Kensington vs Marryatville

In Kensington, about half of households rent and most households are people living alone. In Marryatville, most households own their home. Houses cost more in Marryatville: a median of $1.55 million, against $1.21 million in Kensington, and rent is higher there too. Kensington is closer to the city centre: 4.6 km, against 5.2 km. On these figures, Kensington tends to suit renters, people living alone, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Marryatville suits families with children.

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

Marryatville

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 37%)
  • carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 62/100)
  • But Kensington has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Kensington

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,210,000 vs $1,555,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Kensington

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $395/wk)
  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (51% vs 40%)

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

Commuting to the city

Kensington

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (90/100 vs 82/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Kensington is more walkable (90/100 vs 82/100)
  • Marryatville carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 62/100)

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

Investors

Marryatville

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (10.2% vs 2.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Kensington Marryatville
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.

Kensington Marryatville
Walkability 90 / 82
Kensington — Walkability: 90/100 Marryatville — Walkability: 82/100
Safety 38 / 50
Kensington — Safety: 38/100 Marryatville — Safety: 50/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Kensington — Low fire risk: 100/100 Marryatville — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 19 / 17
Kensington — Low flood risk: 19/100 Marryatville — Low flood risk: 17/100

Demographics

Kensington has more residents (1,808 vs 648); Marryatville rents higher ($395/wk vs $300/wk).

Kensington Marryatville
Population 1,808
+64% vs other
 648
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.2% +10.2%
Median age 43 41
Median household income $70,460/yr $91,364/yr
+30% vs other
Median weekly rent $300/wk $395/wk
+32% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Kensington Marryatville
0-4 4.1% / 4.0%
Kensington — 0-4: 4.1% Marryatville — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 8.8% / 15.4%
Kensington — 5-14: 8.8% Marryatville — 5-14: 15.4%
15-19 5.9% / 7.6%
Kensington — 15-19: 5.9% Marryatville — 15-19: 7.6%
20-24 5.5% / 6.3%
Kensington — 20-24: 5.5% Marryatville — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 15.2% / 8.8%
Kensington — 25-34: 15.2% Marryatville — 25-34: 8.8%
35-44 12.6% / 15.4%
Kensington — 35-44: 12.6% Marryatville — 35-44: 15.4%
45-54 12.7% / 13.4%
Kensington — 45-54: 12.7% Marryatville — 45-54: 13.4%
55-64 11.1% / 10.5%
Kensington — 55-64: 11.1% Marryatville — 55-64: 10.5%
65-74 12.9% / 8.3%
Kensington — 65-74: 12.9% Marryatville — 65-74: 8.3%
75-84 8.2% / 9.0%
Kensington — 75-84: 8.2% Marryatville — 75-84: 9.0%
85+ 3.0% / 3.7%
Kensington — 85+: 3.0% Marryatville — 85+: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Kensington 57.0% lone person
Kensington — Lone Person: 57.0% Kensington — Couple Families: 24.3% Kensington — One Parent Families: 12.6% Kensington — Group Household: 5.0% Kensington — Other Families: 1.1%
Marryatville 41.5% lone person
Marryatville — Lone Person: 41.5% Marryatville — Couple Families: 38.6% Marryatville — One Parent Families: 14.5% Marryatville — Group Household: 5.3% Marryatville — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Kensington 50.8% renting
Kensington — Owned Outright: 24.9% Kensington — Mortgage: 24.3% Kensington — Renting: 50.8%
Marryatville 40.4% renting
Marryatville — Owned Outright: 29.3% Marryatville — Mortgage: 30.2% Marryatville — Renting: 40.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Kensington Marryatville
Bachelor Degree 23.6% / 22.8%
Kensington — Bachelor Degree: 23.6% Marryatville — Bachelor Degree: 22.8%
Postgraduate Degree 10.1% / 11.7%
Kensington — Postgraduate Degree: 10.1% Marryatville — Postgraduate Degree: 11.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.3% / 8.2%
Kensington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3% Marryatville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2%
Certificate III & IV 7.8% / 7.1%
Kensington — Certificate III & IV: 7.8% Marryatville — Certificate III & IV: 7.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.5% / 3.5%
Kensington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5% Marryatville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).

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.

