Monarto South vs Hartley
Monarto South is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 50 in Hartley. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Monarto South tends to suit 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Monarto South has more parks and reserves (9 vs 2)
- Hartley carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 67/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Monarto South
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($115/wk vs $150/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Monarto South
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a shorter drive in (49 min vs 59 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Hartley
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 67/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 17%)
Weighs 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
Monarto South and Hartley drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Hartley rents higher ($150/wk vs $115/wk); Hartley skews older (50 vs 40).
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 152 +2% vs other | 149 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -4.4% | -3.2% |
| Median age | 40 | 50 |
| Median household income | $92,248/yr | $101,816/yr +10% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $115/wk | $150/wk +30% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.8%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,100,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Hartley has more rural and farming land (100% vs 85%); Monarto South has more land zoned for conservation (11% vs 0%).
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 85% | 100% |
| Environmental | 11% | 0% |
| Industrial | 4% | 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
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 274 across Murray Bridge | 429 across Alexandrina |
| Approvals change year on year | +51% | +25% |
Ranking within SA
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 71% of SA | Higher than 81% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 37% of SA | Higher than 11% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 15% of SA | Higher than 64% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 42% of SA | Higher than 53% of SA |
Liveability
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Monarto South carries more bushfire risk (25 vs 0); Monarto South carries more crime risk (67 vs 22).
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 25/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 67/100 | Low 22/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 9 | 2 |
Mobility
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 65 km | 64.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 49 min | 59 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 5254 | 0.7% postcode 5255 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 89 postcode 5254 | 85 postcode 5255 |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.6%).
Setting
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 117 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 66 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 47.5 km | 40.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 83 premises | 0% 75 premises |
Climate
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 337 mm | 466 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.7°C | — |
Council rates
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,478/yr | $2,523/yr |
| Council | Murray Bridge | Alexandrina |
Federal electorate
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker | Mayo |
| Member | Tony Pasin | Rebekha Sharkie |
| Party | Liberal | Centre Alliance |
First Home Owner Grant
| Monarto South | Hartley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Monarto South
Other comparisons with Hartley
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.