Tonsley SA 5042
Located in South Australia, Tonsley sits 11 km from Adelaide CBD, around 19 minutes by car. The suburb has 743 residents, a median age of 31, and a median household income of $76,440 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $330 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,500. Tonsley is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is high.
Is Tonsley a good suburb?
Tonsley scores a B (60/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and prices, weaker on safety.
Walkable and central
Walkability 70/100 · 11.1 km · 19 min drive to Adelaide
More affordable than most
Median $800K · More affordable than 80% of SA
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 90/100 · Flood 10/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 4/10 · median age 31 · 743 residents
Liveability Rating
60 / 100 · Ranked #157 in SAEach bar is Tonsley's rank among SA suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Tonsley?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
60 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Q1 2026Tonsley's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $800,000 in the March 2026 quarter, roughly 20% above where it sat a year earlier. That said, only five sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level. Zoom out: prices have climbed roughly 58% over the past decade — 5.9% per year on average.
$800,000
Based on 5 recorded sales in the quarter.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Tonsley are currently listed at around $772,000 on average. Based on 10 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$772K
10 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$630K
3 units listed in the last 6 months.
13 of the suburb's 343 dwellings (3.8%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Tonsley rent for around $680 a week on average, based on 19 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$680/wk
19 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$600/wk
3 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
22 rentals advertised against an estimated 150 rented homes (14.7%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Apr–Jun 2026- 3-bed houses
- $700/wk
- 10 bonds
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025101 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 30% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5042.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$680/week ($35,000 a year) on a $772,000 median
$600/week ($31,000 a year) on a $630,000 median
Based on a small sample (3 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Tonsley safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Tonsley sits in the high band, with 93 incidents recorded in 2026 — down about 7% on the prior year.
93 offences
7.0% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20254 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. This state’s crash data does not name the road.
Schools
Universities nearby
- 1.2 kmTonsleyFlinders University · 63 courses
- 1.5 kmBedford ParkFlinders University · 399 courses
- 9.4 kmAdelaide University, Adelaide City CampusAdelaide University · 472 courses
8.9% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Tonsley is very walkable on foot — at 70/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Tonsley.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 33.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 25.3 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 16.5 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 18.8 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 21 min wait
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Tonsley.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 36%
- Premises covered
- 338
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Marion: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Tonsley is home to 743 residents, and skews young, with a median age of 31 against the national 38. Median household income runs at $76,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
743
Median Age
31
Median Household Income
$76,440/yr
Census Median Rent
$330/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,500/mo
Avg Household Size
2.0
Median Personal Income
$40,976/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
10.8%
Total Dwellings
343
Owner-Occupier Rate
56.2%
Houses
49.3%
Rental Stress
22.4%
Mortgage Stress
23.5%
Work From Home
10.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
27 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 6 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 147 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 54.6%
- English Spoken at Home
- 61.2%
- Employment Rate
- 60.8%
- Completed Year 12
- 62.0%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
92 residents (12.4%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 714 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
21% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (84 of 403).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 1,856 people work here; 403 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 4.6 jobs for every working resident. At least 78% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,782 a year through Marion based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Commercial 61%
- Residential 29%
- Industrial 10%
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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Marion
In the year to August 2026, 809 new dwellings were approved across Marion. That mix is 324 houses and 485 units. Approvals are down 31.2% on the same period a year earlier.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³).
PM10 averaged 17.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 1.12 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0.
From the Adelaide CBD monitoring station, 9.4 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Adelaide Airport M.o., 7.9 kmDry climate — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 52 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 5.2 km
- Annual rainfall
- 394 mm
- 71 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 28.1°C
- 16 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 7.8°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
2 facilities within 5 km- 0.4 kmOther Motor Vehicle Parts ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Toluene (methylbenzene) · Carbon monoxide
- 2.1 kmFuneral, Crematorium and Cemetery ServicesTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 5042, 140 of 9,223 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 4.3% (397 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.8%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5042, 2,625 rooftop-solar systems totalling 17.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 4,843 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 153 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$15,000 for new homes.
No purchase-price cap. Stamp duty is fully exempted for eligible first-home buyers as a separate concession.
Mortgage repayments
Q1-2026 median2 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 3 across postcode 5042.
Conveyance duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with RevenueSA
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Louise Miller-Frost Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Louise Miller-Frost | 61.1% | 38.9% | +7.8 |
| 2022 | Louise Miller-Frost | 53.3% | 46.7% | -4.7 |
| 2019 | Nicolle Flint | 48.6% | 51.4% | -1.3 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Nadia Clancy Australian Labor Party
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Nadia Clancy ALP | 69.1% |
| 2022 | Nadia Clancy ALP | 55.6% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2024, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of South Australia.
Looking at a specific address in Tonsley?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 743 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Adelaide There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Adelaide suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Compare Tonsley to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other SA suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Tonsley
Is Tonsley a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Tonsley is high (90/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Tonsley?
Tonsley has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a low share of it (10/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Tonsley a good place to live?
Tonsley has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (60/100), ranked against other SA suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Tonsley?
Tonsley, SA had a population of 743 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Tonsley, SA?
The postcode for Tonsley, SA is 5042.
How far is Tonsley from Adelaide?
Tonsley is 11 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 19 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Tonsley?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Tonsley was $76,440 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Tonsley?
The median advertised rent in Tonsley is $680 a week for houses (19 listings) and $600 a week for units (3 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Tonsley?
The median age of residents in Tonsley was 31 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Tonsley walkable?
Tonsley scores 70/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Tonsley?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Tonsley (Adelaide CBD) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.8 µg/m³. That puts Tonsley below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Tonsley?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Tonsley, Adelaide Airport M.o. (7.9 km away), summer days average 28.1°C, winter nights 7.8°C, 394 mm of rain a year over 71 rainy days, and 16 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
What is the median house price in Tonsley?
The median sale price for houses in Tonsley was $800,000 in the Q1 2026 quarter, based on 5 recorded sales.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Tonsley?
First-home buyers in SA may be eligible for $15,000 towards new homes. The grant is administered by RevenueSA; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Tonsley belong to?
Tonsley sits within the Marion local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Tonsley?
The average residential rates bill through Marion is $1,782 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Tonsley?
Across Marion, 809 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 31.2% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Tonsley in?
Tonsley sits within the federal Division of Boothby, currently held by Louise Miller-Frost (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Q1 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2026
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.