Modbury Heights vs Para Hills

Para Hills is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 40 in Modbury Heights. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Modbury Heights, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Modbury Heights: a median of $885,000, against $788,000 in Para Hills.

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

Modbury Heights

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 80/100)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • But Para Hills has more childcare (6 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Para Hills

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($407,500 vs $650,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($788,000 vs $885,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

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

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Modbury Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 80/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Modbury Heights Para Hills
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.

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Walkability 70 / 76
Modbury Heights — Walkability: 70/100 Para Hills — Walkability: 76/100
Safety 61 / 20
Modbury Heights — Safety: 61/100 Para Hills — Safety: 20/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Modbury Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100 Para Hills — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 32 / 29
Modbury Heights — Low flood risk: 32/100 Para Hills — Low flood risk: 29/100

Demographics

Modbury Heights skews older (40 vs 36); Modbury Heights has higher household incomes ($81,796 vs $73,840).

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Population 6,995
+3% vs other
 6,793
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.4% +3.6%
Median age 40 36
Median household income $81,796/yr
+10% vs other
 $73,840/yr
Median weekly rent $340/wk
+4% vs other
 $325/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Modbury Heights Para Hills
0-4 5.6% / 6.3%
Modbury Heights — 0-4: 5.6% Para Hills — 0-4: 6.3%
5-14 13.8% / 13.3%
Modbury Heights — 5-14: 13.8% Para Hills — 5-14: 13.3%
15-19 5.4% / 5.6%
Modbury Heights — 15-19: 5.4% Para Hills — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 5.4% / 6.8%
Modbury Heights — 20-24: 5.4% Para Hills — 20-24: 6.8%
25-34 11.1% / 16.0%
Modbury Heights — 25-34: 11.1% Para Hills — 25-34: 16.0%
35-44 14.6% / 14.0%
Modbury Heights — 35-44: 14.6% Para Hills — 35-44: 14.0%
45-54 13.1% / 11.8%
Modbury Heights — 45-54: 13.1% Para Hills — 45-54: 11.8%
55-64 12.7% / 11.0%
Modbury Heights — 55-64: 12.7% Para Hills — 55-64: 11.0%
65-74 12.2% / 8.0%
Modbury Heights — 65-74: 12.2% Para Hills — 65-74: 8.0%
75-84 4.8% / 5.3%
Modbury Heights — 75-84: 4.8% Para Hills — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 1.3% / 1.8%
Modbury Heights — 85+: 1.3% Para Hills — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Modbury Heights 48.8% couple families
Modbury Heights — Couple Families: 48.8% Modbury Heights — Lone Person: 31.7% Modbury Heights — One Parent Families: 16.4% Modbury Heights — Group Household: 2.2% Modbury Heights — Other Families: 1.1%
Para Hills 40.1% couple families
Para Hills — Couple Families: 40.1% Para Hills — Lone Person: 30.5% Para Hills — One Parent Families: 22.1% Para Hills — Group Household: 4.7% Para Hills — Other Families: 2.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Modbury Heights 17.7% renting
Modbury Heights — Owned Outright: 36.5% Modbury Heights — Mortgage: 45.8% Modbury Heights — Renting: 17.7%
Para Hills 21.9% renting
Para Hills — Owned Outright: 32.3% Para Hills — Mortgage: 45.8% Para Hills — Renting: 21.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Certificate III & IV 16.5% / 17.9%
Modbury Heights — Certificate III & IV: 16.5% Para Hills — Certificate III & IV: 17.9%
Bachelor Degree 10.7% / 8.5%
Modbury Heights — Bachelor Degree: 10.7% Para Hills — Bachelor Degree: 8.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 6.7%
Modbury Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% Para Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 2.6%
Modbury Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Para Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 1.1%
Modbury Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Para Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

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.

Modbury Heights Para Hills
England 7.5% / 6.7%
Modbury Heights — England: 7.5% Para Hills — England: 6.7%
India 5.4% / 4.8%
Modbury Heights — India: 5.4% Para Hills — India: 4.8%
Afghanistan — / 2.8%
Modbury Heights — Afghanistan: not among its largest Para Hills — Afghanistan: 2.8%
Philippines 0.8% / 1.6%
Modbury Heights — Philippines: 0.8% Para Hills — Philippines: 1.6%
China 0.9% / —
Modbury Heights — China: 0.9% Para Hills — China: not among its largest
Scotland 0.9% / —
Modbury Heights — Scotland: 0.9% Para Hills — Scotland: not among its largest
Vietnam — / 0.9%
Modbury Heights — Vietnam: not among its largest Para Hills — Vietnam: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Modbury Heights 91.6% houses
Modbury Heights — Houses: 91.6% Modbury Heights — Townhouses: 8.0% Modbury Heights — Flats / Apartments: 0.4%
Para Hills 97.2% houses
Para Hills — Houses: 97.2% Para Hills — Townhouses: 1.2% Para Hills — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Median house price $885,000 $788,000
Median unit price $650,000 $407,500
Median land price — $660,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 17 days
from 92 sales
 18 days
from 113 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.

