Kelly vs Kimba
Kelly is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 50 in Kimba. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kelly, the large majority of households are couple families. In Kimba, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Kelly tends to suit families with children and couples, while Kimba suits 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
Kelly
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 39%)
- carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 55/100)
- But Kimba has more separate houses rather than flats (98% vs 80%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Kimba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 56%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Kelly
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (44% vs 22%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Kimba
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (48/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (305 min vs 358 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (464.6 km vs 489.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Kimba
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (48/100 vs 0/100)
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 15%)
- But Kelly has more units and townhouses to downsize into (20% vs 2%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Kimba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-3.3% vs -23.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Kelly and Kimba 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
Kimba has more residents (608 vs 59); Kimba skews older (50 vs 35).
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 59 | 608 +931% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -23.4% | -3.3% |
| Median age | 35 | 50 |
| Median household income | $68,224/yr +6% vs other | $64,168/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk +7% vs other | $139/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.8%).
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 (20.3%).
Property market
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $180,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $60,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 55 days from 7 sales |
Zoning mix
Kelly has more rural and farming land (100% vs 78%).
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 78% |
| Industrial | 0% | 7% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 5% |
| Residential | 0% | 5% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 3% |
| Other and special use | 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
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1 across Kimba same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 36% of SA | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 2% of SA | Higher than 80% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 30% of SA | Higher than 54% of SA |
Liveability
Kimba is more walkable (48 vs 0).
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 46/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Kimba carries more crime risk (55 vs 41).
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 41/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Kelly
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Kimba
- Kimba Area School Government · Combined at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 4 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 3 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 2 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 3 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 2 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 3 |
| Waterways | 3 | 0 |
Mobility
Kelly sits further from the CBD (489.6 km vs 464.6 km).
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 48/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 489.6 km +5% vs other | 464.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 358 min | 305 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 5641 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 5641 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 (73.7%).
Setting
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 338 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 275 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 19/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 17 premises | 0% 404 premises |
Climate
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 334 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.8°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,142/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kimba same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Kelly | Kimba | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Kelly
Other comparisons with Kimba
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.