Ethelton vs Semaphore

Ethelton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 50 in Semaphore. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Ethelton, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Semaphore: a median of $1.25 million, against $870,000 in Ethelton, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Ethelton tends to suit 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

Ethelton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (68/100 vs 78/100)

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

First-home buyers

Ethelton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($870,000 vs $1,250,000)

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

Semaphore

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (79/100 vs 69/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Ethelton carries lower crime risk (68/100 vs 78/100)
  • Semaphore is more walkable (79/100 vs 69/100)

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

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

Ethelton Semaphore
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.

Ethelton Semaphore
Walkability 69 / 79
Ethelton — Walkability: 69/100 Semaphore — Walkability: 79/100
Safety 32 / 22
Ethelton — Safety: 32/100 Semaphore — Safety: 22/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Ethelton — Low fire risk: 100/100 Semaphore — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 15 / 21
Ethelton — Low flood risk: 15/100 Semaphore — Low flood risk: 21/100

Demographics

Semaphore has more residents (2,749 vs 1,487); Semaphore has higher household incomes ($89,336 vs $69,940).

Ethelton Semaphore
Population 1,487 2,749
+85% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.9% -0.5%
Median age 42 50
Median household income $69,940/yr $89,336/yr
+28% vs other
Median weekly rent $300/wk $320/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ethelton Semaphore
0-4 5.0% / 3.2%
Ethelton — 0-4: 5.0% Semaphore — 0-4: 3.2%
5-14 10.8% / 8.2%
Ethelton — 5-14: 10.8% Semaphore — 5-14: 8.2%
15-19 4.8% / 4.6%
Ethelton — 15-19: 4.8% Semaphore — 15-19: 4.6%
20-24 4.4% / 4.6%
Ethelton — 20-24: 4.4% Semaphore — 20-24: 4.6%
25-34 12.0% / 9.5%
Ethelton — 25-34: 12.0% Semaphore — 25-34: 9.5%
35-44 15.9% / 11.1%
Ethelton — 35-44: 15.9% Semaphore — 35-44: 11.1%
45-54 13.7% / 17.4%
Ethelton — 45-54: 13.7% Semaphore — 45-54: 17.4%
55-64 15.1% / 21.2%
Ethelton — 55-64: 15.1% Semaphore — 55-64: 21.2%
65-74 11.4% / 13.2%
Ethelton — 65-74: 11.4% Semaphore — 65-74: 13.2%
75-84 4.6% / 5.0%
Ethelton — 75-84: 4.6% Semaphore — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 2.0% / 1.9%
Ethelton — 85+: 2.0% Semaphore — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ethelton 50.6% lone person
Ethelton — Lone Person: 50.6% Ethelton — Couple Families: 26.6% Ethelton — One Parent Families: 18.6% Ethelton — Group Household: 3.1% Ethelton — Other Families: 1.2%
Semaphore 44.4% lone person
Semaphore — Lone Person: 44.4% Semaphore — Couple Families: 33.1% Semaphore — One Parent Families: 15.0% Semaphore — Group Household: 4.8% Semaphore — Other Families: 2.7%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ethelton 30.7% renting
Ethelton — Owned Outright: 28.8% Ethelton — Mortgage: 40.5% Ethelton — Renting: 30.7%
Semaphore 30.7% renting
Semaphore — Owned Outright: 35.6% Semaphore — Mortgage: 33.7% Semaphore — Renting: 30.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Ethelton Semaphore
Certificate III & IV 17.8% / 15.3%
Ethelton — Certificate III & IV: 17.8% Semaphore — Certificate III & IV: 15.3%
Bachelor Degree 13.0% / 15.7%
Ethelton — Bachelor Degree: 13.0% Semaphore — Bachelor Degree: 15.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 9.2%
Ethelton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Semaphore — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2%
Postgraduate Degree 3.4% / 6.9%
Ethelton — Postgraduate Degree: 3.4% Semaphore — Postgraduate Degree: 6.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 3.2%
Ethelton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Semaphore — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).

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.

