Bedford Park vs Tonsley

Bedford Park is the younger of the two, with a median age of 28 against 31 in Tonsley. In Bedford Park, about half of households rent and most homes are detached houses. In Tonsley, most households own their home and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Bedford Park: a median of $965,000, against $800,000 in Tonsley, though rent is higher in Tonsley. Tonsley is closer to the city centre: 11.1 km, against 12.7 km. On these figures, Bedford Park tends to suit share households, while Tonsley suits people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Bedford Park

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 3)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (69% vs 49%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (40% vs 29%)

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

First-home buyers

Tonsley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($800,000 vs $965,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bedford Park

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($290/wk vs $330/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Tonsley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (12% vs 4%)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Tonsley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (51% vs 31%)

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

Where they sit

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

Bedford Park Tonsley
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.

Bedford Park Tonsley
Walkability 75 / 70
Bedford Park — Walkability: 75/100 Tonsley — Walkability: 70/100
Safety 13 / 10
Bedford Park — Safety: 13/100 Tonsley — Safety: 10/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Bedford Park — Low fire risk: 100/100 Tonsley — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 38 / 90
Bedford Park — Low flood risk: 38/100 Tonsley — Low flood risk: 90/100

Demographics

Bedford Park has more residents (1,882 vs 743); Tonsley rents higher ($330/wk vs $290/wk).

Bedford Park Tonsley
Population 1,882
+61% vs other
 743
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.5% —
Median age 28 31
Median household income $75,296/yr $76,440/yr
+2% vs other
Median weekly rent $290/wk $330/wk
+14% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bedford Park Tonsley
0-4 2.7% / 3.9%
Bedford Park — 0-4: 2.7% Tonsley — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 4.7% / 6.3%
Bedford Park — 5-14: 4.7% Tonsley — 5-14: 6.3%
15-19 11.0% / 4.4%
Bedford Park — 15-19: 11.0% Tonsley — 15-19: 4.4%
20-24 21.4% / 14.4%
Bedford Park — 20-24: 21.4% Tonsley — 20-24: 14.4%
25-34 23.6% / 29.1%
Bedford Park — 25-34: 23.6% Tonsley — 25-34: 29.1%
35-44 11.2% / 14.9%
Bedford Park — 35-44: 11.2% Tonsley — 35-44: 14.9%
45-54 7.1% / 8.6%
Bedford Park — 45-54: 7.1% Tonsley — 45-54: 8.6%
55-64 6.8% / 7.9%
Bedford Park — 55-64: 6.8% Tonsley — 55-64: 7.9%
65-74 5.5% / 6.6%
Bedford Park — 65-74: 5.5% Tonsley — 65-74: 6.6%
75-84 4.6% / 2.6%
Bedford Park — 75-84: 4.6% Tonsley — 75-84: 2.6%
85+ 2.1% / 1.9%
Bedford Park — 85+: 2.1% Tonsley — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bedford Park 37.5% lone person
Bedford Park — Lone Person: 37.5% Bedford Park — Couple Families: 28.9% Bedford Park — Group Household: 21.4% Bedford Park — One Parent Families: 10.6% Bedford Park — Other Families: 1.7%
Tonsley 55.5% lone person
Tonsley — Lone Person: 55.5% Tonsley — Couple Families: 18.0% Tonsley — Group Household: 11.3% Tonsley — One Parent Families: 10.9% Tonsley — Other Families: 4.3%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bedford Park 52.5% renting
Bedford Park — Owned Outright: 27.6% Bedford Park — Mortgage: 19.9% Bedford Park — Renting: 52.5%
Tonsley 43.8% renting
Tonsley — Owned Outright: 15.2% Tonsley — Mortgage: 41.1% Tonsley — Renting: 43.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bedford Park Tonsley
Bachelor Degree 21.1% / 22.1%
Bedford Park — Bachelor Degree: 21.1% Tonsley — Bachelor Degree: 22.1%
Certificate III & IV 10.4% / 12.9%
Bedford Park — Certificate III & IV: 10.4% Tonsley — Certificate III & IV: 12.9%
Postgraduate Degree 9.3% / 9.2%
Bedford Park — Postgraduate Degree: 9.3% Tonsley — Postgraduate Degree: 9.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.3% / 5.8%
Bedford Park — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3% Tonsley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / 1.7%
Bedford Park — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Tonsley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).

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.

