Lower Light vs Middle Beach
Lower Light is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 49 in Middle Beach. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lower Light, about half of households are couple families. Middle Beach is closer to the city centre: 49 km, against 58.1 km.
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
Lower Light
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (65% vs 48%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 83%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Lower Light
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 25%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Lower Light
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 29%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Middle Beach
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (40 min vs 52 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (49 km vs 58.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Lower Light
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 18%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Middle Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (19.0% vs -1.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lower Light and Middle Beach 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
Lower Light has more residents (203 vs 94); Lower Light has higher household incomes ($80,184 vs $55,224).
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 203 +54% vs other | 94 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.5% | +19.0% |
| Median age | 45 | 49 |
| Median household income | $80,184/yr +31% vs other | $55,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk | $305/wk +2% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.9%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (20.2%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $338,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Lower Light has more rural and farming land (64% vs 51%); Middle Beach has more land zoned for conservation (47% vs 36%).
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 64% | 51% |
| Environmental | 36% | 47% |
| Industrial | 0% | 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
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 106 across Adelaide Plains same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -21% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 20% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 17% of SA | Higher than 31% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 48% of SA same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 41% of SA | Higher than 42% of SA |
Liveability
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Lower Light carries more bushfire risk (10 vs 0).
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 10/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 88/100 | High 91/100 |
| Flood | High 91/100 | High 92/100 |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 44/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 2 same for both | |
Mobility
Lower Light sits further from the CBD (58.1 km vs 49 km).
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 58.1 km +16% vs other | 49 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 52 min | 40 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 5501 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 (82.1%).
Setting
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 11 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 5 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 5.2 km | 3.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 83 premises | 0% 39 premises |
Climate
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 404 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,698/yr same for both | |
| Council | Adelaide Plains same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lower Light | Middle Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Lower Light
Other comparisons with Middle Beach
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.