Mount Gambier vs Compton

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Gambier, about half of households are people living alone. In Compton, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Compton: a median of $930,000, against $556,000 in Mount Gambier. On these figures, Mount Gambier tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Compton suits couples.

Mount Gambier is a regional centre with a population of 25,591, while Compton is a small rural locality with just 812 residents. The most striking difference is household income: Compton residents earn a median of $111,800 annually compared to $62,244 in Mount Gambier, and Compton's median house price of $940,000 is substantially higher than Mount Gambier's $555,000. Mount Gambier offers better walkability (45 versus 0) and sits in a lower socio-economic decile, whereas Compton scores higher on liveability (48 versus 14) and socio-economic standing. Crime risk is notably higher in Mount Gambier at 78 compared to Compton's 24, though bushfire risk is lower in Compton. Both suburbs have similar median ages and negligible flood risk, making the choice largely dependent on whether you prefer the services and walkability of a larger town or the quieter, more affluent character of a small rural area.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Mount Gambier has more childcare (18 vs 0)
  • Compton carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 75/100)

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

First-home buyers

Mount Gambier

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($556,000 vs $930,000)
  • has cheaper land ($200,000 vs $320,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Mount Gambier has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 5%)
  • Compton leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 18%)

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

Commuting to the city

Mount Gambier

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (54/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (292 min vs 298 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (437.3 km vs 444.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Mount Gambier

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (54/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 16%)
  • But Compton carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 75/100)

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

Investors

Compton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (17.5% vs 0.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Mount Gambier and Compton drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Mount Gambier Compton
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.

Mount Gambier Compton
Walkability 54 / 0
Mount Gambier — Walkability: 54/100 Compton — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 25 / 60
Mount Gambier — Safety: 25/100 Compton — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 69 / 83
Mount Gambier — Low fire risk: 69/100 Compton — Low fire risk: 83/100

Demographics

Mount Gambier has more residents (25,591 vs 812); Compton has higher household incomes ($111,800 vs $62,244).

Mount Gambier Compton
Population 25,591
+97% vs other
 812
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.3% +17.5%
Median age 41
same for both
Median household income $62,244/yr $111,800/yr
+80% vs other
Median weekly rent $220/wk $230/wk
+5% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mount Gambier Compton
0-4 5.5% / 4.3%
Mount Gambier — 0-4: 5.5% Compton — 0-4: 4.3%
5-14 12.4% / 14.0%
Mount Gambier — 5-14: 12.4% Compton — 5-14: 14.0%
15-19 6.2% / 8.0%
Mount Gambier — 15-19: 6.2% Compton — 15-19: 8.0%
20-24 5.5% / 5.2%
Mount Gambier — 20-24: 5.5% Compton — 20-24: 5.2%
25-34 12.5% / 9.7%
Mount Gambier — 25-34: 12.5% Compton — 25-34: 9.7%
35-44 11.2% / 13.2%
Mount Gambier — 35-44: 11.2% Compton — 35-44: 13.2%
45-54 12.2% / 13.5%
Mount Gambier — 45-54: 12.2% Compton — 45-54: 13.5%
55-64 12.7% / 15.8%
Mount Gambier — 55-64: 12.7% Compton — 55-64: 15.8%
65-74 11.5% / 10.2%
Mount Gambier — 65-74: 11.5% Compton — 65-74: 10.2%
75-84 7.2% / 4.9%
Mount Gambier — 75-84: 7.2% Compton — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ 3.1% / 1.0%
Mount Gambier — 85+: 3.1% Compton — 85+: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mount Gambier 30.7% couple families
Mount Gambier — Couple Families: 30.7% Mount Gambier — Lone Person: 47.5% Mount Gambier — One Parent Families: 17.3% Mount Gambier — Group Household: 3.1% Mount Gambier — Other Families: 1.3%
Compton 62.9% couple families
Compton — Couple Families: 62.9% Compton — Lone Person: 17.0% Compton — One Parent Families: 16.4% Compton — Group Household: 1.9% Compton — Other Families: 1.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mount Gambier 34.2% renting
Mount Gambier — Owned Outright: 32.1% Mount Gambier — Mortgage: 33.8% Mount Gambier — Renting: 34.2%
Compton 4.8% renting
Compton — Owned Outright: 42.4% Compton — Mortgage: 52.8% Compton — Renting: 4.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mount Gambier Compton
Certificate III & IV 17.6% / 24.1%
Mount Gambier — Certificate III & IV: 17.6% Compton — Certificate III & IV: 24.1%
Bachelor Degree 6.9% / 6.4%
Mount Gambier — Bachelor Degree: 6.9% Compton — Bachelor Degree: 6.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.3% / 6.0%
Mount Gambier — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3% Compton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / 1.6%
Mount Gambier — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Compton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%
Postgraduate Degree 1.4% / 0.4%
Mount Gambier — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4% Compton — Postgraduate Degree: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.1%).

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.

