Ashford vs Forestville

Ashford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 39 in Forestville. In Ashford, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In Forestville, most households own their home. Houses cost more in Forestville: a median of $1.23 million, against $998,000 in Ashford, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Ashford tends to suit renters and buyers on a tighter budget.

Forestville has a notably higher median household income at $103,012 compared to Ashford's $83,460, and its liveability and walkability scores are stronger at 68 and 86 respectively versus Ashford's 61 and 75. Property prices are considerably higher in Forestville, with median house prices of $1,215,500 against Ashford's $997,500, though unit prices are similar. Ashford offers a lower crime risk score of 47 versus Forestville's 61, and is slightly closer to the CBD at 4.0 km. Both suburbs have no bushfire risk, making Forestville better suited to those prioritising walkability and income levels, while Ashford may appeal to buyers seeking a quieter, more affordable area closer to the city.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Forestville

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (54% vs 26%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (50% vs 41%)
  • But Ashford carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 61/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Ashford

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($997,500 vs $1,231,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Ashford

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (53% vs 33%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Forestville

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (10% vs 1%)
  • is more walkable (86/100 vs 75/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Ashford

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (74% vs 46%)
  • carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 61/100)
  • But Forestville is more walkable (86/100 vs 75/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Ashford

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (20.6% vs 0.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Ashford and Forestville drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Ashford Forestville
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Ashford Forestville
Walkability 75 / 86
Ashford — Walkability: 75/100 Forestville — Walkability: 86/100
Safety 53 / 39
Ashford — Safety: 53/100 Forestville — Safety: 39/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Ashford — Low fire risk: 100/100 Forestville — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 1 / 10
Ashford — Low flood risk: 1/100 Forestville — Low flood risk: 10/100

Demographics

Forestville has higher household incomes ($103,012 vs $83,460); Forestville skews older (39 vs 35).

Ashford Forestville
Population 1,157 1,400
+21% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +20.6% +0.8%
Median age 35 39
Median household income $83,460/yr $103,012/yr
+23% vs other
Median weekly rent $320/wk $340/wk
+6% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ashford Forestville
0-4 5.4% / 5.2%
Ashford — 0-4: 5.4% Forestville — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 11.9% / 10.3%
Ashford — 5-14: 11.9% Forestville — 5-14: 10.3%
15-19 3.0% / 4.5%
Ashford — 15-19: 3.0% Forestville — 15-19: 4.5%
20-24 8.4% / 6.1%
Ashford — 20-24: 8.4% Forestville — 20-24: 6.1%
25-34 20.5% / 17.1%
Ashford — 25-34: 20.5% Forestville — 25-34: 17.1%
35-44 17.3% / 16.3%
Ashford — 35-44: 17.3% Forestville — 35-44: 16.3%
45-54 7.9% / 13.8%
Ashford — 45-54: 7.9% Forestville — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 6.3% / 12.8%
Ashford — 55-64: 6.3% Forestville — 55-64: 12.8%
65-74 6.7% / 9.3%
Ashford — 65-74: 6.7% Forestville — 65-74: 9.3%
75-84 6.8% / 3.6%
Ashford — 75-84: 6.8% Forestville — 75-84: 3.6%
85+ 5.0% / 1.5%
Ashford — 85+: 5.0% Forestville — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ashford 45.0% lone person
Ashford — Lone Person: 45.0% Ashford — Couple Families: 33.5% Ashford — One Parent Families: 7.6% Ashford — Group Household: 10.6% Ashford — Other Families: 3.3%
Forestville 40.3% lone person
Forestville — Lone Person: 40.3% Forestville — Couple Families: 35.9% Forestville — One Parent Families: 13.8% Forestville — Group Household: 8.9% Forestville — Other Families: 1.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ashford 53.1% renting
Ashford — Owned Outright: 19.8% Ashford — Mortgage: 27.1% Ashford — Renting: 53.1%
Forestville 32.8% renting
Forestville — Owned Outright: 30.7% Forestville — Mortgage: 36.6% Forestville — Renting: 32.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Ashford Forestville
Bachelor Degree 21.9% / 23.8%
Ashford — Bachelor Degree: 21.9% Forestville — Bachelor Degree: 23.8%
Postgraduate Degree 11.2% / 10.4%
Ashford — Postgraduate Degree: 11.2% Forestville — Postgraduate Degree: 10.4%
Certificate III & IV 8.4% / 11.1%
Ashford — Certificate III & IV: 8.4% Forestville — Certificate III & IV: 11.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.2% / 7.0%
Ashford — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2% Forestville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 4.6%
Ashford — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Forestville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.8%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Ashford Forestville
India 13.2% / 1.7%
Ashford — India: 13.2% Forestville — India: 1.7%
England 2.7% / 4.6%
Ashford — England: 2.7% Forestville — England: 4.6%
China 4.8% / 0.8%
Ashford — China: 4.8% Forestville — China: 0.8%
Nepal 3.7% / —
Ashford — Nepal: 3.7% Forestville — Nepal: not among its largest
Greece — / 1.8%
Ashford — Greece: not among its largest Forestville — Greece: 1.8%
Bangladesh 1.6% / —
Ashford — Bangladesh: 1.6% Forestville — Bangladesh: not among its largest
Germany — / 0.9%
Ashford — Germany: not among its largest Forestville — Germany: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ashford 25.8% houses
Ashford — Houses: 25.8% Ashford — Townhouses: 34.6% Ashford — Flats / Apartments: 39.7%
Forestville 53.5% houses
Forestville — Houses: 53.5% Forestville — Townhouses: 26.1% Forestville — Flats / Apartments: 20.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Ashford Forestville
Median house price $997,500 $1,231,000
Median unit price $622,500 $650,000
Median land price — $444,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 22 days
from 8 sales

