Auburn vs Chester Hill

Auburn is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 34 in Chester Hill. In both, about half of households are couple families. In Auburn, about half of households rent and about half of homes are flats or apartments. In Chester Hill, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Auburn is closer to the city centre: 20.8 km, against 26.6 km. On these figures, Auburn tends to suit renters, young adults, and share households, while Chester Hill suits families with children.

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

Auburn

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (5 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (27 vs 11)
  • has more childcare (27 vs 12)
  • But Chester Hill has more separate houses rather than flats (74% vs 42%)

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

First-home buyers

Auburn

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (30% vs 37%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Auburn

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (53% vs 42%)

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

Commuting to the city

Auburn

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (25% vs 4%)
  • has a shorter drive in (26 min vs 36 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (20.8 km vs 26.6 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Auburn

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (58% vs 26%)
  • has more GPs (10 vs 5)

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

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

Auburn and Chester 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.

Auburn Chester 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.

Auburn Chester Hill
Walkability 96 / 91
Auburn — Walkability: 96/100 Chester Hill — Walkability: 91/100
Safety 34 / 32
Auburn — Safety: 34/100 Chester Hill — Safety: 32/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Auburn — Low fire risk: 100/100 Chester Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Auburn has more residents (39,333 vs 14,007); Auburn has higher household incomes ($79,716 vs $70,460).

Auburn Chester Hill
Population 39,333
+64% vs other
 14,007
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.3% +9.3%
Median age 31 34
Median household income $79,716/yr
+12% vs other
 $70,460/yr
Median weekly rent $410/wk
+7% vs other
 $380/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Auburn Chester Hill
0-4 6.4% / 7.2%
Auburn — 0-4: 6.4% Chester Hill — 0-4: 7.2%
5-14 11.1% / 15.3%
Auburn — 5-14: 11.1% Chester Hill — 5-14: 15.3%
15-19 4.8% / 7.5%
Auburn — 15-19: 4.8% Chester Hill — 15-19: 7.5%
20-24 11.7% / 7.1%
Auburn — 20-24: 11.7% Chester Hill — 20-24: 7.1%
25-34 22.9% / 13.4%
Auburn — 25-34: 22.9% Chester Hill — 25-34: 13.4%
35-44 13.5% / 12.1%
Auburn — 35-44: 13.5% Chester Hill — 35-44: 12.1%
45-54 10.2% / 11.7%
Auburn — 45-54: 10.2% Chester Hill — 45-54: 11.7%
55-64 9.3% / 11.7%
Auburn — 55-64: 9.3% Chester Hill — 55-64: 11.7%
65-74 5.8% / 7.7%
Auburn — 65-74: 5.8% Chester Hill — 65-74: 7.7%
75-84 3.0% / 3.9%
Auburn — 75-84: 3.0% Chester Hill — 75-84: 3.9%
85+ 1.3% / 2.5%
Auburn — 85+: 1.3% Chester Hill — 85+: 2.5%

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Auburn 48.2% couple families
Auburn — Couple Families: 48.2% Auburn — Lone Person: 20.5% Auburn — One Parent Families: 13.7% Auburn — Group Household: 14.1% Auburn — Other Families: 3.5%
Chester Hill 48.9% couple families
Chester Hill — Couple Families: 48.9% Chester Hill — Lone Person: 25.1% Chester Hill — One Parent Families: 21.0% Chester Hill — Group Household: 2.8% Chester Hill — Other Families: 2.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Auburn 52.6% renting
Auburn — Owned Outright: 22.9% Auburn — Mortgage: 24.6% Auburn — Renting: 52.6%
Chester Hill 42.1% renting
Chester Hill — Owned Outright: 27.4% Chester Hill — Mortgage: 30.4% Chester Hill — Renting: 42.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Auburn Chester Hill
Bachelor Degree 12.7% / 8.9%
Auburn — Bachelor Degree: 12.7% Chester Hill — Bachelor Degree: 8.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 6.0%
Auburn — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Chester Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0%
Certificate III & IV 4.8% / 8.1%
Auburn — Certificate III & IV: 4.8% Chester Hill — Certificate III & IV: 8.1%
Postgraduate Degree 6.3% / 2.6%
Auburn — Postgraduate Degree: 6.3% Chester Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.8% / 0.6%
Auburn — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8% Chester Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (12.7%).

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.

Auburn Chester Hill
China 14.4% / 4.6%
Auburn — China: 14.4% Chester Hill — China: 4.6%
Nepal 12.7% / —
Auburn — Nepal: 12.7% Chester Hill — Nepal: not among its largest
Vietnam 1.9% / 9.7%
Auburn — Vietnam: 1.9% Chester Hill — Vietnam: 9.7%
Lebanon 2.9% / 7.5%
Auburn — Lebanon: 2.9% Chester Hill — Lebanon: 7.5%
India 5.4% / 0.9%
Auburn — India: 5.4% Chester Hill — India: 0.9%
Afghanistan 3.7% / 1.5%
Auburn — Afghanistan: 3.7% Chester Hill — Afghanistan: 1.5%
Pakistan 3.7% / 0.9%
Auburn — Pakistan: 3.7% Chester Hill — Pakistan: 0.9%
Iraq 1.3% / 1.6%
Auburn — Iraq: 1.3% Chester Hill — Iraq: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Auburn 42.0% houses
Auburn — Houses: 42.0% Auburn — Flats / Apartments: 47.9% Auburn — Townhouses: 10.0%
Chester Hill 73.5% houses
Chester Hill — Houses: 73.5% Chester Hill — Flats / Apartments: 12.8% Chester Hill — Townhouses: 13.7%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Auburn Chester Hill
Median house price $1,480,000 $1,400,000
Median unit price $555,888 $575,000
Median land price $2,220,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 124 sales
 24 days
from 107 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.

