Laffer vs Mount Charles
Laffer is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 44 in Mount Charles. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Laffer, about half of households are people living alone. In Mount Charles, most households are couple families. On these figures, Laffer tends to suit people living alone and families with children, while Mount Charles suits couples.
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
Laffer
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 76%)
- But Mount Charles is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 50%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Mount Charles
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $90/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Mount Charles
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (223.3 km vs 251.1 km)
- has a shorter drive in (166 min vs 177 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mount Charles
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (45.0% vs 10.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Laffer and Mount Charles 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
Laffer rents higher ($90/wk vs $0/wk); Mount Charles skews older (44 vs 35).
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 53 | 58 +9% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +10.4% | +45.0% |
| Median age | 35 | 44 |
| Median household income | $87,724/yr | $94,224/yr +7% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $90/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).
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 (13.2%).
Zoning mix
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 92% | 100% |
| Environmental | 8% | 0% |
| 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
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 12 across Tatiara same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -33% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 66% of SA | Higher than 72% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 35% of SA | Higher than 14% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 16% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 16% of SA | Higher than 7% of SA |
Liveability
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Laffer carries more bushfire risk (45 vs 20).
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 45/100 | Low 20/100 |
| Crime | Low 31/100 | Low 28/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
Schools
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 1 |
Mobility
Laffer sits further from the CBD (251.1 km vs 223.3 km).
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 251.1 km +11% vs other | 223.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 177 min | 166 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 5267 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 60 postcode 5267 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 (69.6%).
Setting
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 20 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 21 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 42.2 km | 46.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 11 premises | 0% 8 premises |
Climate
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 425 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,656/yr same for both | |
| Council | Tatiara same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Laffer | Mount Charles | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Laffer
Mount Charles
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Laffer
Other comparisons with Mount Charles
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.