Sandford vs South Arm

Sandford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 48 in South Arm. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sandford, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Sandford: a median of $1.1 million, against $715,000 in South Arm, and rent is higher there too. Sandford is closer to the city centre: 26.3 km, against 37.4 km. On these figures, Sandford tends to suit couples, while South Arm suits people living alone, older residents, 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

Sandford

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 55%)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Sandford leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 25%)
  • South Arm has cheaper houses ($715,000 vs $1,100,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • Sandford leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 25%)
  • South Arm has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $400/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Sandford

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (26.3 km vs 37.4 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (31 min vs 39 min)
  • But South Arm is more walkable (44/100 vs 5/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

South Arm

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (44/100 vs 5/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 16%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Sandford South Arm
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.

Sandford South Arm
Walkability 5 / 44
Sandford — Walkability: 5/100 South Arm — Walkability: 44/100
Low fire risk 9 / 100
Sandford — Low fire risk: 9/100 South Arm — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Sandford has more residents (2,046 vs 963); Sandford has higher household incomes ($110,084 vs $71,916).

Sandford South Arm
Population 2,046
+53% vs other
 963
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.7% +9.4%
Median age 44 48
Median household income $110,084/yr
+35% vs other
 $71,916/yr
Median weekly rent $400/wk
+12% vs other
 $350/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sandford South Arm
0-4 4.6% / 4.8%
Sandford — 0-4: 4.6% South Arm — 0-4: 4.8%
5-14 14.0% / 10.5%
Sandford — 5-14: 14.0% South Arm — 5-14: 10.5%
15-19 5.6% / 5.3%
Sandford — 15-19: 5.6% South Arm — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 4.0% / 3.4%
Sandford — 20-24: 4.0% South Arm — 20-24: 3.4%
25-34 9.3% / 9.2%
Sandford — 25-34: 9.3% South Arm — 25-34: 9.2%
35-44 13.5% / 12.4%
Sandford — 35-44: 13.5% South Arm — 35-44: 12.4%
45-54 15.4% / 13.5%
Sandford — 45-54: 15.4% South Arm — 45-54: 13.5%
55-64 18.2% / 16.5%
Sandford — 55-64: 18.2% South Arm — 55-64: 16.5%
65-74 11.5% / 16.2%
Sandford — 65-74: 11.5% South Arm — 65-74: 16.2%
75-84 3.7% / 6.3%
Sandford — 75-84: 3.7% South Arm — 75-84: 6.3%
85+ 0.5% / 2.3%
Sandford — 85+: 0.5% South Arm — 85+: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sandford 60.4% couple families
Sandford — Couple Families: 60.4% Sandford — Lone Person: 20.9% Sandford — One Parent Families: 14.5% Sandford — Group Household: 2.7% Sandford — Other Families: 1.6%
South Arm 40.9% couple families
South Arm — Couple Families: 40.9% South Arm — Lone Person: 41.3% South Arm — One Parent Families: 13.9% South Arm — Group Household: 2.8% South Arm — 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.

Sandford 4.8% renting
Sandford — Owned Outright: 43.9% Sandford — Mortgage: 51.3% Sandford — Renting: 4.8%
South Arm 13.6% renting
South Arm — Owned Outright: 45.0% South Arm — Mortgage: 41.4% South Arm — Renting: 13.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Sandford South Arm
Certificate III & IV 19.5% / 19.0%
Sandford — Certificate III & IV: 19.5% South Arm — Certificate III & IV: 19.0%
Bachelor Degree 12.1% / 12.7%
Sandford — Bachelor Degree: 12.1% South Arm — Bachelor Degree: 12.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 8.5%
Sandford — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% South Arm — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Postgraduate Degree 4.9% / 5.1%
Sandford — Postgraduate Degree: 4.9% South Arm — Postgraduate Degree: 5.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.4% / 2.1%
Sandford — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4% South Arm — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1%

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.

