Malvern vs Parkside

Parkside is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 46 in Malvern. In both, most households own their home. In Malvern, the large majority of homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Malvern: a median of $2.26 million, against $1.5 million in Parkside. Parkside is closer to the city centre: 3.4 km, against 4.6 km. On these figures, Malvern tends to suit couples, while Parkside 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

Parkside

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (62/100 vs 72/100)
  • But Malvern has more separate houses rather than flats (80% vs 54%)

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 $745,000)
  • Parkside has cheaper houses ($1,500,000 vs $2,260,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • Malvern leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 19%)
  • Parkside has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 19%)

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

Commuting to the city

Parkside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 73/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Parkside

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (46% vs 20%)
  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 73/100)
  • But Malvern has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 18%)

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

Investors

Parkside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.2% vs 2.1%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Malvern and Parkside 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 Parkside
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 Parkside
Walkability 73 / 88
Malvern — Walkability: 73/100 Parkside — Walkability: 88/100
Safety 28 / 38
Malvern — Safety: 28/100 Parkside — Safety: 38/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Malvern — Low fire risk: 100/100 Parkside — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 32 / 54
Malvern — Low flood risk: 32/100 Parkside — Low flood risk: 54/100

Demographics

Parkside has more residents (5,126 vs 2,713); Malvern has higher household incomes ($138,060 vs $106,080).

Malvern Parkside
Population 2,713 5,126
+89% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.4% +7.0%
Median age 46 39
Median household income $138,060/yr
+23% vs other
 $106,080/yr
Median weekly rent $380/wk $395/wk
+4% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Malvern Parkside
0-4 3.6% / 5.0%
Malvern — 0-4: 3.6% Parkside — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 12.6% / 11.5%
Malvern — 5-14: 12.6% Parkside — 5-14: 11.5%
15-19 6.9% / 4.8%
Malvern — 15-19: 6.9% Parkside — 15-19: 4.8%
20-24 6.0% / 5.8%
Malvern — 20-24: 6.0% Parkside — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 7.4% / 14.8%
Malvern — 25-34: 7.4% Parkside — 25-34: 14.8%
35-44 10.9% / 15.8%
Malvern — 35-44: 10.9% Parkside — 35-44: 15.8%
45-54 15.0% / 13.5%
Malvern — 45-54: 15.0% Parkside — 45-54: 13.5%
55-64 13.7% / 10.9%
Malvern — 55-64: 13.7% Parkside — 55-64: 10.9%
65-74 13.5% / 10.1%
Malvern — 65-74: 13.5% Parkside — 65-74: 10.1%
75-84 6.7% / 4.7%
Malvern — 75-84: 6.7% Parkside — 75-84: 4.7%
85+ 3.9% / 2.9%
Malvern — 85+: 3.9% Parkside — 85+: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

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%
Parkside 37.5% couple families
Parkside — Couple Families: 37.5% Parkside — Lone Person: 39.0% Parkside — One Parent Families: 13.5% Parkside — Group Household: 8.3% Parkside — Other Families: 1.7%
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%
Parkside 39.5% renting
Parkside — Owned Outright: 32.1% Parkside — Mortgage: 28.3% Parkside — Renting: 39.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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 Parkside
England 3.9% / 4.8%
Malvern — England: 3.9% Parkside — England: 4.8%
China 3.4% / 3.1%
Malvern — China: 3.4% Parkside — China: 3.1%
Italy 1.4% / 1.7%
Malvern — Italy: 1.4% Parkside — Italy: 1.7%
India 1.2% / 1.7%
Malvern — India: 1.2% Parkside — India: 1.7%
Greece 1.1% / 1.7%
Malvern — Greece: 1.1% Parkside — Greece: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.8%).