Mount Gambier Compton
England 2.5% / 2.0%
Mount Gambier — England: 2.5% Compton — England: 2.0%
New Zealand 0.8% / 1.1%
Mount Gambier — New Zealand: 0.8% Compton — New Zealand: 1.1%
Myanmar 0.8% / —
Mount Gambier — Myanmar: 0.8% Compton — Myanmar: not among its largest
Thailand 0.7% / —
Mount Gambier — Thailand: 0.7% Compton — Thailand: not among its largest
Zimbabwe — / 0.7%
Mount Gambier — Zimbabwe: not among its largest Compton — Zimbabwe: 0.7%
Philippines 0.6% / —
Mount Gambier — Philippines: 0.6% Compton — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mount Gambier 76.8% houses
Mount Gambier — Houses: 76.8% Mount Gambier — Townhouses: 14.1% Mount Gambier — Flats / Apartments: 9.1%
Compton 100.0% houses
Compton — Houses: 100.0% Compton — Townhouses: 0.0% Compton — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Mount Gambier Compton
Median house price $556,000 $930,000
Median unit price $420,000 —
Median land price $200,000 $320,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 35 days
from 167 sales
 59 days
from 9 sales

Zoning mix

Compton has more rural and farming land (98% vs 4%); Mount Gambier has more industrially zoned land (15% vs 0%).

Mount Gambier Compton
Rural and farming 4% 98%
Residential 57% 2%
Industrial 15% 0%
Environmental 14% 0%
Parks and recreation 4% 0%
Commercial 4% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 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

Mount Gambier Compton
New dwellings approved 167
across Mount Gambier
 39
across Grant
Approvals change year on year -45% +300%

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.

Mount Gambier Compton
Houses 4.2%
$480/wk on $599K
 —
Units 4.1%
$335/wk on $424K
 —

Ranking within SA

Mount Gambier Compton
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 30% of SA Higher than 88% of SA
Schools Higher than 36% of SA —
Walkability Higher than 82% of SA Higher than 58% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 30% of SA Higher than 20% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 76% of SA Higher than 71% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 71% of SA —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 18% of SA —

Liveability

Mount Gambier is more walkable (54 vs 0); Compton scores higher overall (48 vs 20).

Mount Gambier Compton
Grade D C
Score 20/100 48/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Mount Gambier carries more crime risk (75 vs 40); Mount Gambier carries more bushfire risk (31 vs 17).

Mount Gambier Compton
Bushfire Low
31/100
 Low
17/100
Crime High
75/100
 Moderate
40/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 9
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Mount Gambier Compton
Inside the suburb 11 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 6 0
Rated below peers 3 0

Schools in Mount Gambier

  • Grant High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • McDonald Park School Government · Primary at peers
  • Mount Gambier North Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Reidy Park Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Martins Lutheran College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Tenison Woods College Catholic · Combined at peers

Schools in Compton

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Mount Gambier Compton
Supermarkets 8 0
Cafes & restaurants 23 0
Parks & reserves 19 2
Childcare 18 0
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 6 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 10 0
Fuel stations 13 0
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 3 0

Mobility

Compton sits further from the CBD (444.9 km vs 437.3 km).

Mount Gambier Compton
Walkability score 54/100 0/100
Distance to Adelaide 437.3 km 444.9 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 292 min 298 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 5290
 0.1%
postcode 5291
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 33
postcode 5290
 56
postcode 5291

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.

Mount Gambier Compton
Car (driver) 85.6% / 82.9%
Mount Gambier — Car (driver): 85.6% Compton — Car (driver): 82.9%
Worked from Home 4.1% / 12.1%
Mount Gambier — Worked from Home: 4.1% Compton — Worked from Home: 12.1%
Car (passenger) 6.6% / 5.0%
Mount Gambier — Car (passenger): 6.6% Compton — Car (passenger): 5.0%
Walked Only 2.6% / —
Mount Gambier — Walked Only: 2.6% Compton — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bicycle 0.6% / —
Mount Gambier — Bicycle: 0.6% Compton — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (85.6%).

Setting

Mount Gambier Compton
Elevation 86 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 49 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 23.6 km 22.9 km

NBN connectivity

Mount Gambier Compton
Connectivity score 56/100 31/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 20%
13,913 premises
 1%
346 premises

Climate

Mount Gambier Compton
Annual rainfall 724 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.8°C
same for both

Council rates

Mount Gambier Compton
Average residential rate $1,726/yr $1,458/yr
Council Mount Gambier Grant

Federal electorate

Mount Gambier Compton
Division Barker
same for both
Member Tony Pasin
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mount Gambier Compton
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mount Gambier

Affordable Regional Centre

Compton

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mount Gambier

Mount Gambier vs Moorak Mount Gambier vs Worrolong Mount Gambier vs Yahl Mount Gambier vs Suttontown Mount Gambier vs Ob Flat Mount Gambier vs Glenburnie

Other comparisons with Compton

Compton vs Moorak Compton vs Suttontown Compton vs Kongorong Compton vs Wandilo Compton vs Burrungule
Full data on Mount Gambier Full data on Compton
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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