Abbotsford vs Russell Lea
Russell Lea is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 47 in Abbotsford. In both, most households own their home. In Abbotsford, about half of homes are flats or apartments. In Russell Lea, most homes are detached houses and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Abbotsford: a median of $3.45 million, against $3.01 million in Russell Lea, and rent is higher there too. Russell Lea is closer to the city centre: 8.5 km, against 10.4 km. On these figures, Abbotsford tends to suit people living alone, while Russell Lea 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
Russell Lea
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more separate houses rather than flats (68% vs 29%)
- is already more of a family suburb (64% vs 54%)
- But Abbotsford has more parks and reserves (6 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Russell Lea
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($3,007,500 vs $3,450,000)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Abbotsford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (37% vs 26%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Abbotsford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (84/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Abbotsford
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (71% vs 32%)
- has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 19%)
- is more walkable (84/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Abbotsford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.4% vs 2.5%)
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Abbotsford and Russell Lea 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
Russell Lea has higher household incomes ($138,216 vs $117,676); Abbotsford skews older (47 vs 43).
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,431 +9% vs other | 4,920 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.1% | -1.6% |
| Median age | 47 | 43 |
| Median household income | $117,676/yr | $138,216/yr +17% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $550/wk +5% vs other | $520/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).
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 (6.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $3,450,000 | $3,007,500 |
| Median unit price | $1,350,000 | $1,265,000 |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 28 days from 20 sales | 30 days from 14 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.
16 vs 18 sales
13 vs 12 sales
Zoning mix
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 90% | 97% |
| Parks and recreation | 5% | 0% |
| Environmental | 3% | 1% |
| Commercial | 1% | 2% |
| Planning zones cover 99% of Abbotsford and 100% of Russell Lea. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,600 across Canada Bay same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +72% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.4% $1,500/wk on $2.3M | 2.5% $1,300/wk on $2.7M |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 95% of NSW same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 83% of NSW | Higher than 91% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 94% of NSW | Higher than 91% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 94% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 89% of NSW | Higher than 93% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 39% of NSW | Higher than 7% of NSW |
Liveability
Abbotsford is more walkable (84 vs 76).
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | A | A+ |
| Score | 86/100 | 88/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 32/100 | Low 25/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here 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 | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
| Universities within 10 km | 3 Strathfield Campus, 5.4 km | 3 The University of Sydney, 5.0 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 2.1% | 2.6% |
Schools in Abbotsford
- Abbotsford Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Russell Lea
- Russell Lea Public School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 5 |
| Parks & reserves | 6 | 0 |
| Childcare | 3 same for both | |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 84/100 | 76/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 10.4 km +18% vs other | 8.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 19 min | 15 min |
| Public transport score | 94/100 Bus same for both | |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 160.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 101.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 2.1% postcode 2046 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 16 postcode 2046 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.2%).
Setting
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 22 m above sea level, at the suburb centre same for both | |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.3 km 3.9 km to a named beach | 10.1 km 3.4 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 80/100 | 87/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the curb same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 19% 2,629 premises | 40% 2,076 premises |
Climate
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,176 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 15.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.62 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,217/yr same for both | |
| Council | Canada Bay same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Reid same for both | |
| Member | Sally Sitou same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Abbotsford | Russell Lea | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Russell Lea
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Abbotsford
Other comparisons with Russell Lea
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.