Firle vs Payneham

In both, most households own their home. In Firle, most homes are detached houses. In Payneham, about half of households are people living alone. Payneham is closer to the city centre: 6.2 km, against 7 km. On these figures, Payneham tends to suit people living alone.

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

Firle

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (65% vs 42%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 39%)
  • But Payneham carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 85/100)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Payneham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $350/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Payneham

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 85/100)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (58% vs 35%)

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

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

Firle Payneham
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.

Firle Payneham
Walkability 88 / 84
Firle — Walkability: 88/100 Payneham — Walkability: 84/100
Safety 15 / 61
Firle — Safety: 15/100 Payneham — Safety: 61/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Firle — Low fire risk: 100/100 Payneham — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 29 / 15
Firle — Low flood risk: 29/100 Payneham — Low flood risk: 15/100

Demographics

Payneham has more residents (2,438 vs 1,508); Firle rents higher ($350/wk vs $300/wk).

Firle Payneham
Population 1,508 2,438
+62% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.9% +6.3%
Median age 39 38
Median household income $77,376/yr
+5% vs other
 $73,528/yr
Median weekly rent $350/wk
+14% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Firle Payneham
0-4 5.3% / 5.3%
Firle — 0-4: 5.3% Payneham — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 10.9% / 9.5%
Firle — 5-14: 10.9% Payneham — 5-14: 9.5%
15-19 5.4% / 2.8%
Firle — 15-19: 5.4% Payneham — 15-19: 2.8%
20-24 6.8% / 6.8%
Firle — 20-24: 6.8% Payneham — 20-24: 6.8%
25-34 15.6% / 19.5%
Firle — 25-34: 15.6% Payneham — 25-34: 19.5%
35-44 15.0% / 14.7%
Firle — 35-44: 15.0% Payneham — 35-44: 14.7%
45-54 11.9% / 10.8%
Firle — 45-54: 11.9% Payneham — 45-54: 10.8%
55-64 10.2% / 10.5%
Firle — 55-64: 10.2% Payneham — 55-64: 10.5%
65-74 8.8% / 8.2%
Firle — 65-74: 8.8% Payneham — 65-74: 8.2%
75-84 6.4% / 7.3%
Firle — 75-84: 6.4% Payneham — 75-84: 7.3%
85+ 3.9% / 4.3%
Firle — 85+: 3.9% Payneham — 85+: 4.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Firle 40.0% lone person
Firle — Lone Person: 40.0% Firle — Couple Families: 37.5% Firle — One Parent Families: 15.3% Firle — Group Household: 5.9% Firle — Other Families: 1.3%
Payneham 53.5% lone person
Payneham — Lone Person: 53.5% Payneham — Couple Families: 26.8% Payneham — One Parent Families: 12.1% Payneham — Group Household: 6.0% Payneham — Other Families: 1.6%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Firle 37.9% renting
Firle — Owned Outright: 31.6% Firle — Mortgage: 30.5% Firle — Renting: 37.9%
Payneham 42.0% renting
Payneham — Owned Outright: 28.7% Payneham — Mortgage: 29.3% Payneham — Renting: 42.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Firle Payneham
Bachelor Degree 19.8% / 21.4%
Firle — Bachelor Degree: 19.8% Payneham — Bachelor Degree: 21.4%
Certificate III & IV 10.0% / 9.4%
Firle — Certificate III & IV: 10.0% Payneham — Certificate III & IV: 9.4%
Postgraduate Degree 9.7% / 8.6%
Firle — Postgraduate Degree: 9.7% Payneham — Postgraduate Degree: 8.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 8.4%
Firle — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Payneham — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 3.4%
Firle — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Payneham — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).

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.

Firle Payneham
China 8.1% / 4.2%
Firle — China: 8.1% Payneham — China: 4.2%
Italy 6.4% / 5.5%
Firle — Italy: 6.4% Payneham — Italy: 5.5%
India 6.4% / 4.5%
Firle — India: 6.4% Payneham — India: 4.5%
England 2.6% / 3.4%
Firle — England: 2.6% Payneham — England: 3.4%
Malaysia 1.7% / 1.3%
Firle — Malaysia: 1.7% Payneham — Malaysia: 1.3%
Nepal — / 2.1%
Firle — Nepal: not among its largest Payneham — Nepal: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Firle 65.3% houses
Firle — Houses: 65.3% Firle — Townhouses: 34.8% Firle — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Payneham 41.6% houses
Payneham — Houses: 41.6% Payneham — Townhouses: 23.4% Payneham — Flats / Apartments: 35.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Firle Payneham
Median house price $1,295,000 $1,200,000
Median unit price $618,500 $584,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 16 sales
 20 days
from 32 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.