Sandford South Arm
England 3.7% / 4.2%
Sandford — England: 3.7% South Arm — England: 4.2%
New Zealand 0.8% / 0.7%
Sandford — New Zealand: 0.8% South Arm — New Zealand: 0.7%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.6%
Sandford — Scotland: 0.5% South Arm — Scotland: 0.6%
Canada — / 0.8%
Sandford — Canada: not among its largest South Arm — Canada: 0.8%
Germany 0.5% / —
Sandford — Germany: 0.5% South Arm — Germany: not among its largest
Philippines — / 0.5%
Sandford — Philippines: not among its largest South Arm — Philippines: 0.5%
Thailand 0.4% / —
Sandford — Thailand: 0.4% South Arm — Thailand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sandford 99.9% houses
Sandford — Houses: 99.9% Sandford — Flats / Apartments: 0.1%
South Arm 101.0% houses
South Arm — Houses: 101.0% South Arm — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Sandford South Arm
Median house price $1,100,000 $715,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $560,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 10 sales
 90 days
from 5 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.

Sandford South Arm
3 bed $1.03M / $740K
Sandford — 3 bed: $1.03M (12 sales) South Arm — 3 bed: $740K (10 sales)

12 vs 10 sales

4 bed $1.18M / $890K
Sandford — 4 bed: $1.18M (9 sales) South Arm — 4 bed: $890K (7 sales)

9 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Sandford has more rural and farming land (82% vs 72%).

Sandford South Arm
Rural and farming 82% 72%
Parks and recreation 8% 22%
Environmental 9% 0%
Residential 0% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 1%
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

Sandford South Arm
New dwellings approved 291
across Clarence
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
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.

Sandford South Arm
Houses 3.0%
$738/wk on $1.3M
 3.4%
$600/wk on $912K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within TAS

Sandford South Arm
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 94% of TAS Higher than 60% of TAS
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 70% of TAS Higher than 91% of TAS
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 91% of TAS Higher than 84% of TAS
NBN connectivity Higher than 76% of TAS Higher than 74% of TAS
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 7% of TAS Higher than 18% of TAS

Liveability

South Arm is more walkable (44 vs 5); South Arm scores higher overall (74 vs 53).

Sandford South Arm
Grade B A
Score 53/100 74/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Sandford carries more bushfire risk (91 vs 0).

Sandford South Arm
Bushfire High
91/100
 None
0/100
Crime Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
53/100
 Moderate
57/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Sandford South Arm
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Sandford

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in South Arm

  • South Arm Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Sandford South Arm
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 4 5
Childcare 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

South Arm sits further from the CBD (37.4 km vs 26.3 km).

Sandford South Arm
Walkability score 5/100 44/100
Distance to Hobart 26.3 km 37.4 km
+42% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 31 min 39 min
Public transport score 51/100
Bus
 43/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 11.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 6.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.7%
postcode 7020
 1.1%
postcode 7022
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 7020
 35
postcode 7022

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.

Sandford South Arm
Car (driver) 81.5% / 78.8%
Sandford — Car (driver): 81.5% South Arm — Car (driver): 78.8%
Worked from Home 11.1% / 14.2%
Sandford — Worked from Home: 11.1% South Arm — Worked from Home: 14.2%
Car (passenger) 3.7% / 5.1%
Sandford — Car (passenger): 3.7% South Arm — Car (passenger): 5.1%
Bus 2.6% / 1.9%
Sandford — Bus: 2.6% South Arm — Bus: 1.9%
Walked Only 1.1% / —
Sandford — Walked Only: 1.1% South Arm — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.5%).

Setting

Sandford South Arm
Elevation 153 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.5 km
4.2 km to a named beach
 136 m
1.9 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Sandford South Arm
Connectivity score 48/100 44/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 7%
800 premises
 0%
545 premises

Climate

Sandford South Arm
Annual rainfall 460 mm 559 mm
Summer max (Jan) 22.7°C 22.4°C
Winter min (Jul) 4.8°C 5.6°C

Council rates

Sandford South Arm
Average residential rate $2,189/yr
same for both
Council Clarence
same for both

Federal electorate

Sandford South Arm
Division Franklin
same for both
Member Julie Collins
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Sandford South Arm
Grant amount $20,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Sandford

Acreage Coastal Easy Commute Luxury Middle-Ring

South Arm

Acreage Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sandford

Sandford vs Lauderdale Sandford vs Clifton Beach Sandford vs Cremorne

Other comparisons with South Arm

South Arm vs Opossum Bay
Full data on Sandford Full data on South Arm
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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