Morphett Vale vs Onkaparinga Hills

Morphett Vale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 45 in Onkaparinga Hills. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Onkaparinga Hills, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Onkaparinga Hills: a median of $988,000, against $771,000 in Morphett Vale, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Morphett Vale tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Onkaparinga Hills suits couples.

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

  • Morphett Vale has more childcare (30 vs 0)
  • Onkaparinga Hills carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 74/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Morphett Vale has cheaper houses ($771,000 vs $988,000)
  • Onkaparinga Hills leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 25%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Morphett Vale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 4%)
  • has cheaper rent ($295/wk vs $385/wk)
  • But Onkaparinga Hills leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 25%)

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

Commuting to the city

Morphett Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Morphett Vale

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (15% vs 1%)
  • has more GPs (7 vs 0)
  • But Onkaparinga Hills carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 74/100)

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

Morphett Vale 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.

Morphett Vale 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.

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Walkability 81 / 0
Morphett Vale — Walkability: 81/100 Onkaparinga Hills — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 26 / 79
Morphett Vale — Safety: 26/100 Onkaparinga Hills — Safety: 79/100
Low fire risk 100 / 57
Morphett Vale — Low fire risk: 100/100 Onkaparinga Hills — Low fire risk: 57/100

Demographics

Morphett Vale has more residents (24,002 vs 2,610); Onkaparinga Hills has higher household incomes ($108,056 vs $62,348).

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Population 24,002
+89% vs other
 2,610
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.7% +3.2%
Median age 40 45
Median household income $62,348/yr $108,056/yr
+73% vs other
Median weekly rent $295/wk $385/wk
+31% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
0-4 5.5% / 3.9%
Morphett Vale — 0-4: 5.5% Onkaparinga Hills — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 11.0% / 12.5%
Morphett Vale — 5-14: 11.0% Onkaparinga Hills — 5-14: 12.5%
15-19 5.3% / 7.6%
Morphett Vale — 15-19: 5.3% Onkaparinga Hills — 15-19: 7.6%
20-24 6.2% / 5.6%
Morphett Vale — 20-24: 6.2% Onkaparinga Hills — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 14.1% / 9.1%
Morphett Vale — 25-34: 14.1% Onkaparinga Hills — 25-34: 9.1%
35-44 12.5% / 10.7%
Morphett Vale — 35-44: 12.5% Onkaparinga Hills — 35-44: 10.7%
45-54 12.4% / 15.7%
Morphett Vale — 45-54: 12.4% Onkaparinga Hills — 45-54: 15.7%
55-64 12.0% / 16.9%
Morphett Vale — 55-64: 12.0% Onkaparinga Hills — 55-64: 16.9%
65-74 12.2% / 12.1%
Morphett Vale — 65-74: 12.2% Onkaparinga Hills — 65-74: 12.1%
75-84 6.7% / 5.4%
Morphett Vale — 75-84: 6.7% Onkaparinga Hills — 75-84: 5.4%
85+ 2.1% / 0.3%
Morphett Vale — 85+: 2.1% Onkaparinga Hills — 85+: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Morphett Vale 31.9% couple families
Morphett Vale — Couple Families: 31.9% Morphett Vale — Lone Person: 41.2% Morphett Vale — One Parent Families: 21.0% Morphett Vale — Group Household: 4.2% Morphett Vale — Other Families: 1.8%
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% Onkaparinga Hills — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Morphett Vale 29.0% renting
Morphett Vale — Owned Outright: 28.5% Morphett Vale — Mortgage: 42.5% Morphett Vale — Renting: 29.0%
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.

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Certificate III & IV 20.4% / 22.2%
Morphett Vale — Certificate III & IV: 20.4% Onkaparinga Hills — Certificate III & IV: 22.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.4% / 9.5%
Morphett Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4% Onkaparinga Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5%
Bachelor Degree 6.7% / 8.6%
Morphett Vale — Bachelor Degree: 6.7% Onkaparinga Hills — Bachelor Degree: 8.6%
Postgraduate Degree 1.3% / 2.3%
Morphett Vale — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3% Onkaparinga Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.1% / 1.7%
Morphett Vale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1% 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.