Qualifications

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

Malvern Parkside
Bachelor Degree 26.3% / 25.5%
Malvern — Bachelor Degree: 26.3% Parkside — Bachelor Degree: 25.5%
Postgraduate Degree 9.8% / 10.9%
Malvern — Postgraduate Degree: 9.8% Parkside — Postgraduate Degree: 10.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 7.7%
Malvern — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Parkside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7%
Certificate III & IV 5.4% / 6.6%
Malvern — Certificate III & IV: 5.4% Parkside — Certificate III & IV: 6.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.9% / 4.5%
Malvern — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9% Parkside — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.5%

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

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%
Parkside 53.8% houses
Parkside — Houses: 53.8% Parkside — Townhouses: 27.1% Parkside — Flats / Apartments: 19.1%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Malvern Parkside
Median house price $2,260,000 $1,500,000
Median unit price $515,000 $745,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 23 sales
 18 days
from 55 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 Parkside
3 bed $2.17M / $1.53M
Malvern — 3 bed: $2.17M (29 sales) Parkside — 3 bed: $1.53M (60 sales)

29 vs 60 sales

4 bed $2.65M / $1.78M
Malvern — 4 bed: $2.65M (22 sales) Parkside — 4 bed: $1.78M (27 sales)

22 vs 27 sales

5 bed $3.42M / $2.55M
Malvern — 5 bed: $3.42M (6 sales) Parkside — 5 bed: $2.55M (5 sales)

6 vs 5 sales

Zoning mix

Malvern Parkside
Residential 96% 91%
Commercial 4% 9%
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 Parkside
New dwellings approved 273
across Unley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -67%
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.

Malvern Parkside
Houses 2.1%
$790/wk on $1.95M
 3.2%
$735/wk on $1.2M
Units 3.5%
$450/wk on $672K
 —

Ranking within SA

Malvern Parkside
House price Higher than 97% of SA Higher than 86% of SA
Income Higher than 96% of SA Higher than 84% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 89% of SA Higher than 97% of SA
Affordability Higher than 15% of SA Higher than 24% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 98% of SA Higher than 95% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of SA Higher than 88% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 2% of SA Higher than 21% of SA
Rental yield (units) Higher than 6% of SA —

Liveability

Parkside is more walkable (88 vs 73); Parkside scores higher overall (84 vs 72).

Malvern Parkside
Grade A A+
Score 72/100 84/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Malvern carries more flood risk (68 vs 46); Malvern carries more crime risk (72 vs 62).

Malvern Parkside
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
72/100
 Moderate
62/100
Flood Moderate
68/100
 Moderate
46/100
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

Malvern Parkside
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Adelaide University, Adelaide City Campus, 3.5 km
 3
Adelaide University, Adelaide City Campus, 2.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 5.3% 3.3%

Schools in Malvern

  • Unley Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Parkside

  • Parkside Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Raphael's School Catholic · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Malvern Parkside
Cafes & restaurants 3 8
Parks & reserves 1 4
Childcare 2 3
GPs 0 2
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Waterways 0 6

Mobility

Malvern Parkside
Walkability score 73/100 88/100
Distance to Adelaide 4.6 km
+26% vs other
 3.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 10 min 8 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 82.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 96.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 2.6%
postcode 5061
 2.0%
postcode 5063
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 53
postcode 5061
 44
postcode 5063

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 Parkside
Car (driver) 66.4% / 56.2%
Malvern — Car (driver): 66.4% Parkside — Car (driver): 56.2%
Worked from Home 18.2% / 17.4%
Malvern — Worked from Home: 18.2% Parkside — Worked from Home: 17.4%
Bus 5.5% / 6.0%
Malvern — Bus: 5.5% Parkside — Bus: 6.0%
Bicycle 2.8% / 7.6%
Malvern — Bicycle: 2.8% Parkside — Bicycle: 7.6%
Car (passenger) 4.9% / 5.2%
Malvern — Car (passenger): 4.9% Parkside — Car (passenger): 5.2%
Walked Only 2.1% / 7.2%
Malvern — Walked Only: 2.1% Parkside — Walked Only: 7.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.4%).

Setting

Malvern Parkside
Elevation 62 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 57 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.3 km 10.0 km

NBN connectivity

Malvern Parkside
Connectivity score 73/100 75/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 40%
1,376 premises
 20%
2,749 premises

Climate

Malvern Parkside
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 Parkside
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 Parkside
Average residential rate $2,288/yr
same for both
Council Unley
same for both

Federal electorate

Malvern Parkside
Division Adelaide
same for both
Member Steve Georganas
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Malvern Parkside
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

Parkside

Inner Parks Premium Professionals River Townhouses Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Malvern

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

Other comparisons with Parkside

Parkside vs Adelaide Parkside vs Fullarton Parkside vs Unley Parkside vs Glenside Parkside vs Frewville Parkside vs Eastwood
Full data on Malvern Full data on Parkside
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