North Adelaide vs Bowden

Bowden is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 39 in North Adelaide. In both, most households are people living alone. In North Adelaide, about half of households rent. In Bowden, most households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. Houses cost more in North Adelaide: a median of $1.59 million, against $975,000 in Bowden. North Adelaide is closer to the city centre: 2.4 km, against 4.7 km. On these figures, North Adelaide tends to suit older residents, while Bowden suits renters, young adults, and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

North Adelaide

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (27 vs 6)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (5 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Bowden

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($975,000 vs $1,592,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bowden

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (59% vs 48%)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • North Adelaide sits closer to the CBD (2.4 km vs 4.7 km)
  • Bowden gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (15% vs 0%)

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

Downsizers and retirees

North Adelaide

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (4 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 10%)

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

Investors

Bowden

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (98.5% vs -1.8%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

North Adelaide Bowden
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.

North Adelaide Bowden
Walkability 88 / 85
North Adelaide — Walkability: 88/100 Bowden — Walkability: 85/100
Safety 17 / 16
North Adelaide — Safety: 17/100 Bowden — Safety: 16/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
North Adelaide — Low fire risk: 100/100 Bowden — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 46 / 47
North Adelaide — Low flood risk: 46/100 Bowden — Low flood risk: 47/100

Demographics

North Adelaide has more residents (6,823 vs 1,808); North Adelaide skews older (39 vs 32).

North Adelaide Bowden
Population 6,823
+74% vs other
 1,808
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.8% +98.5%
Median age 39 32
Median household income $97,084/yr
+13% vs other
 $84,656/yr
Median weekly rent $390/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

North Adelaide Bowden
0-4 2.7% / 2.8%
North Adelaide — 0-4: 2.7% Bowden — 0-4: 2.8%
5-14 4.8% / 4.5%
North Adelaide — 5-14: 4.8% Bowden — 5-14: 4.5%
15-19 8.3% / 2.3%
North Adelaide — 15-19: 8.3% Bowden — 15-19: 2.3%
20-24 12.2% / 13.9%
North Adelaide — 20-24: 12.2% Bowden — 20-24: 13.9%
25-34 16.5% / 32.4%
North Adelaide — 25-34: 16.5% Bowden — 25-34: 32.4%
35-44 11.0% / 14.4%
North Adelaide — 35-44: 11.0% Bowden — 35-44: 14.4%
45-54 9.3% / 8.4%
North Adelaide — 45-54: 9.3% Bowden — 45-54: 8.4%
55-64 10.7% / 11.3%
North Adelaide — 55-64: 10.7% Bowden — 55-64: 11.3%
65-74 12.6% / 7.6%
North Adelaide — 65-74: 12.6% Bowden — 65-74: 7.6%
75-84 8.0% / 2.0%
North Adelaide — 75-84: 8.0% Bowden — 75-84: 2.0%
85+ 4.2% / 0.6%
North Adelaide — 85+: 4.2% Bowden — 85+: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

North Adelaide 60.6% lone person
North Adelaide — Lone Person: 60.6% North Adelaide — Couple Families: 20.2% North Adelaide — Group Household: 9.3% North Adelaide — One Parent Families: 7.7% North Adelaide — Other Families: 2.3%
Bowden 61.6% lone person
Bowden — Lone Person: 61.6% Bowden — Couple Families: 13.1% Bowden — Group Household: 14.3% Bowden — One Parent Families: 8.7% Bowden — Other Families: 2.3%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

North Adelaide 48.2% renting
North Adelaide — Owned Outright: 34.1% North Adelaide — Mortgage: 17.7% North Adelaide — Renting: 48.2%
Bowden 59.3% renting
Bowden — Owned Outright: 13.0% Bowden — Mortgage: 27.7% Bowden — Renting: 59.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

North Adelaide Bowden
Bachelor Degree 24.8% / 29.0%
North Adelaide — Bachelor Degree: 24.8% Bowden — Bachelor Degree: 29.0%
Postgraduate Degree 13.4% / 11.5%
North Adelaide — Postgraduate Degree: 13.4% Bowden — Postgraduate Degree: 11.5%
Certificate III & IV 7.2% / 9.1%
North Adelaide — Certificate III & IV: 7.2% Bowden — Certificate III & IV: 9.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.6% / 9.2%
North Adelaide — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6% Bowden — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.6% / 3.1%
North Adelaide — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6% Bowden — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.0%).

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.

North Adelaide Bowden
England 5.0% / 4.6%
North Adelaide — England: 5.0% Bowden — England: 4.6%
China 2.0% / 4.1%
North Adelaide — China: 2.0% Bowden — China: 4.1%
India 2.5% / 1.5%
North Adelaide — India: 2.5% Bowden — India: 1.5%
Malaysia 1.1% / 2.0%
North Adelaide — Malaysia: 1.1% Bowden — Malaysia: 2.0%
Philippines 0.9% / 1.0%
North Adelaide — Philippines: 0.9% Bowden — Philippines: 1.0%
New Zealand — / 1.3%
North Adelaide — New Zealand: not among its largest Bowden — New Zealand: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

North Adelaide 28.5% flats / apartments
North Adelaide — Flats / Apartments: 28.5% North Adelaide — Townhouses: 50.2% North Adelaide — Houses: 21.3%
Bowden 63.4% flats / apartments
Bowden — Flats / Apartments: 63.4% Bowden — Townhouses: 22.5% Bowden — Houses: 14.1%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

North Adelaide Bowden
Median house price $1,592,500 $975,000
Median unit price $648,000 $687,000
Median land price — $1,047,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 31 sales
 17 days
from 8 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.

