Clarendon vs Onkaparinga Hills

Onkaparinga Hills is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 48 in Clarendon. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Clarendon: a median of $1.55 million, against $988,000 in Onkaparinga Hills, though rent is higher in Onkaparinga Hills. On these figures, Clarendon tends to suit people living alone, while Onkaparinga Hills suits 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

Onkaparinga Hills

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 1)
  • carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 33/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 70%)

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

First-home buyers

Onkaparinga Hills

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($988,000 vs $1,555,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 24%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Clarendon

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($255/wk vs $385/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 18%)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Clarendon is more walkable (24/100 vs 0/100)
  • Onkaparinga Hills has a shorter drive in (32 min vs 37 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Clarendon is more walkable (24/100 vs 0/100)
  • Onkaparinga Hills carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 33/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
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.

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Walkability 24 / 0
Clarendon — Walkability: 24/100 Onkaparinga Hills — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 67 / 79
Clarendon — Safety: 67/100 Onkaparinga Hills — Safety: 79/100
Low fire risk 42 / 57
Clarendon — Low fire risk: 42/100 Onkaparinga Hills — Low fire risk: 57/100

Demographics

Onkaparinga Hills has more residents (2,610 vs 643); Onkaparinga Hills rents higher ($385/wk vs $255/wk).

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Population 643 2,610
+306% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.0% +3.2%
Median age 48 45
Median household income $107,380/yr $108,056/yr
Median weekly rent $255/wk $385/wk
+51% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
0-4 3.1% / 3.9%
Clarendon — 0-4: 3.1% Onkaparinga Hills — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 12.4% / 12.5%
Clarendon — 5-14: 12.4% Onkaparinga Hills — 5-14: 12.5%
15-19 5.4% / 7.6%
Clarendon — 15-19: 5.4% Onkaparinga Hills — 15-19: 7.6%
20-24 5.1% / 5.6%
Clarendon — 20-24: 5.1% Onkaparinga Hills — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 6.4% / 9.1%
Clarendon — 25-34: 6.4% Onkaparinga Hills — 25-34: 9.1%
35-44 10.7% / 10.7%
Clarendon — 35-44: 10.7% Onkaparinga Hills — 35-44: 10.7%
45-54 16.6% / 15.7%
Clarendon — 45-54: 16.6% Onkaparinga Hills — 45-54: 15.7%
55-64 19.1% / 16.9%
Clarendon — 55-64: 19.1% Onkaparinga Hills — 55-64: 16.9%
65-74 11.2% / 12.1%
Clarendon — 65-74: 11.2% Onkaparinga Hills — 65-74: 12.1%
75-84 6.5% / 5.4%
Clarendon — 75-84: 6.5% Onkaparinga Hills — 75-84: 5.4%
85+ 0.9% / 0.3%
Clarendon — 85+: 0.9% Onkaparinga Hills — 85+: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Clarendon 58.7% couple families
Clarendon — Couple Families: 58.7% Clarendon — Lone Person: 30.0% Clarendon — One Parent Families: 11.3% Clarendon — Group Household: 0.0%
Onkaparinga Hills 66.0% couple families
Onkaparinga Hills — Couple Families: 66.0% Onkaparinga Hills — Lone Person: 17.7% Onkaparinga Hills — One Parent Families: 13.3% Onkaparinga Hills — Group Household: 3.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Clarendon 9.1% renting
Clarendon — Owned Outright: 47.2% Clarendon — Mortgage: 43.7% Clarendon — Renting: 9.1%
Onkaparinga Hills 4.5% renting
Onkaparinga Hills — Owned Outright: 40.3% Onkaparinga Hills — Mortgage: 55.2% Onkaparinga Hills — Renting: 4.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Certificate III & IV 16.8% / 22.2%
Clarendon — Certificate III & IV: 16.8% Onkaparinga Hills — Certificate III & IV: 22.2%
Bachelor Degree 14.8% / 8.6%
Clarendon — Bachelor Degree: 14.8% Onkaparinga Hills — Bachelor Degree: 8.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 9.5%
Clarendon — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Onkaparinga Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5%
Postgraduate Degree 5.0% / 2.3%
Clarendon — Postgraduate Degree: 5.0% Onkaparinga Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.1% / 1.7%
Clarendon — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1% Onkaparinga Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).

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.

