St Marys vs Tonsley

Tonsley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 35 in St Marys. In both, most households own their home. In St Marys, most homes are detached houses. In Tonsley, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in St Marys: a median of $1 million, against $800,000 in Tonsley, though rent is higher in Tonsley. On these figures, Tonsley tends to suit young adults, 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

St Marys

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (6 vs 3)
  • is already more of a family suburb (50% vs 29%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (67% vs 49%)

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

First-home buyers

Tonsley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($800,000 vs $1,000,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

St Marys

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($285/wk vs $330/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Tonsley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (12% vs 2%)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • St Marys has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • Tonsley has more units and townhouses to downsize into (51% vs 33%)

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

Investors

Tonsley

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.6% vs 3.7%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.0% vs 4.5%)

Weighs house yield and unit yield.

Where they sit

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

St Marys Tonsley
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.

St Marys Tonsley
Walkability 65 / 70
St Marys — Walkability: 65/100 Tonsley — Walkability: 70/100
Safety 15 / 10
St Marys — Safety: 15/100 Tonsley — Safety: 10/100
Low fire risk 79 / 100
St Marys — Low fire risk: 79/100 Tonsley — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 19 / 90
St Marys — Low flood risk: 19/100 Tonsley — Low flood risk: 90/100

Demographics

St Marys has more residents (3,010 vs 743); Tonsley rents higher ($330/wk vs $285/wk).

St Marys Tonsley
Population 3,010
+75% vs other
 743
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.1% —
Median age 35 31
Median household income $77,480/yr
+1% vs other
 $76,440/yr
Median weekly rent $285/wk $330/wk
+16% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

St Marys Tonsley
0-4 6.7% / 3.9%
St Marys — 0-4: 6.7% Tonsley — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 9.8% / 6.3%
St Marys — 5-14: 9.8% Tonsley — 5-14: 6.3%
15-19 5.1% / 4.4%
St Marys — 15-19: 5.1% Tonsley — 15-19: 4.4%
20-24 6.6% / 14.4%
St Marys — 20-24: 6.6% Tonsley — 20-24: 14.4%
25-34 21.2% / 29.1%
St Marys — 25-34: 21.2% Tonsley — 25-34: 29.1%
35-44 16.1% / 14.9%
St Marys — 35-44: 16.1% Tonsley — 35-44: 14.9%
45-54 10.8% / 8.6%
St Marys — 45-54: 10.8% Tonsley — 45-54: 8.6%
55-64 10.8% / 7.9%
St Marys — 55-64: 10.8% Tonsley — 55-64: 7.9%
65-74 6.6% / 6.6%
St Marys — 65-74: 6.6% Tonsley — 65-74: 6.6%
75-84 4.7% / 2.6%
St Marys — 75-84: 4.7% Tonsley — 75-84: 2.6%
85+ 1.7% / 1.9%
St Marys — 85+: 1.7% Tonsley — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

St Marys 40.9% lone person
St Marys — Lone Person: 40.9% St Marys — Couple Families: 36.2% St Marys — One Parent Families: 13.9% St Marys — Group Household: 7.4% St Marys — Other Families: 1.6%
Tonsley 55.5% lone person
Tonsley — Lone Person: 55.5% Tonsley — Couple Families: 18.0% Tonsley — One Parent Families: 10.9% Tonsley — Group Household: 11.3% Tonsley — Other Families: 4.3%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

St Marys 36.5% renting
St Marys — Owned Outright: 24.9% St Marys — Mortgage: 38.5% St Marys — Renting: 36.5%
Tonsley 43.8% renting
Tonsley — Owned Outright: 15.2% Tonsley — Mortgage: 41.1% Tonsley — Renting: 43.8%
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.

St Marys Tonsley
India 6.2% / 3.6%
St Marys — India: 6.2% Tonsley — India: 3.6%
Nepal 2.7% / 5.2%
St Marys — Nepal: 2.7% Tonsley — Nepal: 5.2%
England 2.2% / 3.4%
St Marys — England: 2.2% Tonsley — England: 3.4%
Philippines 1.8% / 2.3%
St Marys — Philippines: 1.8% Tonsley — Philippines: 2.3%
China 1.9% / 1.6%
St Marys — China: 1.9% Tonsley — China: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.2%).

