Newmarket vs Kelvin Grove
Kelvin Grove is the younger of the two, with a median age of 28 against 33 in Newmarket. In Newmarket, about half of households rent. In Kelvin Grove, most households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. Houses cost more in Newmarket: a median of $1.7 million, against $1.5 million in Kelvin Grove. Kelvin Grove is closer to the city centre: 3.8 km, against 5.2 km. On these figures, Kelvin Grove tends to suit renters and young adults.
Newmarket and Kelvin Grove are both inner-Brisbane suburbs with distinct profiles. Newmarket has a higher median household income of $117,052 compared to Kelvin Grove's $86,840, and scores notably higher on liveability (76 versus 62) and walkability (91 versus 85). Kelvin Grove is closer to the CBD at 3.8 km, while Newmarket sits 5.2 km out, and offers better rental yields on units at 4.9% versus 3.9%. Newmarket suits buyers prioritising established affluence and walkable amenities, while Kelvin Grove appeals to those valuing proximity to the city and rental income potential.
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
Newmarket
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (55% vs 31%)
- is already more of a family suburb (48% vs 37%)
- But Kelvin Grove has more parks and reserves (12 vs 5)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Newmarket leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 28%)
- Kelvin Grove has cheaper houses ($1,500,000 vs $1,695,000)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Newmarket leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 24%)
- Kelvin Grove has a bigger rental market to choose from (66% vs 46%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Newmarket
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (7% vs 2%)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Newmarket has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- Kelvin Grove has more units and townhouses to downsize into (69% vs 45%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Kelvin Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- returns a higher gross yield on units (4.9% vs 3.9%)
Weighs unit yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Newmarket and Kelvin Grove 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
Kelvin Grove has more residents (7,909 vs 5,083); Newmarket has higher household incomes ($117,052 vs $86,840).
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,083 | 7,909 +56% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.1% | -0.2% |
| Median age | 33 | 28 |
| Median household income | $117,052/yr +26% vs other | $86,840/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $383/wk | $400/wk +4% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.9%).
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 (5.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,695,000 | $1,500,000 |
| Median unit price | $783,330 | $720,000 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 22 days from 34 sales | 25 days from 37 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.
12 vs 10 sales
26 vs 36 sales
19 vs 16 sales
Unit price by bedroom count
Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.
8 vs 65 sales
28 vs 71 sales
6 vs 6 sales
Development activity
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 9,382 across Brisbane same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +9% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — same for both | |
| Units | 3.9% $590/wk on $789K | 4.9% $665/wk on $704K |
Ranking within QLD
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 89% of QLD | Higher than 60% of QLD |
| Schools | — | Higher than 39% of QLD |
| Walkability | Higher than 99% of QLD | Higher than 97% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 97% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 86% of QLD | Higher than 91% of QLD |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 26% of QLD | Higher than 71% of QLD |
Liveability
Newmarket scores higher overall (76 vs 62).
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | A | B |
| Score | 76/100 | 62/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 80/100 | High 73/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 4 within 5 km | 6 within 5 km |
Schools
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 3 |
| Rated above peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 2 |
| Universities within 10 km | 3 Kelvin Grove, 1.6 km | 3 Kelvin Grove, 0.0 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 5.6% | 14.2% |
Schools in Newmarket
- Newmarket State School Government · Primary above peers
- St Ambrose's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
Schools in Kelvin Grove
- Compass Independent School Independent · Combined below peers
- Kelvin Grove State College Government · Combined below peers
- Queensland Academy for Creative Industries Government · Secondary
Amenities in the suburb
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 2 same for both | |
| Cafes & restaurants | 6 | 14 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 12 |
| Childcare | 6 | 4 |
| GPs | 2 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 2 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 2 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 2 | 1 |
Mobility
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 91/100 | 85/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 5.2 km +27% vs other | 3.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 11 min | 9 min |
| Public transport score | 89/100 Rail · Bus | 79/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 125.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 236.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 2.6% postcode 4051 | 2.6% postcode 4059 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 38 postcode 4051 | 23 postcode 4059 |
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 (51.2%).
Setting
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 23 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 48 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.1 km 2.2 km to a named beach | 10.9 km 3.2 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 75/100 | 79/100 |
| Most common technology | Hybrid fibre-coaxial same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 5% 2,477 premises | 22% 3,155 premises |
Climate
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,032 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 8.9°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 14.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,519/yr same for both | |
| Council | Brisbane same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Brisbane same for both | |
| Member | Madonna Jarrett same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Newmarket | Kelvin Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Kelvin Grove
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Newmarket
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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.