James Well vs Sandilands
Sandilands is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 66 in James Well. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In James Well, the large majority of households are people living alone. In Sandilands, most households are couple families. On these figures, James Well tends to suit people living alone and older residents.
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, and childcare.
First-home buyers
Sandilands
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (9% vs 30%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Sandilands
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 29%)
- has cheaper rent ($220/wk vs $248/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
James Well
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (114 min vs 128 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (160 km vs 179.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
James Well
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (54% vs 21%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
James Well
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (40.0% vs -20.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
James Well and Sandilands 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
Sandilands has higher household incomes ($84,500 vs $45,032); James Well skews older (66 vs 41).
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 63 | 85 +35% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +40.0% | -20.6% |
| Median age | 66 | 41 |
| Median household income | $45,032/yr | $84,500/yr +88% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $248/wk +11% vs other | $220/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (39.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.8%).
Property market
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $440,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Sandilands has more rural and farming land (99% vs 25%).
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 25% | 99% |
| Other and special use | 46% | 0% |
| Residential | 22% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 8% | 0% |
| Environmental | 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
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 97 across Yorke Peninsula same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -18% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 61% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 57% of SA | Higher than 25% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 17% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 70% of SA | Higher than 35% of SA |
Liveability
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
James Well carries more flood risk (75 vs 0).
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | — | Moderate 53/100 |
| Flood | High 75/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Low 22/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Mobility
Sandilands sits further from the CBD (179.3 km vs 160 km).
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 160 km | 179.3 km +12% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 114 min | 128 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 5571 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 5571 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (53.1%).
Setting
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 6 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 109 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 104 m | 9.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 143 premises | 0% 28 premises |
Climate
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 295 mm | 459 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.8°C | 29.4°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.2°C | 7.6°C |
Council rates
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,494/yr same for both | |
| Council | Yorke Peninsula same for both | |
Federal electorate
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| James Well | Sandilands | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with James Well
Other comparisons with Sandilands
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.