Best suburbs in Adelaide for public transport
How well connected each suburb actually is.
Bowden (100/100), Woodville (99/100), Black Forest (99/100) lead this ranking of 274 Adelaide suburbs.
By BestSuburbs research · Updated October 2026
Part of Adelaide suburb rankings · all Adelaide lists
Which Adelaide suburbs have the best public transport?
How do the top 25 compare, measure by measure?
| # | Suburb | Transit score | Median house price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bowden | 100 | $1,225,000 |
| 2 |  Woodville | 99 | $1,010,000 |
| 3 |  Black Forest | 99 | $1,500,000 |
| 4 |  Clarence Park | 99 | $1,450,500 |
| 5 |  Cumberland Park | 98 | $1,490,000 |
| 6 |  Marleston | 98 | $1,065,000 |
| 7 |  Kensington | 98 | $1,273,750 |
| 8 |  Hampstead Gardens | 97 | $1,342,500 |
| 9 |  Queenstown | 97 | $1,059,000 |
| 10 |  Glenelg | 97 | $2,775,000 |
| 11 |  Renown Park | 96 | $970,000 |
| 12 |  Henley Beach South | 96 | $1,855,000 |
| 13 |  Seacombe Gardens | 95 | $1,064,500 |
| 14 |  Hawthorn | 95 | $1,810,500 |
| 15 |  Clarence Gardens | 95 | $1,490,000 |
| 16 |  Athol Park | 94 | $880,000 |
| 17 |  Plympton Park | 94 | $1,305,500 |
| 18 |  Beulah Park | 94 | $1,610,000 |
| 19 |  Glenalta | 93 | $1,230,000 |
| 20 |  Seacliff | 93 | $1,940,000 |
| 21 |  Kurralta Park | 93 | $1,481,000 |
| 22 |  Wayville | 92 | $2,516,500 |
| 23 |  Leabrook | 92 | $1,997,500 |
| 24 |  Sturt | 91 | $1,003,250 |
| 25 |  St Clair | 91 | $1,110,000 |
Showing the top 25 of 274 ranked suburbs. Scores are percentiles against every other suburb in Adelaide: 100 is the best in the city, 50 is mid-table. Click any suburb for its full profile.
Why do these 10 Adelaide suburbs lead on public transport? (October 2026)
Updated 17 October 2026 · one sentence of real reasons per suburb, from the data on this page.
- Bowden ★ 100
At #1, Bowden combines 100% of it within 400 m of a park and 8 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 100, and 2 cafés.
- Woodville ★ 99
Woodville ranks #2: 7 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 99, a median house price of $1.01m (Apr–Jun 2026), and a recorded crime rate of about 99 offences per 1,000 residents (safety score 17/100).
- Black Forest ★ 99
Black Forest takes #3 on a recorded crime rate of about 19 offences per 1,000 residents (safety score 86/100), with 16 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 99, and 84% of it within 400 m of a park.
- Clarence Park ★ 99
Clarence Park takes #4 on 11 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 99, with a recorded crime rate of about 36 offences per 1,000 residents (safety score 64/100), and 1 cafés.
- Cumberland Park ★ 98
At #5, Cumberland Park combines 21 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 98 and a recorded crime rate of about 59 offences per 1,000 residents (safety score 39/100), and a median house price of $1.49m (Apr–Jun 2026).
- Marleston ★ 98
#6 Marleston — 13 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 98, plus 67% of it within 400 m of a park, and a recorded crime rate of about 62 offences per 1,000 residents (safety score 35/100).
- Kensington ★ 98
Kensington ranks #7: 94% of it within 400 m of a park, 10 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 98, and 1 cafés.
- Hampstead Gardens ★ 97
Hampstead Gardens ranks #8: 97% of it within 400 m of a park, 22 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 97, and 1 cafés.
- Queenstown ★ 97
Queenstown takes #9 on 32 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 97, with 1 government primary school inside the suburb, and a recorded crime rate of about 55 offences per 1,000 residents (safety score 41/100).