Ethelton Semaphore
England 5.4% / 8.0%
Ethelton — England: 5.4% Semaphore — England: 8.0%
Scotland 0.9% / 1.2%
Ethelton — Scotland: 0.9% Semaphore — Scotland: 1.2%
Italy 0.9% / 0.9%
Ethelton — Italy: 0.9% Semaphore — Italy: 0.9%
Philippines 1.0% / 0.6%
Ethelton — Philippines: 1.0% Semaphore — Philippines: 0.6%
New Zealand — / 1.5%
Ethelton — New Zealand: not among its largest Semaphore — New Zealand: 1.5%
Greece 0.9% / —
Ethelton — Greece: 0.9% Semaphore — Greece: not among its largest
Germany — / 0.8%
Ethelton — Germany: not among its largest Semaphore — Germany: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ethelton 70.6% houses
Ethelton — Houses: 70.6% Ethelton — Townhouses: 21.8% Ethelton — Flats / Apartments: 7.6%
Semaphore 65.2% houses
Semaphore — Houses: 65.2% Semaphore — Townhouses: 22.9% Semaphore — Flats / Apartments: 11.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Ethelton Semaphore
Median house price $870,000 $1,250,000
Median unit price $679,642 $630,000
Median land price — $866,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 16 sales
 22 days
from 36 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.

Ethelton Semaphore
2 bed $774K / $835K
Ethelton — 2 bed: $774K (10 sales) Semaphore — 2 bed: $835K (15 sales)

10 vs 15 sales

3 bed $874K / $1.25M
Ethelton — 3 bed: $874K (29 sales) Semaphore — 3 bed: $1.25M (30 sales)

29 vs 30 sales

Zoning mix

Ethelton Semaphore
Residential 89% 74%
Parks and recreation 9% 14%
Commercial 2% 12%
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

Ethelton Semaphore
New dwellings approved 1,176
across Port Adelaide Enfield
same for both
Approvals change year on year +23%
same for both

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.

Ethelton Semaphore
Houses 3.8%
$640/wk on $875K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Ethelton Semaphore
House price Higher than 17% of SA Higher than 73% of SA
Income Higher than 39% of SA Higher than 68% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 87% of SA Higher than 92% of SA
Affordability Higher than 70% of SA Higher than 26% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 78% of SA Higher than 81% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of SA Higher than 81% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 42% of SA —

Liveability

Semaphore scores higher overall (52 vs 42); Semaphore is more walkable (79 vs 69).

Ethelton Semaphore
Grade C B
Score 42/100 52/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Semaphore carries more crime risk (78 vs 68).

Ethelton Semaphore
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
68/100
 High
78/100
Flood High
85/100
 High
79/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 High
86/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 15
within 5 km
 14
within 5 km

Schools

Ethelton Semaphore
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Ethelton

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

Schools in Semaphore

  • Dominican School Catholic · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Ethelton Semaphore
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 20
Parks & reserves 1
same for both
Childcare 1
same for both
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 3
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
EV chargers 0 1

Mobility

Ethelton Semaphore
Walkability score 69/100 79/100
Distance to Adelaide 15.1 km 16.7 km
+11% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 24 min 27 min
Public transport score 37/100
Rail · Bus
 73/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 4.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 26.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 14 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 5015
 1.2%
postcode 5019
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 5015
 52
postcode 5019

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.

Ethelton Semaphore
Car (driver) 73.5% / 71.5%
Ethelton — Car (driver): 73.5% Semaphore — Car (driver): 71.5%
Worked from Home 11.3% / 14.8%
Ethelton — Worked from Home: 11.3% Semaphore — Worked from Home: 14.8%
Train 6.3% / 4.1%
Ethelton — Train: 6.3% Semaphore — Train: 4.1%
Car (passenger) 4.4% / 4.0%
Ethelton — Car (passenger): 4.4% Semaphore — Car (passenger): 4.0%
Walked Only 2.6% / 2.8%
Ethelton — Walked Only: 2.6% Semaphore — Walked Only: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.5%).

Setting

Ethelton Semaphore
Elevation 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 13 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.3 km
1.5 km to a named beach
 465 m
2.0 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Ethelton Semaphore
Connectivity score 66/100 67/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 38%
779 premises
 40%
1,523 premises

Climate

Ethelton Semaphore
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)

Ethelton Semaphore
PM2.5 4.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Ethelton Semaphore
Average residential rate $1,311/yr
same for both
Council Port Adelaide Enfield
same for both

Federal electorate

Ethelton Semaphore
Division Hindmarsh
same for both
Member Mark Butler
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ethelton Semaphore
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ethelton

Coastal Middle-Ring Parks Townhouses Trains

Semaphore

Coastal Middle-Ring Parks Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ethelton

Ethelton vs Semaphore Park Ethelton vs Semaphore South Ethelton vs Glanville Ethelton vs New Port

Other comparisons with Semaphore

Semaphore vs Largs Bay Semaphore vs Exeter Semaphore vs Semaphore South Semaphore vs Glanville
Full data on Ethelton Full data on Semaphore
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