Owen vs Balaklava

Owen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 46 in Balaklava. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Balaklava, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Owen: a median of $540,000, against $450,000 in Balaklava. On these figures, Balaklava tends to suit 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

Owen

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (56% vs 48%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (98% vs 87%)
  • But Balaklava has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Balaklava

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($450,000 vs $540,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Balaklava

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 15%)

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

Commuting to the city

Owen

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (83.7 km vs 95.5 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (67 min vs 75 min)
  • But Balaklava is more walkable (51/100 vs 13/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Balaklava

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (13% vs 2%)
  • is more walkable (51/100 vs 13/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 22%)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Owen Balaklava
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.

Owen Balaklava
Walkability 13 / 51
Owen — Walkability: 13/100 Balaklava — Walkability: 51/100
Safety 64 / 58
Owen — Safety: 64/100 Balaklava — Safety: 58/100
Low fire risk 23 / 88
Owen — Low fire risk: 23/100 Balaklava — Low fire risk: 88/100

Demographics

Balaklava has more residents (2,083 vs 509); Balaklava skews older (46 vs 42).

Owen Balaklava
Population 509 2,083
+309% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -0.4% +1.7%
Median age 42 46
Median household income $56,472/yr $56,576/yr
Median weekly rent $220/wk $227/wk
+3% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Owen Balaklava
0-4 4.7% / 5.3%
Owen — 0-4: 4.7% Balaklava — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 14.1% / 13.1%
Owen — 5-14: 14.1% Balaklava — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 8.1% / 5.4%
Owen — 15-19: 8.1% Balaklava — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 4.7% / 4.9%
Owen — 20-24: 4.7% Balaklava — 20-24: 4.9%
25-34 10.0% / 10.6%
Owen — 25-34: 10.0% Balaklava — 25-34: 10.6%
35-44 11.0% / 8.7%
Owen — 35-44: 11.0% Balaklava — 35-44: 8.7%
45-54 13.8% / 11.8%
Owen — 45-54: 13.8% Balaklava — 45-54: 11.8%
55-64 13.0% / 12.2%
Owen — 55-64: 13.0% Balaklava — 55-64: 12.2%
65-74 13.4% / 13.4%
Owen — 65-74: 13.4% Balaklava — 65-74: 13.4%
75-84 7.7% / 8.8%
Owen — 75-84: 7.7% Balaklava — 75-84: 8.8%
85+ 0.6% / 5.1%
Owen — 85+: 0.6% Balaklava — 85+: 5.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Owen 41.5% lone person
Owen — Lone Person: 41.5% Owen — Couple Families: 36.3% Owen — One Parent Families: 20.0% Owen — Group Household: 2.2% Owen — Other Families: 0.0%
Balaklava 47.7% lone person
Balaklava — Lone Person: 47.7% Balaklava — Couple Families: 33.2% Balaklava — One Parent Families: 14.7% Balaklava — Group Household: 3.6% Balaklava — Other Families: 0.9%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Owen 15.0% renting
Owen — Owned Outright: 36.9% Owen — Mortgage: 48.1% Owen — Renting: 15.0%
Balaklava 27.2% renting
Balaklava — Owned Outright: 42.0% Balaklava — Mortgage: 30.8% Balaklava — Renting: 27.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Owen Balaklava
England 3.9% / 3.3%
Owen — England: 3.9% Balaklava — England: 3.3%
Philippines — / 2.0%
Owen — Philippines: not among its largest Balaklava — Philippines: 2.0%
Netherlands 0.8% / 0.4%
Owen — Netherlands: 0.8% Balaklava — Netherlands: 0.4%
New Zealand 0.6% / 0.4%
Owen — New Zealand: 0.6% Balaklava — New Zealand: 0.4%
Germany 0.6% / 0.4%
Owen — Germany: 0.6% Balaklava — Germany: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.9%).

