Spring Hill vs Bowen Hills

In both, most households rent and the large majority of homes are flats or apartments. In Spring Hill, about half of households are people living alone. In Bowen Hills, most households are people living alone. Spring Hill is closer to the city centre: 1.3 km, against 5.1 km. On these figures, Bowen Hills tends to suit renters, young adults, and 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

Spring Hill

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (10 vs 0)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (15% vs 3%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (25% vs 12%)

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

First-home buyers

Spring Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,583,500 vs $2,200,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bowen Hills

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (84% vs 69%)

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

  • Spring Hill sits closer to the CBD (1.3 km vs 5.1 km)
  • Bowen Hills gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (14% vs 4%)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Spring Hill has more GPs (6 vs 2)
  • Bowen Hills has more units and townhouses to downsize into (97% vs 85%)

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

Investors

Bowen Hills

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (51.8% vs 10.4%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.6% vs 4.3%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
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.

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Walkability 99 / 94
Spring Hill — Walkability: 99/100 Bowen Hills — Walkability: 94/100
Safety 8 / 9
Spring Hill — Safety: 8/100 Bowen Hills — Safety: 9/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Spring Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100 Bowen Hills — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Spring Hill has more residents (6,593 vs 4,898); Spring Hill has higher household incomes ($98,228 vs $80,652).

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Population 6,593
+26% vs other
 4,898
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +10.4% +51.8%
Median age 32 30
Median household income $98,228/yr
+18% vs other
 $80,652/yr
Median weekly rent $410/wk
+5% vs other
 $390/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
0-4 2.8% / 2.2%
Spring Hill — 0-4: 2.8% Bowen Hills — 0-4: 2.2%
5-14 5.0% / 2.3%
Spring Hill — 5-14: 5.0% Bowen Hills — 5-14: 2.3%
15-19 3.9% / 2.5%
Spring Hill — 15-19: 3.9% Bowen Hills — 15-19: 2.5%
20-24 11.5% / 18.1%
Spring Hill — 20-24: 11.5% Bowen Hills — 20-24: 18.1%
25-34 34.0% / 40.9%
Spring Hill — 25-34: 34.0% Bowen Hills — 25-34: 40.9%
35-44 18.1% / 16.5%
Spring Hill — 35-44: 18.1% Bowen Hills — 35-44: 16.5%
45-54 9.6% / 8.0%
Spring Hill — 45-54: 9.6% Bowen Hills — 45-54: 8.0%
55-64 7.7% / 5.3%
Spring Hill — 55-64: 7.7% Bowen Hills — 55-64: 5.3%
65-74 5.1% / 2.8%
Spring Hill — 65-74: 5.1% Bowen Hills — 65-74: 2.8%
75-84 1.7% / 1.1%
Spring Hill — 75-84: 1.7% Bowen Hills — 75-84: 1.1%
85+ 0.6% / 0.2%
Spring Hill — 85+: 0.6% Bowen Hills — 85+: 0.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (40.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Spring Hill 50.7% lone person
Spring Hill — Lone Person: 50.7% Spring Hill — Group Household: 22.2% Spring Hill — Couple Families: 18.1% Spring Hill — One Parent Families: 6.9% Spring Hill — Other Families: 2.1%
Bowen Hills 68.3% lone person
Bowen Hills — Lone Person: 68.3% Bowen Hills — Group Household: 17.4% Bowen Hills — Couple Families: 7.4% Bowen Hills — One Parent Families: 4.6% Bowen Hills — Other Families: 2.3%
Lone Person Group Household Couple Families One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Spring Hill 69.3% renting
Spring Hill — Owned Outright: 12.7% Spring Hill — Mortgage: 18.0% Spring Hill — Renting: 69.3%
Bowen Hills 83.5% renting
Bowen Hills — Owned Outright: 4.7% Bowen Hills — Mortgage: 11.8% Bowen Hills — Renting: 83.5%
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.

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
India 8.4% / 2.9%
Spring Hill — India: 8.4% Bowen Hills — India: 2.9%
New Zealand 2.5% / 3.6%
Spring Hill — New Zealand: 2.5% Bowen Hills — New Zealand: 3.6%
England 2.7% / 3.1%
Spring Hill — England: 2.7% Bowen Hills — England: 3.1%
Brazil 3.1% / 2.4%
Spring Hill — Brazil: 3.1% Bowen Hills — Brazil: 2.4%
China 2.5% / 2.1%
Spring Hill — China: 2.5% Bowen Hills — China: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.4%).