- Glenelg ★ 97
Glenelg takes #10 on 28 public transport stops inside it for a transit score of 97, with 13 cafés, and 1 government primary school inside the suburb.
Why each of the top 10 suburbs for public transport in Adelaide ranks where it does
Written from this page's own data: each figure below is the suburb's own value, set against the Adelaide median where we hold one.
1. Bowden
Bowden is #1 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 100/100. It has 8 public transport stops inside its boundary, for a transit score of 100/100. The trade-off: it scores 13/100 for value for rent, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.2 km² with about 1,808 residents (census).
2. Woodville
Woodville is #2 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 99/100. It has 7 public transport stops inside its boundary, for a transit score of 99/100. The trade-off: it scores 17/100 for safety, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.2 km² with about 2,180 residents (census).
3. Black Forest
Black Forest is #3 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 99/100. It has 16 public transport stops inside its boundary, for a transit score of 99/100. The trade-off: it scores 8/100 for activity, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.4 km² with about 1,982 residents (census).
4. Clarence Park
Clarence Park is #4 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 99/100. It has 11 public transport stops inside its boundary, for a transit score of 99/100. The trade-off: it scores 4/100 for parks, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.3 km² with about 2,658 residents (census).
5. Cumberland Park
Cumberland Park is #5 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 98/100. It has 21 public transport stops inside its boundary, for a transit score of 98/100. The trade-off: it scores 4/100 for parks, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.5 km² with about 2,571 residents (census).
6. Marleston
Marleston is #6 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 98/100. It has 13 public transport stops inside its boundary, for a transit score of 98/100. The trade-off: it scores 4/100 for parks, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.3 km² with about 1,950 residents (census).
7. Kensington
Kensington is #7 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 98/100. It has 10 public transport stops inside its boundary, for a transit score of 98/100. The trade-off: it scores 12/100 for activity, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.2 km² with about 1,808 residents (census).
8. Hampstead Gardens
Hampstead Gardens is #8 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 97/100. It has 22 public transport stops inside its boundary, for a transit score of 97/100. The trade-off: it scores 28/100 for parks, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.6 km² with about 1,535 residents (census).
9. Queenstown
Queenstown is #9 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 97/100. It has 32 public transport stops inside its boundary, for a transit score of 97/100. The trade-off: it scores 11/100 for value for rent, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.8 km² with about 1,943 residents (census).
10. Glenelg
Glenelg is #10 of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs on this list, with a score of 97/100. It has 28 public transport stops inside its boundary, for a transit score of 97/100. The trade-off: it scores 3/100 for safety, so it is weaker there. It covers 0.7 km² with about 3,440 residents (census).
How do these suburbs compare head to head?
What else do people ask about suburbs for public transport in Adelaide?
What are the best suburbs in Adelaide for public transport?
On our October 2026 data the top five are Bowden (100/100), Woodville (99/100), Black Forest (99/100), Clarence Park (99/100), Cumberland Park (98/100), out of 274 ranked Adelaide suburbs.
How is this ranking calculated?
The transit score: access to train stations, tram and bus stops within the suburb boundary, weighted by mode and normalised against the city. 274 of 274 Adelaide suburbs had enough data to be ranked. Updated October 2026.
Is this ranking sponsored?
No. No ranking on this site is sold or sponsored. It is computed from open data: GPS activity traces, official crime statistics, the ABS census and OpenStreetMap.
What other Adelaide rankings are there?
Sources: open GPS activity traces, official crime statistics, ABS census,
OpenStreetMap (ODbL). Sale prices: SA Government Metropolitan Median House Sales, April–June 2026 quarter (2Q 2026) — © Government of South Australia (Land Services SA), Metropolitan Median House Sales, CC BY 4.0. Quarterly median house sale price per suburb, metropolitan Adelaide. Units are not in this dataset. Figures marked as low-volume rest on fewer than 10 sales that quarter. No ranking on this site is sold or sponsored.
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