Murray Bridge North vs Northern Heights
Northern Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 49 in Murray Bridge North. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Murray Bridge North tends to suit older residents, while Northern Heights suits people living alone.
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
Murray Bridge North
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 64/100)
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
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Murray Bridge North has cheaper rent ($165/wk vs $240/wk)
- Northern Heights has a bigger rental market to choose from (23% vs 6%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Northern Heights
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (78 km vs 80.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Murray Bridge North
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 64/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 16%)
- But Northern Heights is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Northern Heights
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.4% vs 1.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Murray Bridge North and Northern Heights 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
Northern Heights has more residents (305 vs 142); Northern Heights rents higher ($240/wk vs $165/wk).
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 142 | 305 +115% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.4% | +13.4% |
| Median age | 49 | 42 |
| Median household income | $60,632/yr | $71,968/yr +19% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $165/wk | $240/wk +45% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (3.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $620,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $375,000 |
Zoning mix
Murray Bridge North has more rural and farming land (100% vs 77%).
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 77% |
| Residential | 0% | 14% |
| Industrial | 0% | 7% |
| Environmental | 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
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 274 across Murray Bridge same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +51% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 29% of SA | Higher than 45% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 44% of SA | Higher than 66% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 32% of SA | Higher than 31% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 65% of SA | Higher than 54% of SA |
Liveability
Northern Heights is more walkable (12 vs 0).
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Northern Heights carries more crime risk (64 vs 28).
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | Moderate 64/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 3 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 5 | 0 |
Mobility
Murray Bridge North sits further from the CBD (80.5 km vs 78 km).
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 12/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 80.5 km +3% vs other | 78 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 62 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 5253 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 5253 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 (82.6%).
Setting
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 41 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 30 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 62 premises | 0% 121 premises |
Climate
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 337 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,478/yr same for both | |
| Council | Murray Bridge same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Murray Bridge North | Northern Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Murray Bridge North
Other comparisons with Northern Heights
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.