Ashfield vs Dulwich Hill

In both, about half of households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. In Dulwich Hill, about half of households are people living alone. Dulwich Hill is closer to the city centre: 10 km, against 11.2 km.

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

Ashfield

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (17 vs 8)
  • has more parks and reserves (19 vs 10)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (3 vs 2)
  • But Dulwich Hill carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 61/100)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Ashfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (14% vs 6%)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Ashfield has more GPs (11 vs 1)
  • Dulwich Hill carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 61/100)

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

Investors

Dulwich Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (2.4% vs -3.5%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
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.

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Walkability 96 / 93
Ashfield — Walkability: 96/100 Dulwich Hill — Walkability: 93/100
Safety 39 / 53
Ashfield — Safety: 39/100 Dulwich Hill — Safety: 53/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Ashfield — Low fire risk: 100/100 Dulwich Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Ashfield has more residents (23,012 vs 14,046); Dulwich Hill has higher household incomes ($108,940 vs $98,176).

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Population 23,012
+39% vs other
 14,046
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.5% +2.4%
Median age 36 38
Median household income $98,176/yr $108,940/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $440/wk $470/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
0-4 4.3% / 4.7%
Ashfield — 0-4: 4.3% Dulwich Hill — 0-4: 4.7%
5-14 7.5% / 9.4%
Ashfield — 5-14: 7.5% Dulwich Hill — 5-14: 9.4%
15-19 3.3% / 4.4%
Ashfield — 15-19: 3.3% Dulwich Hill — 15-19: 4.4%
20-24 8.5% / 5.5%
Ashfield — 20-24: 8.5% Dulwich Hill — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 22.9% / 19.4%
Ashfield — 25-34: 22.9% Dulwich Hill — 25-34: 19.4%
35-44 15.3% / 17.2%
Ashfield — 35-44: 15.3% Dulwich Hill — 35-44: 17.2%
45-54 11.1% / 14.6%
Ashfield — 45-54: 11.1% Dulwich Hill — 45-54: 14.6%
55-64 10.3% / 11.2%
Ashfield — 55-64: 10.3% Dulwich Hill — 55-64: 11.2%
65-74 7.9% / 7.0%
Ashfield — 65-74: 7.9% Dulwich Hill — 65-74: 7.0%
75-84 5.4% / 4.6%
Ashfield — 75-84: 5.4% Dulwich Hill — 75-84: 4.6%
85+ 3.5% / 2.0%
Ashfield — 85+: 3.5% Dulwich Hill — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ashfield 43.2% lone person
Ashfield — Lone Person: 43.2% Ashfield — Couple Families: 30.9% Ashfield — One Parent Families: 11.9% Ashfield — Group Household: 11.5% Ashfield — Other Families: 2.5%
Dulwich Hill 45.5% lone person
Dulwich Hill — Lone Person: 45.5% Dulwich Hill — Couple Families: 31.2% Dulwich Hill — One Parent Families: 13.2% Dulwich Hill — Group Household: 8.6% Dulwich Hill — Other Families: 1.6%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ashfield 52.8% renting
Ashfield — Owned Outright: 23.3% Ashfield — Mortgage: 23.8% Ashfield — Renting: 52.8%
Dulwich Hill 46.9% renting
Dulwich Hill — Owned Outright: 25.4% Dulwich Hill — Mortgage: 27.7% Dulwich Hill — Renting: 46.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Bachelor Degree 24.9% / 24.4%
Ashfield — Bachelor Degree: 24.9% Dulwich Hill — Bachelor Degree: 24.4%
Postgraduate Degree 11.8% / 10.4%
Ashfield — Postgraduate Degree: 11.8% Dulwich Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 10.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.9% / 8.4%
Ashfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9% Dulwich Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Certificate III & IV 6.5% / 7.3%
Ashfield — Certificate III & IV: 6.5% Dulwich Hill — Certificate III & IV: 7.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 3.6%
Ashfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Dulwich Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.9%).

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.

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
China 12.2% / 1.4%
Ashfield — China: 12.2% Dulwich Hill — China: 1.4%
Nepal 6.7% / —
Ashfield — Nepal: 6.7% Dulwich Hill — Nepal: not among its largest
England 2.1% / 3.5%
Ashfield — England: 2.1% Dulwich Hill — England: 3.5%
Philippines 2.9% / 1.2%
Ashfield — Philippines: 2.9% Dulwich Hill — Philippines: 1.2%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.8%
Ashfield — New Zealand: 1.6% Dulwich Hill — New Zealand: 1.8%
India 3.2% / —
Ashfield — India: 3.2% Dulwich Hill — India: not among its largest
Greece — / 2.7%
Ashfield — Greece: not among its largest Dulwich Hill — Greece: 2.7%
Vietnam — / 1.9%
Ashfield — Vietnam: not among its largest Dulwich Hill — Vietnam: 1.9%
Lebanon — / 1.5%
Ashfield — Lebanon: not among its largest Dulwich Hill — Lebanon: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (12.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ashfield 70.5% flats / apartments
Ashfield — Flats / Apartments: 70.5% Ashfield — Houses: 22.1% Ashfield — Townhouses: 7.4%
Dulwich Hill 60.3% flats / apartments
Dulwich Hill — Flats / Apartments: 60.3% Dulwich Hill — Houses: 28.8% Dulwich Hill — Townhouses: 10.8%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Property market

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Median house price $2,206,000 $2,361,000
Median unit price $876,750 $935,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 95 sales
 24 days
from 76 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
1 bed $630K / $745K
Ashfield — 1 bed: $630K (79 sales) Dulwich Hill — 1 bed: $745K (55 sales)

79 vs 55 sales

2 bed $910K / $990K
Ashfield — 2 bed: $910K (230 sales) Dulwich Hill — 2 bed: $990K (132 sales)

230 vs 132 sales

3 bed $1.14M / $1.1M
Ashfield — 3 bed: $1.14M (31 sales) Dulwich Hill — 3 bed: $1.1M (7 sales)

31 vs 7 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.