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
England 8.1% / 10.4%
Morphett Vale — England: 8.1% Onkaparinga Hills — England: 10.4%
Germany 0.8% / 1.0%
Morphett Vale — Germany: 0.8% Onkaparinga Hills — Germany: 1.0%
Scotland 0.9% / 0.8%
Morphett Vale — Scotland: 0.9% Onkaparinga Hills — Scotland: 0.8%
New Zealand 1.1% / 0.5%
Morphett Vale — New Zealand: 1.1% Onkaparinga Hills — New Zealand: 0.5%
India 1.0% / 0.3%
Morphett Vale — India: 1.0% Onkaparinga Hills — India: 0.3%
Netherlands 0.4% / 0.8%
Morphett Vale — Netherlands: 0.4% Onkaparinga Hills — Netherlands: 0.8%
Philippines 0.8% / —
Morphett Vale — Philippines: 0.8% Onkaparinga Hills — Philippines: not among its largest

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

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Morphett Vale 84.9% houses
Morphett Vale — Houses: 84.9% Morphett Vale — Townhouses: 14.7% Morphett Vale — Flats / Apartments: 0.4%
Onkaparinga Hills 99.2% houses
Onkaparinga Hills — Houses: 99.2% Onkaparinga Hills — Townhouses: 0.6% Onkaparinga Hills — Flats / Apartments: 0.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Median house price $771,000 $988,000
Median unit price $593,999 —
Median land price $730,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 319 sales
 22 days
from 20 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.

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
3 bed $762K / $855K
Morphett Vale — 3 bed: $762K (445 sales) Onkaparinga Hills — 3 bed: $855K (13 sales)

445 vs 13 sales

4 bed $840K / $989K
Morphett Vale — 4 bed: $840K (109 sales) Onkaparinga Hills — 4 bed: $989K (28 sales)

109 vs 28 sales

5 bed $950K / $1.25M
Morphett Vale — 5 bed: $950K (17 sales) Onkaparinga Hills — 5 bed: $1.25M (10 sales)

17 vs 10 sales

Zoning mix

Onkaparinga Hills has more land zoned for conservation (95% vs 0%).

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Environmental 0% 95%
Residential 89% 5%
Parks and recreation 5% 0%
Commercial 5% 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

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

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Houses 4.1%
$620/wk on $780K
 —
Units 4.7%
$520/wk on $575K
 —

Ranking within SA

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
House price Higher than 15% of SA Higher than 40% of SA
Income Higher than 30% of SA Higher than 85% of SA
Schools Higher than 53% of SA —
Walkability Higher than 93% of SA Higher than 8% of SA
Affordability Higher than 60% of SA Higher than 89% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 54% of SA Higher than 50% of SA
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of SA Higher than 81% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 68% of SA —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 62% of SA —

Liveability

Morphett Vale is more walkable (81 vs 0); Onkaparinga Hills scores higher overall (54 vs 48).

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Grade C B
Score 48/100 54/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Onkaparinga Hills carries more bushfire risk (43 vs 0); Morphett Vale carries more crime risk (74 vs 21).

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
43/100
Crime High
74/100
 Low
21/100
Flood Low
39/100
 —
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 8
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Inside the suburb 13 0
Rated above peers 3 0
Rated at peers 8 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Morphett Vale

  • Coorara Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Flaxmill School P-6 Government · Primary above peers
  • Sunrise Christian School Morphett Vale Independent · Primary above peers
  • Antonio Catholic School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Calvary Lutheran Primary School Independent · Primary at peers
  • Morphett Vale East 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

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Supermarkets 8 0
Cafes & restaurants 14 0
Parks & reserves 13 8
Childcare 30 0
GPs 7 0
Pharmacies 7 0
Banks & Bank@Post 4 0
Fuel stations 3 0
Waterways 30 1

Mobility

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Walkability score 81/100 0/100
Distance to Adelaide 25.5 km 27.2 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 31 min 32 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 55/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 456.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 19.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 5162
 0.5%
postcode 5163
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 64
postcode 5162
 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.

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Car (driver) 81.4% / 81.4%
Morphett Vale — Car (driver): 81.4% Onkaparinga Hills — Car (driver): 81.4%
Worked from Home 7.3% / 10.8%
Morphett Vale — Worked from Home: 7.3% Onkaparinga Hills — Worked from Home: 10.8%
Car (passenger) 5.2% / 3.9%
Morphett Vale — Car (passenger): 5.2% Onkaparinga Hills — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Bus 3.1% / 1.6%
Morphett Vale — Bus: 3.1% Onkaparinga Hills — Bus: 1.6%
Train 1.7% / 1.1%
Morphett Vale — Train: 1.7% Onkaparinga Hills — Train: 1.1%

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

Setting

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Elevation 103 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 234 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.1 km 8.8 km

NBN connectivity

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Connectivity score 67/100 68/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 38%
11,669 premises
 45%
953 premises

Climate

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Annual rainfall 394 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

Morphett Vale Onkaparinga Hills
Division Kingston
same for both
Member Amanda Rishworth
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Morphett Vale

Outer River

Onkaparinga Hills

Acreage Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Morphett Vale

Morphett Vale vs Woodcroft Morphett Vale vs Christie Downs Morphett Vale vs Reynella Morphett Vale vs Hackham Morphett Vale vs Hackham West Morphett Vale vs Old Reynella

Other comparisons with Onkaparinga Hills

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

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