Kadina
With a median age of 49, Kadina sits 9 years above the national median, making it one of the most age-skewed towns on the Yorke Peninsula. The suburb covers 102 square kilometres at a density of just 28.7 people per km2, and household income sits at the 16.7th percentile nationally. Yet the local economy is anchored by Healthcare (23%) and Education (14.7%), sectors that generate stable employment regardless of economic cycles. Owner-occupiers dominate, with 43.2% owning outright and only 27.7% carrying a mortgage, well below typical mortgage-belt levels.
Population
2,944
Median Age
49.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,081/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
82
Kadina offers one of the more affordable entry points in SA, with monthly mortgage repayments averaging $1,083 and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.1%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. The stock is heavily detached, with 90.6% separate houses and apartments at just 0.2%, so buyers almost exclusively compete for freestanding homes. Three-bedroom dwellings account for 52.4% of stock, and 4-plus bedroom homes make up 27.1%, providing solid family-sized options. Outright ownership at 43.2% significantly exceeds the national average, indicating a long-held, low-churn market where patient buyers tend to accumulate equity rather than trade up frequently.
For Buyers
Kadina offers one of the more affordable entry points in SA, with monthly mortgage repayments averaging $1,083 and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.1%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. The stock is heavily detached, with 90.6% separate houses and apartments at just 0.2%, so buyers almost exclusively compete for freestanding homes. Three-bedroom dwellings account for 52.4% of stock, and 4-plus bedroom homes make up 27.1%, providing solid family-sized options. Outright ownership at 43.2% significantly exceeds the national average, indicating a long-held, low-churn market where patient buyers tend to accumulate equity rather than trade up frequently.
For Investors
Kadina's 10.5% vacancy rate is a clear caution signal, running well above healthy market benchmarks of around 3%. Weekly rent sits at $250, and with the cost base lower than state capital markets, gross yields are more attractive than coastal metros. Renters make up 29% of households, providing a reasonable tenant pool for a regional centre of 2,944 people. Development activity reached 70 applications in the past 12 months, modest but consistent for a town this size. Net internal migration averages 53 arrivals per year, which is the primary growth driver, while overseas migration adds around 7 annually. The high vacancy rate relative to national norms suggests landlords should price competitively to avoid prolonged vacancy periods.
Development Activity
Total DAs
389
Last 12 Months
82
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+18.8%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Kadina iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Harvest Christian College
R-12 · 302 students
Kadina Memorial School
U, R-12 · 1184 students
Wallaroo Mines Primary School
R-6 · 92 students
Demographics
Kadina's median age of 49 is 9.0 years above the national figure, and the aging trajectory is confirmed by a senior share that rose 5.4 points over the decade while the under-35 cohort declined 3.4 points. Overseas-born residents stand at just 7.6%, which is 14 points below the national average, reflecting the town's historically Anglo-Celtic settlement. Ancestry data confirms this: English (1,318), German (244), Scottish (229) and Irish (220) are the dominant groups, with the German presence a legacy of the Barossa-Yorke Peninsula migration waves of the 1840s-1860s. University qualifications reach only 15.7%, which is 14.4 points below national, consistent with a trade and services-oriented workforce. Average household size of 2.2 is 0.3 below national, typical of an aging population with more single-person and couple-only households.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
90.6%
Houses
7.5%
Townhouse
0.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure in Kadina skews strongly toward ownership: 43.2% own outright, 27.7% carry a mortgage, and 29% rent, a pattern typical of established regional towns where housing was affordable enough to accumulate equity over decades. The stock is almost entirely separate houses (90.6%), with semi-detached at 7.5% and apartments a negligible 0.2%. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 52.4%, and 4-plus bedrooms account for 27.1%, giving the suburb a family-home character. Rent-to-income sits at 23.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, so tenants here are not financially stretched by housing costs. No median house price data is available in this dataset, but the $1,083 monthly mortgage repayment implies a significantly lower price point than SA state capital suburbs.
Mortgage / mo
$1,083
Rent / wk
$250
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$598
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
10.5%
Unoccupied
146
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.1%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
38.7%
Couples, no children
2,129
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare dominates Kadina's local employment base at 23% of the workforce, followed by Education at 14.7%, Retail at 7.1%, Public Admin at 6.5% and Agriculture at 6.2%. This service-sector concentration is consistent with Kadina's role as the main service hub for the Copper Coast and surrounding Yorke Peninsula agricultural hinterland. By occupation, Community/Personal Services (172 workers) narrowly edges Professionals (170) and Sales (144), with Labourers (140) and Managers (133) also prominent. The unemployment rate of 6.5% is elevated compared to national benchmarks, and the participation rate of 46% is low, largely because 1,124 residents are outside the labour force, reflecting the older demographic. SEIFA IRSD sits at decile 2 and IRSAD at decile 2, placing Kadina in the bottom quintile for relative disadvantage nationally.
