Dover Gardens vs South Brighton

Dover Gardens is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 44 in South Brighton. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in South Brighton: a median of $1.24 million, against $1 million in Dover Gardens. On these figures, Dover Gardens tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.

Dover Gardens and South Brighton are neighbouring suburbs with distinct profiles. South Brighton has a higher median household income of $83,252 versus $73,996, sits in a stronger socio-economic decile (8 versus 5), and scores notably higher on liveability (59 versus 44) and walkability (82 versus 72). Dover Gardens offers better rental yield on houses at 4.0% compared to 3.0%, and median house prices are lower at $1,000,000 against $1,238,000, though units are pricier here. South Brighton suits buyers prioritising walkability and community amenities, while Dover Gardens may appeal to those focused on rental returns and lower entry prices for houses.

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

Dover Gardens

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Dover Gardens has cheaper houses ($1,000,000 vs $1,238,000)
  • South Brighton has cheaper units ($701,000 vs $885,000)

Weighs house prices, unit 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

South Brighton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 72/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

South Brighton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 72/100)

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

Investors

Dover Gardens

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.0% vs 3.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Dover Gardens and South Brighton drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Dover Gardens South Brighton
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.

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Walkability 72 / 82
Dover Gardens — Walkability: 72/100 South Brighton — Walkability: 82/100
Safety 38 / 44
Dover Gardens — Safety: 38/100 South Brighton — Safety: 44/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Dover Gardens — Low fire risk: 100/100 South Brighton — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 8 / 9
Dover Gardens — Low flood risk: 8/100 South Brighton — Low flood risk: 9/100

Demographics

South Brighton skews older (44 vs 39); South Brighton has higher household incomes ($83,252 vs $73,996).

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Population 3,062
+10% vs other
 2,763
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.6% +10.3%
Median age 39 44
Median household income $73,996/yr $83,252/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $339/wk
+1% vs other
 $335/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Dover Gardens South Brighton
0-4 6.1% / 5.1%
Dover Gardens — 0-4: 6.1% South Brighton — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 10.1% / 9.9%
Dover Gardens — 5-14: 10.1% South Brighton — 5-14: 9.9%
15-19 4.8% / 5.1%
Dover Gardens — 15-19: 4.8% South Brighton — 15-19: 5.1%
20-24 6.3% / 5.1%
Dover Gardens — 20-24: 6.3% South Brighton — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 16.3% / 12.3%
Dover Gardens — 25-34: 16.3% South Brighton — 25-34: 12.3%
35-44 14.5% / 12.9%
Dover Gardens — 35-44: 14.5% South Brighton — 35-44: 12.9%
45-54 11.1% / 11.9%
Dover Gardens — 45-54: 11.1% South Brighton — 45-54: 11.9%
55-64 11.0% / 13.9%
Dover Gardens — 55-64: 11.0% South Brighton — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 12.1% / 12.3%
Dover Gardens — 65-74: 12.1% South Brighton — 65-74: 12.3%
75-84 5.1% / 8.0%
Dover Gardens — 75-84: 5.1% South Brighton — 75-84: 8.0%
85+ 2.9% / 3.5%
Dover Gardens — 85+: 2.9% South Brighton — 85+: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Dover Gardens 40.9% lone person
Dover Gardens — Lone Person: 40.9% Dover Gardens — Couple Families: 33.3% Dover Gardens — One Parent Families: 17.7% Dover Gardens — Group Household: 5.7% Dover Gardens — Other Families: 2.4%
South Brighton 42.9% lone person
South Brighton — Lone Person: 42.9% South Brighton — Couple Families: 38.2% South Brighton — One Parent Families: 13.4% South Brighton — Group Household: 4.3% South Brighton — Other Families: 1.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Dover Gardens 35.4% renting
Dover Gardens — Owned Outright: 27.4% Dover Gardens — Mortgage: 37.3% Dover Gardens — Renting: 35.4%
South Brighton 28.1% renting
South Brighton — Owned Outright: 38.3% South Brighton — Mortgage: 33.5% South Brighton — Renting: 28.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Bachelor Degree 14.5% / 17.9%
Dover Gardens — Bachelor Degree: 14.5% South Brighton — Bachelor Degree: 17.9%
Certificate III & IV 14.3% / 13.4%
Dover Gardens — Certificate III & IV: 14.3% South Brighton — Certificate III & IV: 13.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 8.9%
Dover Gardens — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% South Brighton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Postgraduate Degree 5.4% / 6.1%
Dover Gardens — Postgraduate Degree: 5.4% South Brighton — Postgraduate Degree: 6.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 2.5%
Dover Gardens — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% South Brighton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

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.