Zoning mix

Ashford has more commercially zoned land (41% vs 6%).

Ashford Forestville
Residential 58% 89%
Commercial 41% 6%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 5%
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. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Ashford Forestville
New dwellings approved 578
across West Torrens
 273
across Unley
Approvals change year on year +103% -67%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Ashford Forestville
Houses — 2.1%
$645/wk on $1.6M
Units 5.0%
$555/wk on $575K
 —

Ranking within SA

Ashford Forestville
House price Higher than 65% of SA Higher than 76% of SA
Income Higher than 59% of SA Higher than 81% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 90% of SA Higher than 96% of SA
Affordability Higher than 31% of SA Higher than 38% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 98% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of SA Higher than 87% of SA
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 2% of SA
Rental yield (units) Higher than 73% of SA —

Liveability

Forestville is more walkable (86 vs 75); Forestville scores higher overall (68 vs 61).

Ashford Forestville
Grade B A
Score 61/100 68/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Forestville carries more crime risk (61 vs 47).

Ashford Forestville
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
47/100
 Moderate
61/100
Flood High
99/100
 High
90/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 7
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Ashford Forestville
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Adelaide University, Adelaide City Campus, 3.3 km
 3
Adelaide University, Adelaide City Campus, 3.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.1% 2.9%

Schools in Ashford

  • Aspect Treetop School Independent · Combined · Special school

Schools in Forestville

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Ashford Forestville
Cafes & restaurants 0 3
Parks & reserves 0 1
Pharmacies 2 1
Hospitals 1 0
Waterways 1 13

Mobility

Ashford Forestville
Walkability score 75/100 86/100
Distance to Adelaide 4 km 4.4 km
+10% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 8 min
same for both
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 80/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 54.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
same for both
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.7%
postcode 5035
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 40
postcode 5035
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Ashford Forestville
Car (driver) 60.9% / 57.9%
Ashford — Car (driver): 60.9% Forestville — Car (driver): 57.9%
Worked from Home 11.4% / 14.9%
Ashford — Worked from Home: 11.4% Forestville — Worked from Home: 14.9%
Bus 15.1% / 4.0%
Ashford — Bus: 15.1% Forestville — Bus: 4.0%
Bicycle 2.2% / 7.4%
Ashford — Bicycle: 2.2% Forestville — Bicycle: 7.4%
Walked Only 5.9% / 3.1%
Ashford — Walked Only: 5.9% Forestville — Walked Only: 3.1%
Tram / Light Rail — / 7.9%
Ashford — Tram / Light Rail: not among its largest Forestville — Tram / Light Rail: 7.9%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 2.8%
Ashford — Car (passenger): 4.1% Forestville — Car (passenger): 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.9%).

Setting

Ashford Forestville
Elevation 32 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 31 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.3 km 6.8 km

NBN connectivity

Ashford Forestville
Connectivity score 73/100 75/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 7%
782 premises
 1%
711 premises

Climate

Ashford Forestville
Annual rainfall 457 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Ashford Forestville
PM2.5 6.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 1.12 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Ashford Forestville
Average residential rate $1,532/yr $2,288/yr
Council West Torrens Unley

Federal electorate

Ashford Forestville
Division Adelaide
same for both
Member Steve Georganas
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ashford Forestville
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ashford

Apartments Inner Multicultural Parks Professionals River Townhouses Urban

Forestville

Inner Luxury Parks Professionals River Townhouses Trams Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ashford

Ashford vs Kurralta Park Ashford vs Glandore Ashford vs Marleston Ashford vs Everard Park Ashford vs Keswick

Other comparisons with Forestville

Forestville vs Goodwood Forestville vs Millswood Forestville vs Black Forest Forestville vs Wayville Forestville vs Everard Park Forestville vs Keswick
Full data on Ashford Full data on Forestville
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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