Qualifications

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

Owen Balaklava
Certificate III & IV 18.5% / 14.9%
Owen — Certificate III & IV: 18.5% Balaklava — Certificate III & IV: 14.9%
Bachelor Degree 3.7% / 6.5%
Owen — Bachelor Degree: 3.7% Balaklava — Bachelor Degree: 6.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3.9% / 4.8%
Owen — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.9% Balaklava — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.8% / 1.1%
Owen — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8% Balaklava — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%
Postgraduate Degree — / 0.7%
Owen — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Balaklava — Postgraduate Degree: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Owen 97.5% houses
Owen — Houses: 97.5% Owen — Townhouses: 0.0% Owen — Flats / Apartments: 2.5%
Balaklava 86.8% houses
Balaklava — Houses: 86.8% Balaklava — Townhouses: 11.9% Balaklava — Flats / Apartments: 1.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Owen Balaklava
Median house price $540,000 $450,000
Median unit price — $340,000
Median land price — $650,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 6 sales
 54 days
from 19 sales

Zoning mix

Owen Balaklava
Rural and farming 99% 90%
Industrial 0% 5%
Residential 0% 3%
Parks and recreation 0% 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

Owen Balaklava
New dwellings approved 15
across Wakefield
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
same for both

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.

Owen Balaklava
Houses — 5.4%
$490/wk on $469K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Owen Balaklava
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 21% of SA Higher than 22% of SA
Schools — Higher than 16% of SA
Walkability Higher than 66% of SA Higher than 81% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 46% of SA Higher than 22% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 51% of SA Higher than 77% of SA
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 98% of SA

Liveability

Balaklava is more walkable (51 vs 13); Balaklava scores higher overall (37 vs 14).

Owen Balaklava
Grade D C
Score 14/100 37/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Owen carries more bushfire risk (77 vs 12).

Owen Balaklava
Bushfire High
77/100
 Low
12/100
Crime Low
36/100
 Moderate
42/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Owen Balaklava
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 3
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Owen

  • Owen Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Balaklava

  • Balaklava High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Balaklava Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Horizon Christian School Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Owen Balaklava
Parks & reserves 0 1
Childcare 0 2
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Waterways 0 3

Mobility

Balaklava sits further from the CBD (95.5 km vs 83.7 km).

Owen Balaklava
Walkability score 13/100 51/100
Distance to Adelaide 83.7 km 95.5 km
+14% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 67 min 75 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 5460
 0.2%
postcode 5461
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 73
postcode 5460
 74
postcode 5461

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.

Owen Balaklava
Car (driver) 74.1% / 79.6%
Owen — Car (driver): 74.1% Balaklava — Car (driver): 79.6%
Worked from Home 14.6% / 6.2%
Owen — Worked from Home: 14.6% Balaklava — Worked from Home: 6.2%
Walked Only 7.6% / 7.3%
Owen — Walked Only: 7.6% Balaklava — Walked Only: 7.3%
Car (passenger) 3.8% / 5.0%
Owen — Car (passenger): 3.8% Balaklava — Car (passenger): 5.0%
Bicycle — / 1.9%
Owen — Bicycle: not among its largest Balaklava — Bicycle: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.6%).

Setting

Owen Balaklava
Elevation 107 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 71 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 29.8 km 24.8 km

NBN connectivity

Owen Balaklava
Connectivity score 30/100 60/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
235 premises
 28%
1,156 premises

Climate

Owen Balaklava
Annual rainfall 460 mm 295 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 27.8°C
Winter min (Jul) — 7.2°C

Council rates

Owen Balaklava
Average residential rate $1,640/yr
same for both
Council Wakefield
same for both

Federal electorate

Owen Balaklava
Division Grey
same for both
Member Tom Venning
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Owen Balaklava
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Owen

Rural

Balaklava

Affordable Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Owen

Owen vs Halbury Owen vs Barabba Owen vs Pinery Owen vs Alma Owen vs Grace Plains Owen vs Salter Springs

Other comparisons with Balaklava

Balaklava vs Halbury Balaklava vs Erith
Full data on Owen Full data on Balaklava
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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