South Kalgoorlie vs Boulder

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in South Kalgoorlie: a median of $425,000, against $370,000 in Boulder.

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

Boulder

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

  • South Kalgoorlie has cheaper units ($310,000 vs $343,250)
  • Boulder has cheaper houses ($370,000 vs $425,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Investors

Boulder

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (1.0% vs -10.3%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (8.4% vs 5.1%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (7.9% vs 7.2%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
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.

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Walkability 60 / 62
South Kalgoorlie — Walkability: 60/100 Boulder — Walkability: 62/100
Safety 15 / 7
South Kalgoorlie — Safety: 15/100 Boulder — Safety: 7/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
South Kalgoorlie — Low fire risk: 100/100 Boulder — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 86 / 69
South Kalgoorlie — Low flood risk: 86/100 Boulder — Low flood risk: 69/100

Demographics

South Kalgoorlie has higher household incomes ($113,724 vs $102,336).

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Population 4,416 4,872
+10% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -10.3% +1.0%
Median age 34 35
Median household income $113,724/yr
+10% vs other
 $102,336/yr
Median weekly rent $300/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
0-4 7.9% / 7.4%
South Kalgoorlie — 0-4: 7.9% Boulder — 0-4: 7.4%
5-14 15.2% / 15.4%
South Kalgoorlie — 5-14: 15.2% Boulder — 5-14: 15.4%
15-19 6.0% / 5.2%
South Kalgoorlie — 15-19: 6.0% Boulder — 15-19: 5.2%
20-24 6.7% / 6.7%
South Kalgoorlie — 20-24: 6.7% Boulder — 20-24: 6.7%
25-34 15.5% / 15.2%
South Kalgoorlie — 25-34: 15.5% Boulder — 25-34: 15.2%
35-44 14.6% / 14.1%
South Kalgoorlie — 35-44: 14.6% Boulder — 35-44: 14.1%
45-54 11.8% / 13.0%
South Kalgoorlie — 45-54: 11.8% Boulder — 45-54: 13.0%
55-64 11.1% / 13.0%
South Kalgoorlie — 55-64: 11.1% Boulder — 55-64: 13.0%
65-74 6.9% / 7.5%
South Kalgoorlie — 65-74: 6.9% Boulder — 65-74: 7.5%
75-84 3.2% / 2.2%
South Kalgoorlie — 75-84: 3.2% Boulder — 75-84: 2.2%
85+ 1.0% / 0.4%
South Kalgoorlie — 85+: 1.0% Boulder — 85+: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

South Kalgoorlie 41.1% couple families
South Kalgoorlie — Couple Families: 41.1% South Kalgoorlie — Lone Person: 36.3% South Kalgoorlie — One Parent Families: 16.3% South Kalgoorlie — Group Household: 4.0% South Kalgoorlie — Other Families: 2.3%
Boulder 35.5% couple families
Boulder — Couple Families: 35.5% Boulder — Lone Person: 38.9% Boulder — One Parent Families: 17.5% Boulder — Group Household: 6.2% Boulder — 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.

South Kalgoorlie 37.1% renting
South Kalgoorlie — Owned Outright: 17.3% South Kalgoorlie — Mortgage: 45.6% South Kalgoorlie — Renting: 37.1%
Boulder 35.7% renting
Boulder — Owned Outright: 21.5% Boulder — Mortgage: 42.8% Boulder — Renting: 35.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Certificate III & IV 17.8% / 17.9%
South Kalgoorlie — Certificate III & IV: 17.8% Boulder — Certificate III & IV: 17.9%
Bachelor Degree 5.4% / 3.7%
South Kalgoorlie — Bachelor Degree: 5.4% Boulder — Bachelor Degree: 3.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.5% / 3.8%
South Kalgoorlie — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.5% Boulder — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.8%
Postgraduate Degree 1.0% / 0.7%
South Kalgoorlie — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0% Boulder — Postgraduate Degree: 0.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.7% / 0.5%
South Kalgoorlie — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7% Boulder — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

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.

