic decile. Both suburbs have zero bushfire risk and similar median ages. Devonport may suit those seeking a more established town with greater activity, while Burnie appeals to those prioritising walkability and community feel in a quieter setting.
Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.
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
Devonport
ahead on 5 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (9 vs 1)
- has more childcare (7 vs 2)
- has more parks and reserves (9 vs 3)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Burnie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper units ($320,000 vs $432,500)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Burnie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (51% vs 37%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Devonport
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (281.4 km vs 325.3 km)
- has a shorter drive in (197 min vs 224 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Devonport has more GPs (6 vs 3)
- Burnie has more units and townhouses to downsize into (36% vs 17%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Burnie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.3% vs 5.2%)
Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.
Where they sit
Devonport and Burnie 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
Devonport has more residents (14,481 vs 693).
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,481 +95% vs other | 693 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.2% | +16.3% |
| Median age | 43 | 42 |
| Median household income | $56,836/yr +3% vs other | $55,328/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +4% vs other | $240/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).
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 (3.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $570,685 | $562,500 |
| Median unit price | $432,500 | $320,000 |
| Median land price | $345,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 36 days from 126 sales | 39 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Burnie has more industrially zoned land (32% vs 5%); Burnie has more commercially zoned land (23% vs 5%).
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 65% | 24% |
| Industrial | 5% | 32% |
| Commercial | 5% | 23% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 9% | 15% |
| Parks and recreation | 11% | 5% |
| 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
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 109 across Devonport | 90 across Burnie |
| Approvals change year on year | +146% | +1200% |
Gross rental yield
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.4% $550/wk on $649K | 4.0% $465/wk on $599K |
| Units | 4.1% $395/wk on $495K | 4.3% $290/wk on $350K |
Ranking within TAS
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 30% of TAS | Higher than 29% of TAS |
| Schools | Higher than 68% of TAS | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 98% of TAS same for both | |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 38% of TAS | Higher than 32% of TAS |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 81% of TAS | Higher than 80% of TAS |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 59% of TAS | Higher than 37% of TAS |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 33% of TAS | Higher than 43% of TAS |
Liveability
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | A |
| Score | 61/100 | 63/100 |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 15/100 | High 84/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 8 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 9 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 3 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 4 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Devonport
- Devonport High School Government · Secondary above peers
- Reece High School Government · Secondary above peers
- St Brendan-Shaw College Catholic · Secondary above peers
- Devonport Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- Nixon Street Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School Catholic · Primary at peers
Schools in Burnie
- Indie School - Devonport (Burnie Campus) Independent · Secondary · Special school
Amenities in the suburb
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 6 | 2 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 35 | 29 |
| Parks & reserves | 9 | 3 |
| Childcare | 7 | 2 |
| GPs | 6 | 3 |
| Pharmacies | 5 | 4 |
| Police stations | 1 same for both | |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 9 | 8 |
| Fuel stations | 6 | 3 |
| EV chargers | 2 | 1 |
Mobility
Burnie sits further from the CBD (325.3 km vs 281.4 km).
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 79/100 | 82/100 |
| Distance to Hobart | 281.4 km | 325.3 km +16% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 197 min | 224 min |
| Public transport score | 74/100 Bus | 56/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 100.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 16.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 2 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 7310 | 0.4% postcode 7320 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 23 postcode 7310 | 19 postcode 7320 |
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 (81.6%).
Setting
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 39 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 22 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.6 km 1.7 km to a named beach | 292 m 616 m to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 64/100 | 58/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 35% 8,128 premises | 23% 921 premises |
Climate
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 698 mm | 929 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 21.6°C | 21.8°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.1°C | 3.8°C |
Council rates
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,501/yr | $2,050/yr |
| Council | Devonport | Burnie |
Federal electorate
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Braddon same for both | |
| Member | Anne Urquhart same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Devonport | Burnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $20,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Devonport
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Devonport
Other comparisons with Burnie
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.