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Suburb Insights · SA 5238

Bowhill, SA 5238 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Bowhill is a regional centre in South Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 127, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 99 km from the Adelaide CBD, Bowhill is a regional area in South Australia. The median household income is $60,112 per year.

Investment Score

28 / 100 Weak

Household earnings in Bowhill are below the state average, which may affect long-term capital growth. Distance from major centres is a consideration, though regional markets can offer higher rental yields.

Location

Adelaide
Bowhill
South Australia · 5238
99 km from Adelaide CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
5238

Official Australia Post postcode for Bowhill. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
127

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$160/wk

Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.

Median household income
$60,112/yr

Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.

Distance to CBD
99 km

Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
1

Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
1

Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$657/mo

Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.

Home type
20% houses

Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.

Investment Insight

Bowhill is a smaller community of 127 — about 3% of the South Australia suburb median (3,699) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Bowhill's median household income of $60,112/year is 26% below the South Australia suburb median ($80,964) — this is an affordability play where returns lean on yield and patient capital growth rather than demographic premium. Median weekly rent of $160 equates to $693/month — about 105% of the median mortgage repayment of $657/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Bowhill is 99 km from Adelaide, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand. Only 20% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 73% state median), so this is a unit-heavy market where body-corporate decisions and strata supply meaningfully shape investor returns.

Bowhill vs South Australia Median

How Bowhill stacks up against the median of all South Australia suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Bowhill sits above the state median; negative means below.

MetricBowhillSA medianΔ vs state
Population1273,699-97%
Median household income$60,112/yr$80,964/yr-26%
Median rent (weekly)$160$320-50%
Median mortgage (monthly)$657$1,616-59%
Distance to CBD99 km13 km+662%
Separate houses20%73%-53pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Bowhill — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 127 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider South Australia market over full cycles.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $160/week (~$693/month) covers 105% of the $657/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $0/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

Renovation / Flip

Only 20% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 73% SA median) — this is a unit and townhouse market, where cosmetic flips struggle against body-corporate restrictions, thinner after-reno uplift and competing new supply.

Risk Factors

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30-year projections for Bowhill

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Low

Capital-growth expectations for Bowhill are modest for 2026 — incomes 26% below the SA median of $80,964 and a population of 127 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~105% of the typical mortgage ($693/month rent vs $657/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 28/100 places Bowhill in the lower tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bowhill a good suburb for investment?

Bowhill scores 28/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 127, median household income of $60,112/year and median weekly rent of $160. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.

What drives property demand in Bowhill?

The main demand drivers in Bowhill are a median household income of $60,112/year, a dwelling mix that is 20% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.

What is the population of Bowhill?

Bowhill has a usual resident population of approximately 127, compared with a South Australia suburb median of 3,699 — placing it in the lower half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.

How far is Bowhill from the Adelaide CBD?

Bowhill sits 99 km straight-line from the Adelaide CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.

What is the median rent in Bowhill?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $160 in Bowhill, equating to approximately $8,320/year in gross rental income (state median $320/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.

What is the typical mortgage repayment in Bowhill?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Bowhill is $657, or approximately $7,884/year (vs $1,616/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.

Is Bowhill cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $160 works out to $693/month, covering 105% of the median mortgage repayment of $657/month. That means rent exceeds the median repayment by roughly $36/month, so on these numbers Bowhill leans cash-flow-positive before accounting for strata, council rates, insurance and maintenance. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.

What are the main risks of investing in Bowhill?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (127 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $657 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($60,112 vs $80,964 state median), a unit-heavy dwelling mix (20% houses) where body-corporate costs and apartment supply affect resale, the broader South Australia market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.

How we built this Bowhill profile

Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.

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