Malvern vs Kingswood

Malvern is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 49 in Kingswood. In both, the large majority of households own their home. In Malvern, the large majority of homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. In Kingswood, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Malvern: a median of $2.26 million, against $1.7 million in Kingswood, and rent is higher there too. Malvern is closer to the city centre: 4.6 km, against 6 km. On these figures, Malvern tends to suit couples, while Kingswood 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Malvern has more separate houses rather than flats (80% vs 53%)
  • Kingswood has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Malvern has cheaper units ($515,000 vs $747,500)
  • Kingswood has cheaper houses ($1,700,000 vs $2,260,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Kingswood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($333/wk vs $380/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Kingswood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (94/100 vs 73/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Kingswood

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (47% vs 20%)
  • is more walkable (94/100 vs 73/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 24%)

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

Investors

Kingswood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (10.5% vs 5.4%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (4.4% vs 3.5%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Malvern Kingswood
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.

Malvern Kingswood
Walkability 73 / 94
Malvern — Walkability: 73/100 Kingswood — Walkability: 94/100
Safety 28 / 40
Malvern — Safety: 28/100 Kingswood — Safety: 40/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Malvern — Low fire risk: 100/100 Kingswood — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 32 / 85
Malvern — Low flood risk: 32/100 Kingswood — Low flood risk: 85/100

Demographics

Malvern has higher household incomes ($138,060 vs $98,696); Malvern rents higher ($380/wk vs $333/wk).

Malvern Kingswood
Population 2,713
+6% vs other
 2,554
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.4% +10.5%
Median age 46 49
Median household income $138,060/yr
+29% vs other
 $98,696/yr
Median weekly rent $380/wk
+12% vs other
 $333/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Malvern Kingswood
0-4 3.6% / 4.2%
Malvern — 0-4: 3.6% Kingswood — 0-4: 4.2%
5-14 12.6% / 10.6%
Malvern — 5-14: 12.6% Kingswood — 5-14: 10.6%
15-19 6.9% / 6.1%
Malvern — 15-19: 6.9% Kingswood — 15-19: 6.1%
20-24 6.0% / 4.7%
Malvern — 20-24: 6.0% Kingswood — 20-24: 4.7%
25-34 7.4% / 7.7%
Malvern — 25-34: 7.4% Kingswood — 25-34: 7.7%
35-44 10.9% / 11.1%
Malvern — 35-44: 10.9% Kingswood — 35-44: 11.1%
45-54 15.0% / 12.6%
Malvern — 45-54: 15.0% Kingswood — 45-54: 12.6%
55-64 13.7% / 12.2%
Malvern — 55-64: 13.7% Kingswood — 55-64: 12.2%
65-74 13.5% / 12.8%
Malvern — 65-74: 13.5% Kingswood — 65-74: 12.8%
75-84 6.7% / 8.1%
Malvern — 75-84: 6.7% Kingswood — 75-84: 8.1%
85+ 3.9% / 8.9%
Malvern — 85+: 3.9% Kingswood — 85+: 8.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Malvern 56.6% couple families
Malvern — Couple Families: 56.6% Malvern — Lone Person: 27.8% Malvern — One Parent Families: 12.2% Malvern — Group Household: 1.9% Malvern — Other Families: 1.5%
Kingswood 45.9% couple families
Kingswood — Couple Families: 45.9% Kingswood — Lone Person: 37.5% Kingswood — One Parent Families: 12.3% Kingswood — Group Household: 3.2% Kingswood — Other Families: 1.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Malvern 19.3% renting
Malvern — Owned Outright: 49.4% Malvern — Mortgage: 31.3% Malvern — Renting: 19.3%
Kingswood 23.0% renting
Kingswood — Owned Outright: 44.3% Kingswood — Mortgage: 32.7% Kingswood — Renting: 23.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Malvern Kingswood
Bachelor Degree 26.3% / 22.9%
Malvern — Bachelor Degree: 26.3% Kingswood — Bachelor Degree: 22.9%
Postgraduate Degree 9.8% / 8.7%
Malvern — Postgraduate Degree: 9.8% Kingswood — Postgraduate Degree: 8.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 7.2%
Malvern — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Kingswood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2%
Certificate III & IV 5.4% / 6.5%
Malvern — Certificate III & IV: 5.4% Kingswood — Certificate III & IV: 6.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.9% / 3.8%
Malvern — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9% Kingswood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).

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.