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
New Zealand 9.2% / 6.9%
South Kalgoorlie — New Zealand: 9.2% Boulder — New Zealand: 6.9%
Philippines 5.2% / 2.6%
South Kalgoorlie — Philippines: 5.2% Boulder — Philippines: 2.6%
England 1.8% / 1.9%
South Kalgoorlie — England: 1.8% Boulder — England: 1.9%
South Africa 1.3% / 1.0%
South Kalgoorlie — South Africa: 1.3% Boulder — South Africa: 1.0%
India 1.2% / 0.4%
South Kalgoorlie — India: 1.2% Boulder — India: 0.4%
Thailand 0.7% / 0.7%
South Kalgoorlie — Thailand: 0.7% Boulder — Thailand: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

South Kalgoorlie 83.0% houses
South Kalgoorlie — Houses: 83.0% South Kalgoorlie — Townhouses: 15.6% South Kalgoorlie — Flats / Apartments: 1.4%
Boulder 82.1% houses
Boulder — Houses: 82.1% Boulder — Townhouses: 15.8% Boulder — Flats / Apartments: 2.1%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Median house price $425,000 $370,000
Median unit price $310,000 $343,250
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 38 days
from 48 sales
 36 days
from 62 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.

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
2 bed $300K / $288K
South Kalgoorlie — 2 bed: $300K (9 sales) Boulder — 2 bed: $288K (14 sales)

9 vs 14 sales

3 bed $403K / $355K
South Kalgoorlie — 3 bed: $403K (66 sales) Boulder — 3 bed: $355K (99 sales)

66 vs 99 sales

4 bed $514K / $425K
South Kalgoorlie — 4 bed: $514K (32 sales) Boulder — 4 bed: $425K (35 sales)

32 vs 35 sales

Development activity

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
New dwellings approved 48
across Kalgoorlie-Boulder
same for both
Approvals change year on year -8%
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.

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Houses 7.2%
$690/wk on $498K
 7.9%
$700/wk on $459K
Units 5.1%
$480/wk on $488K
 8.4%
$550/wk on $340K

Ranking within WA

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 80% of WA Higher than 68% of WA
Schools Higher than 30% of WA Higher than 62% of WA
Walkability Higher than 86% of WA Higher than 87% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 15% of WA Higher than 1% of WA
NBN connectivity Higher than 76% of WA Higher than 74% of WA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 95% of WA Higher than 97% of WA
Rental yield (units) Higher than 35% of WA Higher than 96% of WA

Liveability

Boulder scores higher overall (41 vs 35).

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Grade C
same for both
Score 35/100 41/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Boulder carries more flood risk (31 vs 14).

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
85/100
 High
93/100
Flood Low
14/100
 Low
31/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 12
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Inside the suburb 4 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 2 1
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in South Kalgoorlie

  • Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • South Kalgoorlie Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Eastern Goldfields Education Support Centre Government · Secondary · Special school
  • Fairbridge College - Kalgoorlie Campus Independent · Secondary · Special school

Schools in Boulder

  • Kalgoorlie School Of The Air Government · Primary above peers
  • Boulder Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 1
same for both
Parks & reserves 0 2
Childcare 3 2
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 2

Mobility

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Walkability score 60/100 62/100
Distance to Perth 594.4 km 595.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 403 min
same for both
Public transport score 49/100
Bus
 69/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 17.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 30.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 6430
 0.1%
postcode 6432
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 29
postcode 6430
 34
postcode 6432

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.

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Car (driver) 79.6% / 81.5%
South Kalgoorlie — Car (driver): 79.6% Boulder — Car (driver): 81.5%
Car (passenger) 10.3% / 10.0%
South Kalgoorlie — Car (passenger): 10.3% Boulder — Car (passenger): 10.0%
Bus 3.8% / 3.3%
South Kalgoorlie — Bus: 3.8% Boulder — Bus: 3.3%
Walked Only 3.0% / 2.3%
South Kalgoorlie — Walked Only: 3.0% Boulder — Walked Only: 2.3%
Worked from Home 2.1% / 2.5%
South Kalgoorlie — Worked from Home: 2.1% Boulder — Worked from Home: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.5%).

Setting

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Elevation 367 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 359 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Connectivity score 62/100 60/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 31%
2,234 premises
 28%
2,415 premises

Climate

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Annual rainfall 261 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 33.2°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.6°C
same for both

Council rates

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Average residential rate $2,625/yr
same for both
Council Kalgoorlie-Boulder
same for both

Federal electorate

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Division O'connor
same for both
Member Rick Wilson
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

South Kalgoorlie Boulder
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

South Kalgoorlie

Affordable Family

Boulder

Affordable Family

More comparisons

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South Kalgoorlie vs Somerville South Kalgoorlie vs Kalgoorlie South Kalgoorlie vs Victory Heights South Kalgoorlie vs Williamstown

Other comparisons with Boulder

Boulder vs South Boulder Boulder vs Victory Heights Boulder vs Broadwood
Full data on South Kalgoorlie Full data on Boulder
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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.

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