Kensington Marryatville
China 2.5% / 8.2%
Kensington — China: 2.5% Marryatville — China: 8.2%
England 4.9% / 3.9%
Kensington — England: 4.9% Marryatville — England: 3.9%
India 5.1% / 2.8%
Kensington — India: 5.1% Marryatville — India: 2.8%
Sri Lanka — / 3.2%
Kensington — Sri Lanka: not among its largest Marryatville — Sri Lanka: 3.2%
Vietnam — / 2.5%
Kensington — Vietnam: not among its largest Marryatville — Vietnam: 2.5%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.4%
Kensington — New Zealand: 0.9% Marryatville — New Zealand: 1.4%
Italy 2.1% / —
Kensington — Italy: 2.1% Marryatville — Italy: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Kensington 42.6% townhouses
Kensington — Townhouses: 42.6% Kensington — Houses: 29.9% Kensington — Flats / Apartments: 27.6%
Marryatville 55.0% townhouses
Marryatville — Townhouses: 55.0% Marryatville — Houses: 37.3% Marryatville — Flats / Apartments: 7.7%
Townhouses Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Kensington Marryatville
Median house price $1,210,000 $1,555,000
Median unit price $765,000 $715,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 16 sales
 61 days
from 7 sales

Zoning mix

Kensington Marryatville
Residential 87% 50%
Infrastructure and transport 10% 46%
Commercial 3%
same for both
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

Kensington Marryatville
New dwellings approved 227
across Norwood Payneham and St Peters
same for both
Approvals change year on year +141%
same for both

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.

Kensington Marryatville
Houses 3.8%
$760/wk on $1.05M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Kensington Marryatville
House price Higher than 64% of SA Higher than 88% of SA
Income — Higher than 70% of SA
Schools Higher than 25% of SA —
Walkability Higher than 99% of SA Higher than 93% of SA
Affordability — Higher than 11% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 93% of SA Higher than 94% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 87% of SA
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 40% of SA —

Liveability

Marryatville scores higher overall (70 vs 56); Kensington is more walkable (90 vs 82).

Kensington Marryatville
Grade B A
Score 56/100 70/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Kensington carries more crime risk (62 vs 50).

Kensington Marryatville
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
62/100
 Moderate
50/100
Flood High
81/100
 High
83/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Kensington Marryatville
Inside the suburb 3 2
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Adelaide University, Magill Campus, 3.1 km
 3
Adelaide University, Magill Campus, 3.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.0% 4.0%

Schools in Kensington

  • Marryatville Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Mary MacKillop College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • St Joseph's Memorial School - Junior Primary Campus Catholic · Primary

Schools in Marryatville

  • Loreto College Catholic · Combined above peers
  • Marryatville High School Government · Secondary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Kensington Marryatville
Cafes & restaurants 2 1
Parks & reserves 4 0
Childcare 4 2
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Waterways 2 6

Mobility

Kensington Marryatville
Walkability score 90/100 82/100
Distance to Adelaide 4.6 km 5.2 km
+13% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 10 min 12 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 65/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 50.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 22.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.9%
postcode 5068
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 45
postcode 5068
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.

Kensington Marryatville
Car (driver) 60.5% / 60.0%
Kensington — Car (driver): 60.5% Marryatville — Car (driver): 60.0%
Worked from Home 17.2% / 15.3%
Kensington — Worked from Home: 17.2% Marryatville — Worked from Home: 15.3%
Bus 8.8% / 11.1%
Kensington — Bus: 8.8% Marryatville — Bus: 11.1%
Walked Only 5.3% / 6.0%
Kensington — Walked Only: 5.3% Marryatville — Walked Only: 6.0%
Bicycle 3.4% / 4.3%
Kensington — Bicycle: 3.4% Marryatville — Bicycle: 4.3%
Car (passenger) 4.2% / 3.4%
Kensington — Car (passenger): 4.2% Marryatville — Car (passenger): 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.5%).

Setting

Kensington Marryatville
Elevation 80 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 90 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 13.3 km 13.2 km

NBN connectivity

Kensington Marryatville
Connectivity score 75/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
1,063 premises
 2%
316 premises

Climate

Kensington Marryatville
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)

Kensington Marryatville
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

Kensington Marryatville
Average residential rate $1,995/yr
same for both
Council Norwood Payneham and St Peters
same for both

Federal electorate

Kensington Marryatville
Division Sturt
same for both
Member Claire Clutterham
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Kensington Marryatville
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Kensington

Cafe Culture Inner Parks Professionals River Townhouses Urban

Marryatville

Inner Parks Premium Professionals River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Kensington

Kensington vs Norwood Kensington vs Kensington Park Kensington vs Toorak Gardens Kensington vs Leabrook Kensington vs Beulah Park

Other comparisons with Marryatville

Marryatville vs Norwood Marryatville vs Kensington Park Marryatville vs Toorak Gardens Marryatville vs Leabrook Marryatville vs Heathpool
Full data on Kensington Full data on Marryatville
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or