Bedford Park Tonsley
India 4.7% / 3.6%
Bedford Park — India: 4.7% Tonsley — India: 3.6%
China 6.1% / 1.6%
Bedford Park — China: 6.1% Tonsley — China: 1.6%
Nepal 2.0% / 5.2%
Bedford Park — Nepal: 2.0% Tonsley — Nepal: 5.2%
England 2.0% / 3.4%
Bedford Park — England: 2.0% Tonsley — England: 3.4%
Singapore 2.7% / 1.5%
Bedford Park — Singapore: 2.7% Tonsley — Singapore: 1.5%
Vietnam 3.1% / —
Bedford Park — Vietnam: 3.1% Tonsley — Vietnam: not among its largest
Sri Lanka 2.6% / —
Bedford Park — Sri Lanka: 2.6% Tonsley — Sri Lanka: not among its largest
Philippines — / 2.3%
Bedford Park — Philippines: not among its largest Tonsley — Philippines: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bedford Park 68.8% houses
Bedford Park — Houses: 68.8% Bedford Park — Townhouses: 16.4% Bedford Park — Flats / Apartments: 14.8%
Tonsley 49.3% houses
Tonsley — Houses: 49.3% Tonsley — Townhouses: 30.9% Tonsley — Flats / Apartments: 19.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bedford Park Tonsley
Median house price $965,000 $800,000
Median unit price $440,750 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 29 days
from 10 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Bedford Park Tonsley
Commercial 67% 61%
Residential 22% 29%
Industrial 3% 10%
Parks and recreation 6% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 0%
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

Bedford Park Tonsley
New dwellings approved 188
across Mitcham
 809
across Marion
Approvals change year on year +32% -31%

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.

Bedford Park Tonsley
Houses — 4.6%
$680/wk on $772K
Units — 5.0%
$600/wk on $630K

Ranking within SA

Bedford Park Tonsley
House price Higher than 40% of SA Higher than 16% of SA
Income Higher than 50% of SA Higher than 52% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 90% of SA Higher than 88% of SA
Affordability Higher than 54% of SA Higher than 80% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 89% of SA Higher than 88% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of SA Higher than 79% of SA
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 90% of SA
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 70% of SA

Liveability

Tonsley scores higher overall (60 vs 50).

Bedford Park Tonsley
Grade C B
Score 50/100 60/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Bedford Park carries more flood risk (62 vs 10).

Bedford Park Tonsley
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
87/100
 High
90/100
Flood Moderate
62/100
 Low
10/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Bedford Park Tonsley
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 2
Bedford Park, 0.0 km
 3
Tonsley, 1.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 23.3% 8.9%

Schools in Bedford Park

  • Australian Science and Mathematics School Government · Secondary

Schools in Tonsley

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

Amenities in the suburb

Bedford Park Tonsley
Cafes & restaurants 1 3
Parks & reserves 8 3
Childcare 2 1
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Bedford Park Tonsley
Walkability score 75/100 70/100
Distance to Adelaide 12.7 km
+13% vs other
 11.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 20 min 19 min
Public transport score 89/100
Rail · Bus
 90/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 304.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 33.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.5%
postcode 5042
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 5042
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.

Bedford Park Tonsley
Car (driver) 62.8% / 64.1%
Bedford Park — Car (driver): 62.8% Tonsley — Car (driver): 64.1%
Worked from Home 8.8% / 10.4%
Bedford Park — Worked from Home: 8.8% Tonsley — Worked from Home: 10.4%
Train 3.7% / 12.2%
Bedford Park — Train: 3.7% Tonsley — Train: 12.2%
Bus 11.3% / 3.6%
Bedford Park — Bus: 11.3% Tonsley — Bus: 3.6%
Walked Only 8.8% / 3.9%
Bedford Park — Walked Only: 8.8% Tonsley — Walked Only: 3.9%
Car (passenger) 4.6% / 4.7%
Bedford Park — Car (passenger): 4.6% Tonsley — Car (passenger): 4.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.1%).

Setting

Bedford Park Tonsley
Elevation 85 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 52 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.9 km 5.2 km

NBN connectivity

Bedford Park Tonsley
Connectivity score 66/100 65/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 25%
926 premises
 36%
338 premises

Climate

Bedford Park Tonsley
Annual rainfall 394 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Bedford Park Tonsley
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

Bedford Park Tonsley
Average residential rate $2,296/yr $1,782/yr
Council Mitcham Marion

Federal electorate

Bedford Park Tonsley
Division Boothby
same for both
Member Louise Miller-Frost
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bedford Park Tonsley
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bedford Park

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks River Students Transport Hub

Tonsley

Gentrifying Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Townhouses Trains Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bedford Park

Bedford Park vs Flagstaff Hill Bedford Park vs Mitchell Park Bedford Park vs Marion Bedford Park vs Eden Hills Bedford Park vs St Marys Bedford Park vs Sturt

Other comparisons with Tonsley

Tonsley vs Mitchell Park Tonsley vs Clovelly Park Tonsley vs St Marys
Full data on Bedford Park Full data on Tonsley
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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