North Adelaide Bowden
2 bed $1.22M / $900K
North Adelaide — 2 bed: $1.22M (16 sales) Bowden — 2 bed: $900K (5 sales)

16 vs 5 sales

3 bed $1.36M / $1.22M
North Adelaide — 3 bed: $1.36M (24 sales) Bowden — 3 bed: $1.22M (6 sales)

24 vs 6 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.

North Adelaide Bowden
1 bed $484K / $575K
North Adelaide — 1 bed: $484K (17 sales) Bowden — 1 bed: $575K (9 sales)

17 vs 9 sales

2 bed $695K / $716K
North Adelaide — 2 bed: $695K (34 sales) Bowden — 2 bed: $716K (34 sales)

34 vs 34 sales

Zoning mix

North Adelaide Bowden
Residential 34% 99%
Parks and recreation 62% 0%
Commercial 4% 1%
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

North Adelaide Bowden
New dwellings approved 349
across Adelaide
 1,636
across Charles Sturt
Approvals change year on year +1100% +109%

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.

North Adelaide Bowden
Houses 3.0%
$900/wk on $1.57M
 —
Units 4.3%
$575/wk on $689K
 4.0%
$600/wk on $775K

Ranking within SA

North Adelaide Bowden
House price Higher than 95% of SA Higher than 73% of SA
Income Higher than 74% of SA Higher than 63% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 97% of SA Higher than 96% of SA
Affordability Higher than 3% of SA Higher than 21% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 95% of SA Higher than 82% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 92% of SA Higher than 97% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 14% of SA —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 34% of SA Higher than 15% of SA

Liveability

North Adelaide Bowden
Grade A
same for both
Score 76/100 72/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

North Adelaide Bowden
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
83/100
 High
84/100
Flood Moderate
54/100
 Moderate
53/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise High
70/100
 None
0/100
Industrial facilities nearby 11
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

North Adelaide Bowden
Inside the suburb 2 0
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Adelaide University, Adelaide City Campus, 2.4 km
 3
Adelaide University, Adelaide City Campus, 3.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 12.9% 5.1%

Schools in North Adelaide

  • North Adelaide Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Dominic's Priory College Catholic · Combined above peers

Schools in Bowden

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

Amenities in the suburb

North Adelaide Bowden
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 52 10
Parks & reserves 27 6
Childcare 5 2
GPs 4 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Hospitals 3 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 1 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 3 0

Mobility

Bowden sits further from the CBD (4.7 km vs 2.4 km).

North Adelaide Bowden
Walkability score 88/100 85/100
Distance to Adelaide 2.4 km 4.7 km
+96% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 6 min 10 min
Public transport score 87/100
Rail · Bus
 73/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 692.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 14.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 4 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.1%
postcode 5006
 1.2%
postcode 5007
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 28
postcode 5006
 40
postcode 5007

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.

North Adelaide Bowden
Car (driver) 51.9% / 54.0%
North Adelaide — Car (driver): 51.9% Bowden — Car (driver): 54.0%
Worked from Home 15.9% / 14.8%
North Adelaide — Worked from Home: 15.9% Bowden — Worked from Home: 14.8%
Walked Only 15.0% / 3.0%
North Adelaide — Walked Only: 15.0% Bowden — Walked Only: 3.0%
Bus 9.7% / 3.4%
North Adelaide — Bus: 9.7% Bowden — Bus: 3.4%
Tram / Light Rail — / 13.0%
North Adelaide — Tram / Light Rail: not among its largest Bowden — Tram / Light Rail: 13.0%
Car (passenger) 4.0% / 5.3%
North Adelaide — Car (passenger): 4.0% Bowden — Car (passenger): 5.3%
Bicycle 3.1% / 4.5%
North Adelaide — Bicycle: 3.1% Bowden — Bicycle: 4.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (54.0%).

Setting

North Adelaide Bowden
Elevation 55 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 23 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.5 km 8.1 km

NBN connectivity

North Adelaide Bowden
Connectivity score 79/100 93/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 13%
4,781 premises
 82%
1,274 premises

Climate

North Adelaide Bowden
Annual rainfall 457 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

North Adelaide Bowden
PM2.5 6.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 1.12 pphm
same for both

Council rates

North Adelaide Bowden
Average residential rate $2,331/yr $1,726/yr
Council Adelaide Charles Sturt

Federal electorate

North Adelaide Bowden
Division Adelaide
same for both
Member Steve Georganas
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

North Adelaide Bowden
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

North Adelaide

Inner Parks Premium Professionals Students Townhouses Transport Hub

Bowden

Apartments Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses Trains Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with North Adelaide

North Adelaide vs Adelaide North Adelaide vs Gilberton North Adelaide vs Medindie North Adelaide vs Fitzroy North Adelaide vs Ovingham North Adelaide vs Hackney

Other comparisons with Bowden

Bowden vs Brompton Bowden vs Renown Park Bowden vs Ovingham Bowden vs Hindmarsh
Full data on North Adelaide Full data on Bowden
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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