Bowden SA 5007
Bowden is a suburb in South Australia, 5 km from Adelaide CBD, around 10 minutes by car. Population is 1,808; the median age is 32 and the median household income is $84,656 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The suburb grew 98.5% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $390 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,560. Bowden is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is high.
Is Bowden a good suburb?
Bowden scores a A (72/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community, weaker on prices and safety.
Walkable and central
Walkability 85/100 · 4.7 km · 10 min drive to Adelaide
Above the state median
Median $975K · Less affordable than 79% of SA
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 84/100 · Flood 53/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 9/10 · median age 32 · 1,808 residents
Liveability Rating
72 / 100 · Ranked #77 in SAEach bar is Bowden's rank among SA suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Bowden?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
72 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataBowden's unit market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $687,000, about 7% above where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$687,000
Based on 49 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 18 days — median across 22 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 9 sales $575K
- 2 bed 34 sales $716K
Houses
$975,000
In line with its 4 neighbours (median $969,500)
Based on 13 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 17 days — median across 8 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 5 sales $900K
- 3 bed 6 sales $1.22M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsActive asking-price coverage for houses in Bowden is too thin to publish a meaningful median right now — only 1 active houses.
$775K
3 units listed in the last 6 months.
4 of the suburb's 928 dwellings (0.4%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Bowden rent for around $700 a week on average, based on 15 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$700/wk
15 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$600/wk
21 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
36 rentals advertised against an estimated 550 rented homes (6.5%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Apr–Jun 2026- 3-bed houses
- $800/wk
- 10 bonds
- 2-bed units
- $468/wk
- 40 bonds
- +49% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202596 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 31% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5007.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
IndicativeNot enough house sales and rentals in the window to calculate a yield.
$600/week ($31,000 a year) on a $775,000 median
Based on a small sample (3 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Bowden safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Bowden sits in the high band, with 176 incidents recorded in 2026 — down about 7% on the prior year.
176 offences
6.9% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20251 crash
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. This state’s crash data does not name the road.
Schools
Universities nearby
- 3.4 kmAdelaide University, Adelaide City CampusAdelaide University · 472 courses
- 3.4 kmFlinders City CampusFlinders University · 156 courses
- 3.4 km82-98 Wakefield Street, Adelaide SA 5000Torrens University Australia · 106 courses
5.1% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Bowden is very walkable on foot — at 85/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the suburb there are 1 supermarket, 6 parks and 10 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Bowden.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 14.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 11.1 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 8.9 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 4 min
- Span of service
- 19.8 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 13 min wait
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Bowden.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 82%
- Premises covered
- 1,274
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Charles Sturt: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 4 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Bowden is home to about 1,800 residents, and skews young, with a median age of 32 against the national 38. Median household income runs at $85,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,808
Median Age
32
Median Household Income
$84,656/yr
Census Median Rent
$390/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,560/mo
Avg Household Size
1.8
Median Personal Income
$54,912/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
16.1%
Total Dwellings
928
Owner-Occupier Rate
40.7%
Houses
14.1%
Rental Stress
24.0%
Mortgage Stress
22.1%
Work From Home
14.8%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
83 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 53 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 534 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 60.8%
- English Spoken at Home
- 69.7%
- Employment Rate
- 66.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 68.1%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
203 residents (11.2%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,757 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
37% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (414 of 1,110).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,726 a year through Charles Sturt based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 99%
- Commercial 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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Charles Sturt
In the year to August 2026, 1,636 new dwellings were approved across Charles Sturt. That mix is 631 houses and 1,005 units. Approvals are up 109.1% on the same period a year earlier.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³).
PM10 averaged 17.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 1.12 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0.
From the Adelaide CBD monitoring station, 3.5 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Adelaide (West Terrace / Ngayirdapira), 2.6 kmDry climate — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 23 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 8.1 km
- Annual rainfall
- 457 mm
- 77 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 29.1°C
- 21 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 8.5°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
11 facilities within 5 km- 0.9 kmCleaning Compound ManufacturingTop reported: Ethanol · Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Chlorine & compounds
- 2.1 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 2.1 kmWhiteware Appliance ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Fluoride compounds
- 2.9 kmLaundry and Dry-Cleaning ServicesTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 2.9 km
EV adoption
In postcode 5007, 99 of 8,129 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 7.3% (595 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 8.5%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5007, 1,595 rooftop-solar systems totalling 13.7 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,991 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 129 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$15,000 for new homes.
No purchase-price cap. Stamp duty is fully exempted for eligible first-home buyers as a separate concession.
Mortgage repayments
2 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 10 across postcode 5007.
Conveyance duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with RevenueSA
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Steve Georganas Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Steve Georganas | 69.1% | 30.9% | +7.2 |
| 2022 | Steve Georganas | 61.9% | 38.1% | -3.7 |
| 2019 | Steve Georganas | 58.2% | 41.8% | +0.1 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Peter Malinauskas Australian Labor Party
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Peter Malinauskas ALP | 74.0% |
| 2022 | Peter Malinauskas ALP | 74.8% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2024, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of South Australia.
Looking at a specific address in Bowden?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 1,808 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Featured in
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Adelaide There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Adelaide suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Compare Bowden to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other SA suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Bowden
Is Bowden a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Bowden is high (84/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Bowden?
Bowden has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (53/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Bowden a good place to live?
Bowden has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (72/100), ranked against other SA suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Bowden?
Bowden, SA had a population of 1,808 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Bowden, SA?
The postcode for Bowden, SA is 5007.
How far is Bowden from Adelaide?
Bowden is 5 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 10 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Bowden?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Bowden was $84,656 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Bowden?
The median advertised rent in Bowden is $700 a week for houses (15 listings) and $600 a week for units (21 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Bowden?
The median age of residents in Bowden was 32 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Bowden walkable?
Bowden scores 85/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Bowden?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Bowden (Adelaide CBD) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.8 µg/m³. That puts Bowden below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Bowden?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Bowden, Adelaide (West Terrace / Ngayirdapira) (2.6 km away), summer days average 29.1°C, winter nights 8.5°C, 457 mm of rain a year over 77 rainy days, and 21 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Bowden?
First-home buyers in SA may be eligible for $15,000 towards new homes. The grant is administered by RevenueSA; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Bowden belong to?
Bowden sits within the Charles Sturt local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Bowden?
The average residential rates bill through Charles Sturt is $1,726 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Bowden?
Across Charles Sturt, 1,636 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 109.1% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Bowden in?
Bowden sits within the federal Division of Adelaide, currently held by Steve Georganas (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2026
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.