Firle Payneham
3 bed $1.22M / $1.18M
Firle — 3 bed: $1.22M (23 sales) Payneham — 3 bed: $1.18M (37 sales)

23 vs 37 sales

4 bed $1.4M / $1.6M
Firle — 4 bed: $1.4M (12 sales) Payneham — 4 bed: $1.6M (14 sales)

12 vs 14 sales

Zoning mix

Firle has more commercially zoned land (13% vs 2%).

Firle Payneham
Residential 87% 98%
Commercial 13% 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

Firle Payneham
New dwellings approved 227
across Norwood Payneham and St Peters
same for both
Approvals change year on year +141%
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.

Firle Payneham
Houses — 2.2%
$550/wk on $1.3M
Units — 4.3%
$550/wk on $662K

Ranking within SA

Firle Payneham
House price Higher than 83% of SA Higher than 82% of SA
Income Higher than 52% of SA Higher than 47% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 97% of SA Higher than 95% of SA
Affordability Higher than 10% of SA Higher than 8% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 86% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 87% of SA Higher than 91% of SA
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 4% of SA
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 32% of SA

Liveability

Payneham scores higher overall (69 vs 58).

Firle Payneham
Grade B A
Score 58/100 69/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
same for both

Risk profile

Firle carries more crime risk (85 vs 39); Payneham carries more flood risk (85 vs 71).

Firle Payneham
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
85/100
 Low
39/100
Flood High
71/100
 High
85/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Firle Payneham
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 3
Adelaide University, Magill Campus, 2.1 km
 3
Adelaide University, Magill Campus, 3.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.9% 2.7%

Amenities in the suburb

Firle Payneham
Supermarkets 4 0
Cafes & restaurants 10 1
Parks & reserves 5 3
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
EV chargers 0 2
Waterways 8 11

Mobility

Firle Payneham
Walkability score 88/100 84/100
Distance to Adelaide 7 km
+11% vs other
 6.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 15 min 13 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 45.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 37.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 5070
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 47
postcode 5070
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.

Firle Payneham
Car (driver) 69.9% / 70.2%
Firle — Car (driver): 69.9% Payneham — Car (driver): 70.2%
Worked from Home 12.3% / 10.2%
Firle — Worked from Home: 12.3% Payneham — Worked from Home: 10.2%
Bus 8.9% / 9.7%
Firle — Bus: 8.9% Payneham — Bus: 9.7%
Car (passenger) 5.4% / 5.3%
Firle — Car (passenger): 5.4% Payneham — Car (passenger): 5.3%
Walked Only 2.0% / 2.3%
Firle — Walked Only: 2.0% Payneham — Walked Only: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.2%).

Setting

Firle Payneham
Elevation 77 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 62 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.4 km 13.2 km

NBN connectivity

Firle Payneham
Connectivity score 75/100 78/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
804 premises
 9%
1,422 premises

Climate

Firle Payneham
Annual rainfall 457 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Firle Payneham
PM2.5 6.0 µg/m³ —
PM10 17.8 µg/m³ —
NO₂ 1.12 pphm 0.51 pphm

Council rates

Firle Payneham
Average residential rate $1,995/yr
same for both
Council Norwood Payneham and St Peters
same for both

Federal electorate

Firle Payneham
Division Sturt
same for both
Member Claire Clutterham
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Firle Payneham
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Firle

Inner Multicultural Parks River Townhouses

Payneham

Apartments Inner Parks River Townhouses Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Firle

Firle vs Tranmere Firle vs Glynde Firle vs Payneham South Firle vs St Morris Firle vs Trinity Gardens

Other comparisons with Payneham

Payneham vs Marden Payneham vs Felixstow Payneham vs Glynde Payneham vs Payneham South Payneham vs Evandale Payneham vs Royston Park
Full data on Firle Full data on Payneham
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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