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
2 bed $1.75M / $1.89M
Ashfield — 2 bed: $1.75M (21 sales) Dulwich Hill — 2 bed: $1.89M (20 sales)

21 vs 20 sales

3 bed $2.14M / $2.29M
Ashfield — 3 bed: $2.14M (52 sales) Dulwich Hill — 3 bed: $2.29M (68 sales)

52 vs 68 sales

4 bed $2.65M / $2.95M
Ashfield — 4 bed: $2.65M (27 sales) Dulwich Hill — 4 bed: $2.95M (28 sales)

27 vs 28 sales

5 bed $2.73M / $3.5M
Ashfield — 5 bed: $2.73M (5 sales) Dulwich Hill — 5 bed: $3.5M (6 sales)

5 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Residential 78% 80%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 11%
Parks and recreation 6% 4%
Commercial 5% 4%
Industrial 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

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
New dwellings approved 849
across Inner West
same for both
Approvals change year on year -25%
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.

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Houses 2.8%
$920/wk on $1.73M
 2.5%
$1,100/wk on $2.3M
Units 4.5%
$690/wk on $800K
 4.4%
$692/wk on $825K

Ranking within NSW

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
House price Higher than 88% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Income Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Schools Higher than 88% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 98% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 11% of NSW Higher than 13% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 92% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 13% of NSW Higher than 7% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 43% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW

Liveability

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Grade A
same for both
Score 81/100 85/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Ashfield carries more crime risk (61 vs 47).

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
61/100
 Moderate
47/100
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 2
within 5 km
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Inside the suburb 5 4
Rated above peers 3 2
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Strathfield Campus, 4.3 km
 3
The University of Sydney, 4.3 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.9% 2.1%

Schools in Ashfield

  • Ashfield Boys High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Ashfield Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Vincent's College Ashfield Catholic · Combined above peers
  • St Vincents College Ashfield, Primary School Campus Catholic · Primary
  • Yeo Park Infants School Government · Primary

Schools in Dulwich Hill

  • Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design Government · Secondary above peers
  • St Paul of the Cross Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Dulwich Hill Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Maroun's College Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Supermarkets 11 1
Cafes & restaurants 57 8
Parks & reserves 19 10
Childcare 17 8
GPs 11 1
Pharmacies 6 3
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 4 2
Fuel stations 2 1
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Walkability score 96/100 93/100
Distance to Sydney 11.2 km
+11% vs other
 10 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 18 min 19 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Tram · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 486.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 211.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 2131
 1.8%
postcode 2203
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 8
postcode 2131
 12
postcode 2203

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.

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Worked from Home 49.8% / 60.2%
Ashfield — Worked from Home: 49.8% Dulwich Hill — Worked from Home: 60.2%
Car (driver) 27.5% / 27.0%
Ashfield — Car (driver): 27.5% Dulwich Hill — Car (driver): 27.0%
Train 14.4% / 4.8%
Ashfield — Train: 14.4% Dulwich Hill — Train: 4.8%
Walked Only 3.3% / 2.3%
Ashfield — Walked Only: 3.3% Dulwich Hill — Walked Only: 2.3%
Car (passenger) 2.3% / 1.8%
Ashfield — Car (passenger): 2.3% Dulwich Hill — Car (passenger): 1.8%
Bus 1.8% / 2.0%
Ashfield — Bus: 1.8% Dulwich Hill — Bus: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.2%).

Setting

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Elevation 37 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 32 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.5 km 5.4 km

NBN connectivity

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Connectivity score 76/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 9%
11,566 premises
 8%
7,282 premises

Climate

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Annual rainfall 1,129 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.79 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Average residential rate $1,342/yr
same for both
Council Inner West
same for both

Federal electorate

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Division Grayndler
same for both
Member Anthony Albanese
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ashfield Dulwich Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ashfield

Apartments Easy Commute Inner Multicultural Parks Professionals Transport Hub Urban

Dulwich Hill

Apartments Gentrifying Inner Parks Professionals Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ashfield

Ashfield vs Croydon Park Ashfield vs Croydon Ashfield vs Five Dock Ashfield vs Summer Hill Ashfield vs Haberfield Ashfield vs Hurlstone Park

Other comparisons with Dulwich Hill

Dulwich Hill vs Marrickville Dulwich Hill vs Earlwood Dulwich Hill vs Petersham Dulwich Hill vs Summer Hill Dulwich Hill vs Hurlstone Park Dulwich Hill vs Lewisham
Full data on Ashfield Full data on Dulwich Hill
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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.

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