Qualifications

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

St Marys Tonsley
Bachelor Degree 18.5% / 22.1%
St Marys — Bachelor Degree: 18.5% Tonsley — Bachelor Degree: 22.1%
Certificate III & IV 12.5% / 12.9%
St Marys — Certificate III & IV: 12.5% Tonsley — Certificate III & IV: 12.9%
Postgraduate Degree 7.6% / 9.2%
St Marys — Postgraduate Degree: 7.6% Tonsley — Postgraduate Degree: 9.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 5.8%
St Marys — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Tonsley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.7%
St Marys — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Tonsley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

St Marys 66.6% houses
St Marys — Houses: 66.6% St Marys — Townhouses: 22.8% St Marys — Flats / Apartments: 10.5%
Tonsley 49.3% houses
Tonsley — Houses: 49.3% Tonsley — Townhouses: 30.9% Tonsley — Flats / Apartments: 19.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

St Marys Tonsley
Median house price $1,000,000 $800,000
Median unit price $522,500 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 18 days
from 18 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Tonsley has more commercially zoned land (61% vs 0%); St Marys has more land zoned for conservation (12% vs 0%).

St Marys Tonsley
Commercial 0% 61%
Residential 57% 29%
Industrial 20% 10%
Environmental 12% 0%
Parks and recreation 10% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 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

St Marys Tonsley
New dwellings approved 188
across Mitcham
 809
across Marion
Approvals change year on year +32% -31%

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.

St Marys Tonsley
Houses 3.7%
$735/wk on $1.03M
 4.6%
$680/wk on $772K
Units 4.5%
$500/wk on $575K
 5.0%
$600/wk on $630K

Ranking within SA

St Marys Tonsley
House price Higher than 51% of SA Higher than 16% of SA
Income Higher than 53% of SA Higher than 52% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 86% of SA Higher than 88% of SA
Affordability Higher than 40% of SA Higher than 80% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 88% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of SA Higher than 79% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 37% of SA Higher than 90% of SA
Rental yield (units) Higher than 46% of SA Higher than 70% of SA

Liveability

Tonsley scores higher overall (60 vs 39).

St Marys Tonsley
Grade C B
Score 39/100 60/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

St Marys carries more bushfire risk (21 vs 0); St Marys carries more flood risk (81 vs 10).

St Marys Tonsley
Bushfire Low
21/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
85/100
 High
90/100
Flood High
81/100
 Low
10/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

St Marys Tonsley
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Tonsley, 1.0 km
 3
Tonsley, 1.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.2% 8.9%

Schools in St Marys

  • St Bernadette's School Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Tonsley

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

Amenities in the suburb

St Marys Tonsley
Cafes & restaurants 2 3
Parks & reserves 6 3
Childcare 2 1
GPs 2 0
Fuel stations 2 0
EV chargers 0 1

Mobility

St Marys Tonsley
Walkability score 65/100 70/100
Distance to Adelaide 10.5 km 11.1 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 17 min 19 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 90/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 78.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 33.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.5%
postcode 5042
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 5042
same for both

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.

St Marys Tonsley
Car (driver) 72.0% / 64.1%
St Marys — Car (driver): 72.0% Tonsley — Car (driver): 64.1%
Worked from Home 10.6% / 10.4%
St Marys — Worked from Home: 10.6% Tonsley — Worked from Home: 10.4%
Train 1.2% / 12.2%
St Marys — Train: 1.2% Tonsley — Train: 12.2%
Bus 7.7% / 3.6%
St Marys — Bus: 7.7% Tonsley — Bus: 3.6%
Car (passenger) 5.6% / 4.7%
St Marys — Car (passenger): 5.6% Tonsley — Car (passenger): 4.7%
Walked Only 1.5% / 3.9%
St Marys — Walked Only: 1.5% Tonsley — Walked Only: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.0%).

Setting

St Marys Tonsley
Elevation 53 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 52 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.2 km 5.2 km

NBN connectivity

St Marys Tonsley
Connectivity score 72/100 65/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 48%
1,612 premises
 36%
338 premises

Climate

St Marys Tonsley
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)

St Marys Tonsley
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

St Marys Tonsley
Average residential rate $2,296/yr $1,782/yr
Council Mitcham Marion

Federal electorate

St Marys Tonsley
Division Boothby
same for both
Member Louise Miller-Frost
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

St Marys Tonsley
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

St Marys

Middle-Ring Parks Townhouses

Tonsley

Gentrifying Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Townhouses Trains Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with St Marys

St Marys vs Edwardstown St Marys vs Clovelly Park St Marys vs Pasadena St Marys vs Eden Hills St Marys vs Melrose Park St Marys vs Bedford Park

Other comparisons with Tonsley

Tonsley vs Mitchell Park Tonsley vs Clovelly Park Tonsley vs Bedford Park
Full data on St Marys Full data on Tonsley
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