Cowandilla is a suburb in South Australia, 4 km from Adelaide CBD, around 8 minutes by car. Population is 1,455; the median age is 41 and the median household income is $68,120 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The suburb grew 1.5% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. Cowandilla is characterised by high flood risk and high aircraft noise risk. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is high.
Is Cowandilla a good suburb?
Cowandilla scores a C (48/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on safety.
Mixed results
1 school
Walkable and central
Walkability 82/100 · 4 km · 8 min drive to Adelaide
Around the state median
Median $976K
High flood risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 64/100 · Flood 100/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 4/10 · median age 41 · 1,455 residents
Liveability Rating
48 / 100 · Ranked #284 in SAEach bar is Cowandilla'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 Cowandilla?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
48 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataCowandilla's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $976,000, about 4% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$976,000
11% below its 6 neighbours (median $1,093,500)
Based on 27 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 16 days — median across 8 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 19 sales $990K
Units
$425,000
Based on only 3 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Cowandilla rent for around $725 a week on average, based on 9 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$725/wk
9 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
10 rentals advertised against an estimated 225 rented homes (4.4%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Apr–Jun 2026- All rentals
- $600/wk
- 15 bonds
- +38% 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 2025105 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5033.
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.
Is Cowandilla safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Cowandilla sits in the moderate band, with 57 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 29% on the prior year.
57 offences
28.7% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20258 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
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.
Aircraft Noise
ANEF Contour Details
Significant impact — conditional building
Significant impact — conditional building
Moderate impact — noise insulation required
Noticeable aircraft noise
Schools
One school serve Cowandilla, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 341 students in one school (avg 341)
Primary
Universities nearby
- 4.0 kmAdelaide University, Adelaide City CampusAdelaide University · 472 courses
- 4.0 kmFlinders City CampusFlinders University · 156 courses
- 4.0 km82-98 Wakefield Street, Adelaide SA 5000Torrens University Australia · 106 courses
2.8% 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
Cowandilla is very walkable on foot — at 82/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Cowandilla.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 41.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 28.7 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 22.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 18.8 hours
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 Cowandilla.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 1%
- Premises covered
- 670
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
West Torrens: 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.
Cowandilla is home to about 1,500 residents, with a median age of 41, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $68,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.4%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,455
Median Age
41
Median Household Income
$68,120/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$30,628/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.4%
Unoccupied Dwellings
9.3%
Total Dwellings
535
Owner-Occupier Rate
57.9%
Houses
75.1%
Rental Stress
22.9%
Mortgage Stress
30.5%
Work From Home
9.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
45 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 4 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 217 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 59.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 60.2%
- Employment Rate
- 51.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 49.1%
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.
119 residents (8.2%) 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 1,378 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
27% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (177 of 661).
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 $1,532 a year through West Torrens based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 98%
- Industrial 2%
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: West Torrens
In the year to August 2026, 578 new dwellings were approved across West Torrens. That mix is 231 houses and 347 units. Approvals are up 102.8% 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, 4.0 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Adelaide (West Terrace / Ngayirdapira), 2.5 kmDry climate — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 13 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 5.3 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
10 facilities within 5 km- 1.5 kmOther Petroleum and Coal Product ManufacturingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 1.7 kmBiscuit Manufacturing (Factory based)Top reported: Ammonia (total) · Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide
- 2.8 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · n-Hexane · Cyclohexane
- 2.9 kmBread Manufacturing (Factory based)Top reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Ethanol · Carbon monoxide
- 3.3 kmTimber Resawing and DressingTop reported: Copper & compounds · Arsenic & compounds · Chromium (VI) compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 5033, 57 of 9,105 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 6.3% (572 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 6.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5033, 1,672 rooftop-solar systems totalling 12.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,953 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 113 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
4 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 5033.
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 2026-10-27 — 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 Tom Koutsantonis Australian Labor Party
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Tom Koutsantonis ALP | 73.2% |
| 2022 | Tom Koutsantonis ALP | 68.8% |
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 Cowandilla?
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 1,455 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.
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
Brooklyn Park SA 5032
Mile End SA 5031
Torrensville SA 5031
Richmond SA 5033
West Richmond SA 5033
Hilton SA 5033
Compare Cowandilla to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other SA suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Cowandilla
Is Cowandilla a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Cowandilla is moderate (64/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Cowandilla?
Cowandilla has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a high share of it (100/100). Part of it sits inside an aircraft noise contour. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Cowandilla a good place to live?
Cowandilla has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (48/100), 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 Cowandilla?
Cowandilla, SA had a population of 1,455 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Cowandilla, SA?
The postcode for Cowandilla, SA is 5033.
How far is Cowandilla from Adelaide?
Cowandilla is 4 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 8 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Cowandilla?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Cowandilla was $68,120 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 Cowandilla?
The median advertised rent in Cowandilla is $725 a week for houses (9 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Cowandilla?
The median age of residents in Cowandilla was 41 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Cowandilla?
There is 1 school inside the Cowandilla boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Cowandilla walkable?
Cowandilla scores 82/100 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 Cowandilla?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Cowandilla (Adelaide CBD) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.8 µg/m³. That puts Cowandilla 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 Cowandilla?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Cowandilla, Adelaide (West Terrace / Ngayirdapira) (2.5 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 Cowandilla?
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 Cowandilla belong to?
Cowandilla sits within the West Torrens local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Cowandilla?
The average residential rates bill through West Torrens is $1,532 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Cowandilla?
Across West Torrens, 578 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 102.8% 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 Cowandilla in?
Cowandilla sits within the federal Division of Adelaide, currently held by Steve Georganas (Australian Labor Party).
Search another suburb or address
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.