Dover Gardens South Brighton
England 6.2% / 8.5%
Dover Gardens — England: 6.2% South Brighton — England: 8.5%
India 2.8% / 1.2%
Dover Gardens — India: 2.8% South Brighton — India: 1.2%
China 2.8% / —
Dover Gardens — China: 2.8% South Brighton — China: not among its largest
Scotland 0.9% / 1.3%
Dover Gardens — Scotland: 0.9% South Brighton — Scotland: 1.3%
South Africa 0.8% / 1.2%
Dover Gardens — South Africa: 0.8% South Brighton — South Africa: 1.2%
Nepal 1.2% / —
Dover Gardens — Nepal: 1.2% South Brighton — Nepal: not among its largest
Ireland — / 1.0%
Dover Gardens — Ireland: not among its largest South Brighton — Ireland: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Dover Gardens 68.0% houses
Dover Gardens — Houses: 68.0% Dover Gardens — Townhouses: 31.0% Dover Gardens — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
South Brighton 71.2% houses
South Brighton — Houses: 71.2% South Brighton — Townhouses: 25.9% South Brighton — Flats / Apartments: 2.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Median house price $1,000,000 $1,238,000
Median unit price $885,000 $701,000
Median land price $1,170,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 19 days
from 21 sales
 19 days
from 38 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.

Dover Gardens South Brighton
3 bed $960K / $1.1M
Dover Gardens — 3 bed: $960K (55 sales) South Brighton — 3 bed: $1.1M (52 sales)

55 vs 52 sales

4 bed $1.2M / $1.5M
Dover Gardens — 4 bed: $1.2M (8 sales) South Brighton — 4 bed: $1.5M (29 sales)

8 vs 29 sales

Zoning mix

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Residential 98% 97%
Industrial 2% 0%
Parks and recreation 0% 1%
Commercial 0% 1%
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

Dover Gardens South Brighton
New dwellings approved 809
across Marion
 287
across Holdfast Bay
Approvals change year on year -31% +188%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Houses 4.0%
$750/wk on $969K
 3.0%
$735/wk on $1.29M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Dover Gardens South Brighton
House price Higher than 44% of SA Higher than 62% of SA
Income Higher than 48% of SA Higher than 58% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 89% of SA Higher than 94% of SA
Affordability Higher than 42% of SA Higher than 36% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 85% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 90% of SA
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 58% of SA Higher than 14% of SA

Liveability

South Brighton scores higher overall (59 vs 44); South Brighton is more walkable (82 vs 72).

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Grade C B
Score 44/100 59/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
62/100
 Moderate
56/100
Flood High
92/100
 High
91/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Dover Gardens South Brighton
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 2
Bedford Park, 3.0 km
 2
Bedford Park, 4.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.5% 2.8%

Amenities in the suburb

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Cafes & restaurants 1 4
Parks & reserves 3 0
Childcare 2 1
GPs 0 1

Mobility

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Walkability score 72/100 82/100
Distance to Adelaide 14.2 km 15.7 km
+11% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 23 min 25 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 74.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 45.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 5048
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 57
postcode 5048
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.

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Car (driver) 74.0% / 68.9%
Dover Gardens — Car (driver): 74.0% South Brighton — Car (driver): 68.9%
Worked from Home 11.0% / 15.0%
Dover Gardens — Worked from Home: 11.0% South Brighton — Worked from Home: 15.0%
Train 4.3% / 6.6%
Dover Gardens — Train: 4.3% South Brighton — Train: 6.6%
Car (passenger) 3.7% / 4.4%
Dover Gardens — Car (passenger): 3.7% South Brighton — Car (passenger): 4.4%
Bus 4.3% / 1.8%
Dover Gardens — Bus: 4.3% South Brighton — Bus: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.0%).

Setting

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Elevation 28 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 17 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.9 km 860 m

NBN connectivity

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Connectivity score 76/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 2%
1,511 premises
 2%
1,343 premises

Climate

Dover Gardens South Brighton
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)

Dover Gardens South Brighton
PM2.5 6.0 µg/m³ —
PM10 17.8 µg/m³ 19.5 µg/m³
NO₂ 1.12 pphm 0.34 pphm

Council rates

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Average residential rate $1,782/yr $2,095/yr
Council Marion Holdfast Bay

Federal electorate

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Division Boothby
same for both
Member Louise Miller-Frost
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Dover Gardens South Brighton
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Dover Gardens

Coastal Middle-Ring Parks Quiet Townhouses Urban

South Brighton

Coastal Middle-Ring Townhouses Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Dover Gardens

Dover Gardens vs Warradale Dover Gardens vs Oaklands Park Dover Gardens vs Brighton Dover Gardens vs Seacombe Gardens Dover Gardens vs Seaview Downs Dover Gardens vs Seacliff Park

Other comparisons with South Brighton

South Brighton vs Brighton South Brighton vs Seaview Downs South Brighton vs Seacliff Park South Brighton vs Seacliff
Full data on Dover Gardens Full data on South Brighton
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.

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