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
England 8.2% / 10.4%
Clarendon — England: 8.2% Onkaparinga Hills — England: 10.4%
New Zealand 2.2% / 0.5%
Clarendon — New Zealand: 2.2% Onkaparinga Hills — New Zealand: 0.5%
Germany 0.5% / 1.0%
Clarendon — Germany: 0.5% Onkaparinga Hills — Germany: 1.0%
Netherlands 0.5% / 0.8%
Clarendon — Netherlands: 0.5% Onkaparinga Hills — Netherlands: 0.8%
France 0.8% / —
Clarendon — France: 0.8% Onkaparinga Hills — France: not among its largest
India 0.5% / 0.3%
Clarendon — India: 0.5% Onkaparinga Hills — India: 0.3%
Scotland — / 0.8%
Clarendon — Scotland: not among its largest Onkaparinga Hills — Scotland: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Clarendon 98.3% houses
Clarendon — Houses: 98.3% Clarendon — Flats / Apartments: 1.7% Clarendon — Townhouses: 0.0%
Onkaparinga Hills 99.2% houses
Onkaparinga Hills — Houses: 99.2% Onkaparinga Hills — Flats / Apartments: 0.2% Onkaparinga Hills — Townhouses: 0.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Median house price $1,555,000 $988,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) — 22 days
from 20 sales

Zoning mix

Clarendon has more rural and farming land (92% vs 1%); Onkaparinga Hills has more land zoned for conservation (95% vs 7%).

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Environmental 7% 95%
Rural and farming 92% 1%
Residential 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

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
New dwellings approved 1,367
across Onkaparinga
same for both
Approvals change year on year +58%
same for both

Ranking within SA

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
House price Higher than 27% of SA Higher than 40% of SA
Income Higher than 85% of SA
same for both
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 73% of SA Higher than 8% of SA
Affordability Higher than 94% of SA Higher than 89% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 70% of SA Higher than 50% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 55% of SA Higher than 81% of SA

Liveability

Clarendon is more walkable (24 vs 0).

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Grade B
same for both
Score 58/100 54/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Clarendon carries more crime risk (33 vs 21); Clarendon carries more bushfire risk (58 vs 43).

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Bushfire Moderate
58/100
 Moderate
43/100
Crime Low
33/100
 Low
21/100
Flood Low
19/100
 —
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Clarendon

  • Clarendon Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Onkaparinga Hills

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

Amenities in the suburb

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Parks & reserves 1 8
Childcare 2 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Waterways 2 1

Mobility

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Walkability score 24/100 0/100
Distance to Adelaide 28.9 km
+6% vs other
 27.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 37 min 32 min
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 5157
 0.5%
postcode 5163
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 97
postcode 5157
 67
postcode 5163

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.

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Car (driver) 75.8% / 81.4%
Clarendon — Car (driver): 75.8% Onkaparinga Hills — Car (driver): 81.4%
Worked from Home 18.5% / 10.8%
Clarendon — Worked from Home: 18.5% Onkaparinga Hills — Worked from Home: 10.8%
Car (passenger) 1.3% / 3.9%
Clarendon — Car (passenger): 1.3% Onkaparinga Hills — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Walked Only 3.3% / 0.4%
Clarendon — Walked Only: 3.3% Onkaparinga Hills — Walked Only: 0.4%
Bus 1.0% / 1.6%
Clarendon — Bus: 1.0% Onkaparinga Hills — Bus: 1.6%
Train — / 1.1%
Clarendon — Train: not among its largest Onkaparinga Hills — Train: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.4%).

Setting

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Elevation 188 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 234 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 12.9 km 8.8 km

NBN connectivity

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Connectivity score 30/100 68/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
261 premises
 45%
953 premises

Climate

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Annual rainfall 969 mm 394 mm
Summer max (Jan) 23.8°C 28.1°C
Winter min (Jul) 5.4°C 7.8°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 19.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.34 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Average residential rate $2,008/yr
same for both
Council Onkaparinga
same for both

Federal electorate

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Division Mayo Kingston
Member Rebekha Sharkie Amanda Rishworth
Party Centre Alliance Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

Clarendon Onkaparinga Hills
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Clarendon

Outer Quiet River

Onkaparinga Hills

Acreage Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Clarendon

Clarendon vs Kangarilla Clarendon vs Chandlers Hill Clarendon vs Cherry Gardens Clarendon vs Blewitt Springs

Other comparisons with Onkaparinga Hills

Onkaparinga Hills vs Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills vs Woodcroft Onkaparinga Hills vs Hackham Onkaparinga Hills vs McLaren Vale Onkaparinga Hills vs Old Noarlunga Onkaparinga Hills vs Chandlers Hill
Full data on Clarendon Full data on Onkaparinga Hills
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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