Unemployment
7.8%
Labour Force
2,663
Unemployed
208
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.7%
Part-time
36.8%
Participation
46.0%
Employed
1,063
Occupations
Top Industries
University
15.7%
Postgraduate
1.9%
Born Overseas
7.6%
Dwellings
1,232
Transport to Work
Car dependence in Kadina is pronounced, with 87% of residents driving to work, significantly higher than national urban averages, though 7.2% walk or cycle, suggesting the compact town centre makes some active travel practical. No schools appear in the suburb-level dataset, so families likely access education through the broader Kadina township catchment area. The crime rate is 52.3 incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 154 total reported incidents. Volunteer participation runs at 23%, above the national average of around 19%, reflecting the strong community engagement typical of regional SA towns. Rent-to-income at 23.1% and mortgage-to-income at 23.1% both sit below the stress threshold, meaning housing affordability is not a significant burden on local households compared to capital city benchmarks.
Drive
87.0%
Public Transport
N/A
Walk / Cycle
7.2%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.78%/yr
(+45 people/yr)
EstablishedKadina's population has grown from roughly 5,687 in 2023 to 5,776 in 2025, a gain of 89 people over two years, and the medium forecast projects continued modest growth to around 6,040 by 2031. The annual trend growth rate is 0.78%, adding approximately 45 people per year. Net internal migration averaging 53 arrivals annually drives most of this growth, with overseas migration contributing only 7. Population grew 6.8% over the prior decade, slightly faster than the projected pace, and real incomes grew 11.2% over the same period. The gentrification score of 11 places Kadina firmly in the not-gentrifying category, which aligns with its low SEIFA scores and aging population trajectory. Affordability has been stable, with the housing-cost-to-income ratio moving from 41.1% in 2011 to 41.7% in 2021.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+7
Net Internal / yr
+53
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +12% since 2011, Net internal migration +53/yr
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
154
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
52.3
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Kadina compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kadina a good suburb to live in?
Kadina suits residents who value affordable housing costs, with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.1%, and a strong local services base led by Healthcare (23% of jobs) and Education (14.7%). The SEIFA IRSD sits at decile 2, indicating below-average resources nationally, but housing stress is low and volunteer rates of 23% point to a connected community.
What is the median house price in Kadina?
No median house price figure is available in this dataset for Kadina. However, average monthly mortgage repayments of $1,083 imply a significantly lower entry price than Adelaide metropolitan suburbs, and the rent-to-income ratio of 23.1% confirms housing costs are well below the 30% stress benchmark.
What schools are in Kadina?
No schools are recorded in the Kadina suburb boundary within this dataset. The township serves as the main service hub of the Copper Coast, so educational facilities for the area are likely accessed within the broader Kadina district. University qualifications are held by 15.7% of residents, which is 14.4 points below the national average.
Is Kadina safe?
Kadina recorded 154 total crime incidents, giving a crime rate of 52.3 per 1,000 residents. This figure is best interpreted in context with regional SA benchmarks rather than metropolitan rates. The SEIFA IRSD decile of 2 indicates below-average socioeconomic resources, which nationally correlates with higher crime exposure, though local community volunteer rates of 23% reflect active civic engagement.
Is Kadina good for property investment?
The 10.5% vacancy rate is the key risk, running well above the healthy 3% threshold. Weekly rent of $250 offers reasonable gross yields given the low purchase price base, and net internal migration of 53 arrivals per year provides steady demand. The rental market serves 29% of households, but investors should factor in the elevated vacancy and the aging, slowly growing population of 2,944 when assessing capital growth potential.
How is Kadina's population changing?
Kadina's broader area population grew from 5,687 in 2023 to 5,776 in 2025, adding about 89 residents over 2 years. The medium forecast projects growth to around 6,040 by 2031, driven by net internal migration of 53 arrivals per year. The community is aging, with the senior share rising 5.4 points and the young-adult share declining 3.4 points over the decade.
How much development is happening in Kadina?
There were 70 development applications lodged in Kadina over the past 12 months, modest but consistent for a regional centre of under 3,000 residents. Recent applications include carports, verandahs, internal fitouts and minor extensions, typical of an established town where renovation activity outpaces new construction. The 0.78% annual population growth rate supports incremental rather than high-volume development.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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