Malvern Kingswood
England 3.9% / 5.1%
Malvern — England: 3.9% Kingswood — England: 5.1%
China 3.4% / 2.0%
Malvern — China: 3.4% Kingswood — China: 2.0%
Italy 1.4% / 1.2%
Malvern — Italy: 1.4% Kingswood — Italy: 1.2%
India 1.2% / 1.2%
Malvern — India: 1.2% Kingswood — India: 1.2%
Greece 1.1% / 0.7%
Malvern — Greece: 1.1% Kingswood — Greece: 0.7%
Malaysia 0.9% / 0.9%
Malvern — Malaysia: 0.9% Kingswood — Malaysia: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Malvern 79.8% houses
Malvern — Houses: 79.8% Malvern — Townhouses: 12.7% Malvern — Flats / Apartments: 7.4%
Kingswood 53.3% houses
Kingswood — Houses: 53.3% Kingswood — Townhouses: 20.8% Kingswood — Flats / Apartments: 25.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Malvern Kingswood
Median house price $2,260,000 $1,700,000
Median unit price $515,000 $747,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 23 sales
 22 days
from 19 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Malvern Kingswood
3 bed $2.17M / $1.49M
Malvern — 3 bed: $2.17M (29 sales) Kingswood — 3 bed: $1.49M (20 sales)

29 vs 20 sales

4 bed $2.65M / $1.95M
Malvern — 4 bed: $2.65M (22 sales) Kingswood — 4 bed: $1.95M (18 sales)

22 vs 18 sales

5 bed $3.42M / $2.13M
Malvern — 5 bed: $3.42M (6 sales) Kingswood — 5 bed: $2.13M (6 sales)

6 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Malvern Kingswood
Residential 96% 93%
Commercial 4% 2%
Parks and recreation 0% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 2%
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

Malvern Kingswood
New dwellings approved 273
across Unley
 188
across Mitcham
Approvals change year on year -67% +32%

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.

Malvern Kingswood
Houses 2.1%
$790/wk on $1.95M
 2.2%
$685/wk on $1.59M
Units 3.5%
$450/wk on $672K
 4.4%
$605/wk on $712K

Ranking within SA

Malvern Kingswood
House price Higher than 97% of SA Higher than 93% of SA
Income Higher than 96% of SA Higher than 78% of SA
Schools — Higher than 97% of SA
Walkability Higher than 89% of SA Higher than 100% of SA
Affordability Higher than 15% of SA Higher than 7% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 98% of SA Higher than 97% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of SA Higher than 88% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 2% of SA Higher than 5% of SA
Rental yield (units) Higher than 6% of SA Higher than 39% of SA

Liveability

Kingswood is more walkable (94 vs 73); Kingswood scores higher overall (91 vs 72).

Malvern Kingswood
Grade A A+
Score 72/100 91/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Malvern carries more flood risk (68 vs 15); Malvern carries more crime risk (72 vs 60).

Malvern Kingswood
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
72/100
 Moderate
60/100
Flood Moderate
68/100
 Low
15/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Malvern Kingswood
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Adelaide University, Adelaide City Campus, 3.5 km
 3
Adelaide University, Adelaide City Campus, 4.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 5.3% 3.7%

Schools in Malvern

  • Unley Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Kingswood

  • Mitcham Girls High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Mitcham Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Malvern Kingswood
Cafes & restaurants 3 0
Parks & reserves 1
same for both
Childcare 2 3
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Fuel stations 0 1

Mobility

Malvern Kingswood
Walkability score 73/100 94/100
Distance to Adelaide 4.6 km 6 km
+30% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 10 min 12 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 82.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 68.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.6%
postcode 5061
 2.5%
postcode 5062
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 53
postcode 5061
 63
postcode 5062

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.

Malvern Kingswood
Car (driver) 66.4% / 66.8%
Malvern — Car (driver): 66.4% Kingswood — Car (driver): 66.8%
Worked from Home 18.2% / 16.8%
Malvern — Worked from Home: 18.2% Kingswood — Worked from Home: 16.8%
Bus 5.5% / 4.5%
Malvern — Bus: 5.5% Kingswood — Bus: 4.5%
Car (passenger) 4.9% / 4.5%
Malvern — Car (passenger): 4.9% Kingswood — Car (passenger): 4.5%
Bicycle 2.8% / 2.8%
Malvern — Bicycle: 2.8% Kingswood — Bicycle: 2.8%
Walked Only 2.1% / 3.5%
Malvern — Walked Only: 2.1% Kingswood — Walked Only: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.8%).

Setting

Malvern Kingswood
Elevation 62 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 75 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.3 km
same for both

NBN connectivity

Malvern Kingswood
Connectivity score 73/100 75/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 40%
1,376 premises
 0%
1,089 premises

Climate

Malvern Kingswood
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)

Malvern Kingswood
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

Malvern Kingswood
Average residential rate $2,288/yr $2,296/yr
Council Unley Mitcham

Federal electorate

Malvern Kingswood
Division Adelaide Boothby
Member Steve Georganas Louise Miller-Frost
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Malvern Kingswood
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Malvern

Inner Luxury Parks Professionals River

Kingswood

Inner Parks Premium Professionals Retirees River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Malvern

Malvern vs Parkside Malvern vs Fullarton Malvern vs Unley Malvern vs Hawthorn Malvern vs Hyde Park Malvern vs Netherby

Other comparisons with Kingswood

Kingswood vs Torrens Park Kingswood vs Hawthorn Kingswood vs Mitcham Kingswood vs Netherby Kingswood vs Highgate Kingswood vs Unley Park
Full data on Malvern Full data on Kingswood
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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