Modbury Heights Para Hills
3 bed $862K / $775K
Modbury Heights — 3 bed: $862K (88 sales) Para Hills — 3 bed: $775K (125 sales)

88 vs 125 sales

4 bed $970K / $854K
Modbury Heights — 4 bed: $970K (49 sales) Para Hills — 4 bed: $854K (44 sales)

49 vs 44 sales

5 bed $1.2M / $858K
Modbury Heights — 5 bed: $1.2M (5 sales) Para Hills — 5 bed: $858K (6 sales)

5 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Residential 98% 96%
Commercial 1% 4%
Parks and recreation 2% 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

Modbury Heights Para Hills
New dwellings approved 574
across Tea Tree Gully
 949
across Salisbury
Approvals change year on year +36% -30%

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.

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Houses 3.8%
$660/wk on $899K
 4.0%
$630/wk on $825K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Modbury Heights Para Hills
House price Higher than 32% of SA Higher than 19% of SA
Income Higher than 57% of SA Higher than 48% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 88% of SA Higher than 90% of SA
Affordability Higher than 75% of SA Higher than 73% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 65% of SA Higher than 59% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of SA Higher than 98% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 44% of SA Higher than 54% of SA

Liveability

Modbury Heights scores higher overall (58 vs 38).

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Grade B C
Score 58/100 38/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Para Hills carries more crime risk (80 vs 39).

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
39/100
 High
80/100
Flood Moderate
68/100
 High
71/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 9
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Adelaide University, Mawson Lakes Campus, 6.8 km
 1
Adelaide University, Mawson Lakes Campus, 4.3 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.4% 1.9%

Schools in Modbury Heights

  • The Heights School Government · Combined above peers

Schools in Para Hills

  • East Para Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Para Hills School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Supermarkets 1 2
Parks & reserves 3 4
Childcare 2 6
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 0 2
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Walkability score 70/100 76/100
Distance to Adelaide 17.4 km
+5% vs other
 16.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 26 min 25 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 147.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 216.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 5092
 0.6%
postcode 5096
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 63
postcode 5092
 71
postcode 5096

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.

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Car (driver) 76.0% / 80.2%
Modbury Heights — Car (driver): 76.0% Para Hills — Car (driver): 80.2%
Worked from Home 9.9% / 7.1%
Modbury Heights — Worked from Home: 9.9% Para Hills — Worked from Home: 7.1%
Bus 9.2% / 6.7%
Modbury Heights — Bus: 9.2% Para Hills — Bus: 6.7%
Car (passenger) 3.9% / 4.7%
Modbury Heights — Car (passenger): 3.9% Para Hills — Car (passenger): 4.7%
Walked Only 0.8% / 0.7%
Modbury Heights — Walked Only: 0.8% Para Hills — Walked Only: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.2%).

Setting

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Elevation 174 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 87 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 11.7 km 9.3 km

NBN connectivity

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Connectivity score 81/100 97/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 25%
2,853 premises
 90%
2,921 premises

Climate

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Annual rainfall 404 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Modbury Heights Para Hills
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ 0.51 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Average residential rate $2,000/yr $1,722/yr
Council Tea Tree Gully Salisbury

Federal electorate

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Division Makin
same for both
Member Tony Zappia
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Modbury Heights Para Hills
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Modbury Heights

Middle-Ring Parks

Para Hills

Middle-Ring Parks Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Modbury Heights

Modbury Heights vs Wynn Vale Modbury Heights vs Modbury North Modbury Heights vs Redwood Park Modbury Heights vs Ridgehaven Modbury Heights vs Gulfview Heights Modbury Heights vs Surrey Downs

Other comparisons with Para Hills

Para Hills vs Ingle Farm Para Hills vs Salisbury East Para Hills vs Pooraka Para Hills vs Modbury North Para Hills vs Gulfview Heights Para Hills vs Para Hills West
Full data on Modbury Heights Full data on Para Hills
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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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