Qualifications

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

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Bachelor Degree 27.7% / 28.6%
Spring Hill — Bachelor Degree: 27.7% Bowen Hills — Bachelor Degree: 28.6%
Postgraduate Degree 12.0% / 9.0%
Spring Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 12.0% Bowen Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 9.0%
Certificate III & IV 8.2% / 11.0%
Spring Hill — Certificate III & IV: 8.2% Bowen Hills — Certificate III & IV: 11.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.3% / 10.3%
Spring Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3% Bowen Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.9% / 2.4%
Spring Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9% Bowen Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Spring Hill 75.9% flats / apartments
Spring Hill — Flats / Apartments: 75.9% Spring Hill — Houses: 15.0% Spring Hill — Townhouses: 9.1%
Bowen Hills 94.6% flats / apartments
Bowen Hills — Flats / Apartments: 94.6% Bowen Hills — Houses: 3.0% Bowen Hills — Townhouses: 2.4%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Median house price $1,583,500 $2,200,000
Median unit price $661,000 $686,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 30 sales
 22 days
from 3 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.

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
1 bed $547K / $585K
Spring Hill — 1 bed: $547K (65 sales) Bowen Hills — 1 bed: $585K (105 sales)

65 vs 105 sales

2 bed $760K / $759K
Spring Hill — 2 bed: $760K (75 sales) Bowen Hills — 2 bed: $759K (111 sales)

75 vs 111 sales

3 bed $1.22M / $820K
Spring Hill — 3 bed: $1.22M (16 sales) Bowen Hills — 3 bed: $820K (14 sales)

16 vs 14 sales

Development activity

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
New dwellings approved 9,382
across Brisbane
same for both
Approvals change year on year +9%
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.

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Houses —
same for both
Units 4.3%
$650/wk on $795K
 5.6%
$730/wk on $682K

Ranking within QLD

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 73% of QLD Higher than 51% of QLD
Schools Higher than 53% of QLD —
Walkability Higher than 100% of QLD Higher than 99% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 100% of QLD Higher than 99% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of QLD Higher than 93% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 42% of QLD Higher than 82% of QLD

Liveability

Bowen Hills scores higher overall (68 vs 63).

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Grade B A
Score 63/100 68/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
92/100
 High
91/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 7
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Inside the suburb 10 0
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 3
90 Bowen Terrace, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006, 1.1 km
 3
90 Bowen Terrace, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006, 1.3 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.5% 5.2%

Schools in Spring Hill

  • Brisbane Grammar School Independent · Combined above peers
  • St Joseph's College Catholic · Combined above peers
  • St James College Catholic · Combined at peers
  • Brisbane Central State School Government · Primary below peers
  • Brisbane Girls Grammar School Independent · Secondary
  • Brisbane Girls Grammar School - Primary Campus Independent · Primary

Schools in Bowen Hills

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

Amenities in the suburb

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 29 9
Parks & reserves 5
same for both
Childcare 5 4
GPs 6 2
Pharmacies 7 1
Hospitals 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 0 2
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Bowen Hills sits further from the CBD (5.1 km vs 1.3 km).

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Walkability score 99/100 94/100
Distance to Brisbane 1.3 km 5.1 km
+292% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 5 min 9 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 96/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 141.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 144.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 5.2%
postcode 4000
 3.6%
postcode 4006
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 4
postcode 4000
 4
postcode 4006

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.

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Car (driver) 29.8% / 35.4%
Spring Hill — Car (driver): 29.8% Bowen Hills — Car (driver): 35.4%
Walked Only 27.8% / 19.1%
Spring Hill — Walked Only: 27.8% Bowen Hills — Walked Only: 19.1%
Worked from Home 24.2% / 21.7%
Spring Hill — Worked from Home: 24.2% Bowen Hills — Worked from Home: 21.7%
Train 4.4% / 13.5%
Spring Hill — Train: 4.4% Bowen Hills — Train: 13.5%
Bus 7.6% / 5.8%
Spring Hill — Bus: 7.6% Bowen Hills — Bus: 5.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (35.4%).

Setting

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Elevation 30 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 10 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.0 km
4.1 km to a named beach
 8.4 km
2.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Connectivity score 72/100 84/100
Most common technology Fibre to the building Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 13%
5,864 premises
 50%
3,820 premises

Climate

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
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)

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Average residential rate $1,519/yr
same for both
Council Brisbane
same for both

Federal electorate

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Division Brisbane
same for both
Member Madonna Jarrett
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Spring Hill Bowen Hills
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Spring Hill

Apartments Cafe Culture Inner Multicultural Nightlife Parks Professionals Urban

Bowen Hills

Apartments Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Parks Professionals River Students Trains Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Spring Hill

Spring Hill vs Brisbane City Spring Hill vs Fortitude Valley Spring Hill vs Kelvin Grove Spring Hill vs Herston Spring Hill vs Petrie Terrace

Other comparisons with Bowen Hills

Bowen Hills vs Fortitude Valley Bowen Hills vs Windsor Bowen Hills vs Newstead Bowen Hills vs Albion Bowen Hills vs Herston
Full data on Spring Hill Full data on Bowen Hills
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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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