Direk vs Penfield
Direk is the younger of the two, with a median age of 28 against 70 in Penfield. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Direk, about half of households are couple families. In Penfield, the large majority of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Direk: a median of $725,000, against $277,000 in Penfield, and rent is higher there too. Direk is closer to the city centre: 28.9 km, against 35.4 km. On these figures, Direk tends to suit young adults, families with children, and couples, while Penfield suits people living alone, 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
Direk
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 18%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Direk leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 32%)
- Penfield has cheaper houses ($277,000 vs $725,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Direk
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (44% vs 12%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 28%)
- But Penfield has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $325/wk)
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
- Direk sits closer to the CBD (28.9 km vs 35.4 km)
- Penfield is more walkable (15/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Penfield
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (62% vs 3%)
- is more walkable (15/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Direk and Penfield 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
Direk has higher household incomes ($87,412 vs $33,956); Penfield skews older (70 vs 28).
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 913 +54% vs other | 422 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +30.4% | — |
| Median age | 28 | 70 |
| Median household income | $87,412/yr +61% vs other | $33,956/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $325/wk +45% vs other | $180/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.5%).
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 (13.9%).
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 (17.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $725,000 | $277,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $283,000 |
| Median land price | $1,990,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 18 days from 6 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Direk has more industrially zoned land (71% vs 14%); Penfield has more rural and farming land (71% vs 19%).
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial | 71% | 14% |
| Rural and farming | 19% | 71% |
| Residential | 9% | 6% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 8% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 2% |
| 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
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 949 across Salisbury | 2,475 across Playford |
| Approvals change year on year | -30% | +65% |
Ranking within SA
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 14% of SA | — |
| Income | Higher than 65% of SA | Higher than 3% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 15% of SA | Higher than 69% of SA |
| Affordability | Higher than 91% of SA | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 31% of SA | Higher than 62% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 97% of SA | Higher than 72% of SA |
Liveability
Penfield is more walkable (15 vs 0).
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 23/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 79/100 | High 87/100 |
| Flood | High 74/100 | High 78/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | High 100/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 3 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Adelaide University, Mawson Lakes Campus, 9.7 km | None |
Amenities in the suburb
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Penfield sits further from the CBD (35.4 km vs 28.9 km).
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 15/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 28.9 km | 35.4 km +22% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 29 min | 32 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 5110 | 0.7% postcode 5121 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 72 postcode 5110 | — postcode 5121 |
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 (86.4%).
Setting
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 16 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 23 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.1 km | 9.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 92/100 | 43/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 88% 399 premises | 1% 275 premises |
Climate
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 404 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.6°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 18.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.31 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,722/yr | $2,101/yr |
| Council | Salisbury | Playford |
Federal electorate
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Spence same for both | |
| Member | Matt Burnell same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Direk | Penfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Direk
Other comparisons with Penfield
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.