Auburn Chester Hill
2 bed $1.26M / $1.37M
Auburn — 2 bed: $1.26M (18 sales) Chester Hill — 2 bed: $1.37M (10 sales)

18 vs 10 sales

3 bed $1.42M / $1.31M
Auburn — 3 bed: $1.42M (66 sales) Chester Hill — 3 bed: $1.31M (80 sales)

66 vs 80 sales

4 bed $1.48M / $1.41M
Auburn — 4 bed: $1.48M (34 sales) Chester Hill — 4 bed: $1.41M (47 sales)

34 vs 47 sales

5 bed $1.62M / $1.5M
Auburn — 5 bed: $1.62M (21 sales) Chester Hill — 5 bed: $1.5M (38 sales)

21 vs 38 sales

6 bed $1.85M / $1.6M
Auburn — 6 bed: $1.85M (10 sales) Chester Hill — 6 bed: $1.6M (12 sales)

10 vs 12 sales

Zoning mix

Auburn has more industrially zoned land (24% vs 9%).

Auburn Chester Hill
Residential 52% 71%
Industrial 24% 9%
Parks and recreation 12% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 9%
Commercial 4% 3%
Environmental 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

Auburn Chester Hill
New dwellings approved 1,756
across Cumberland
 1,785
across Canterbury-Bankstown
Approvals change year on year -28% +50%

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.

Auburn Chester Hill
Houses 3.0%
$835/wk on $1.45M
 3.2%
$830/wk on $1.34M
Units 6.0%
$650/wk on $565K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Auburn Chester Hill
House price Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 70% of NSW
Income Higher than 47% of NSW Higher than 34% of NSW
Schools Higher than 62% of NSW Higher than 18% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 19% of NSW Higher than 18% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 55% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 31% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 93% of NSW —

Liveability

Auburn scores higher overall (59 vs 46).

Auburn Chester Hill
Grade B C
Score 59/100 46/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
same for both

Risk profile

Auburn Chester Hill
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
66/100
 Moderate
68/100
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 28
within 5 km
 12
within 5 km

Schools

Auburn Chester Hill
Inside the suburb 16 5
Rated above peers 5 0
Rated at peers 4 1
Rated below peers 3 4
Universities within 10 km 3
Western Sydney University - Parramatta, 4.9 km
 3
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 5.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.4% 3.1%

Schools in Auburn

  • Al-Faisal College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Auburn Girls High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Auburn North Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St John's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Trinity Catholic College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Alpha Omega Senior College Independent · Secondary at peers

Schools in Chester Hill

  • Chester Hill North Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Chester Hill High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Chester Hill Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Salamah College Independent · Combined below peers
  • Rowland Hassall School Government · Combined · Special school below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Auburn Chester Hill
Supermarkets 6 1
Cafes & restaurants 19 11
Parks & reserves 27 11
Childcare 27 12
GPs 10 5
Pharmacies 7 4
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 4 3
Fuel stations 2 1
Waterways 2 1

Mobility

Chester Hill sits further from the CBD (26.6 km vs 20.8 km).

Auburn Chester Hill
Walkability score 96/100 91/100
Distance to Sydney 20.8 km 26.6 km
+28% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 26 min 36 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Bus
 91/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 368.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 226.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 2144
 0.5%
postcode 2162
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 17
postcode 2144
 30
postcode 2162

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.

Auburn Chester Hill
Car (driver) 43.5% / 54.5%
Auburn — Car (driver): 43.5% Chester Hill — Car (driver): 54.5%
Worked from Home 21.4% / 32.8%
Auburn — Worked from Home: 21.4% Chester Hill — Worked from Home: 32.8%
Train 25.1% / 4.2%
Auburn — Train: 25.1% Chester Hill — Train: 4.2%
Car (passenger) 4.9% / 5.1%
Auburn — Car (passenger): 4.9% Chester Hill — Car (passenger): 5.1%
Walked Only 3.6% / 2.0%
Auburn — Walked Only: 3.6% Chester Hill — Walked Only: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (54.5%).

Setting

Auburn Chester Hill
Elevation 32 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 41 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 16.6 km 17.1 km
4.3 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Auburn Chester Hill
Connectivity score 95/100 88/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 81%
14,559 premises
 50%
5,125 premises

Climate

Auburn Chester Hill
Annual rainfall 1,021 mm 909 mm
Summer max (Jan) 28.4°C 28.7°C
Winter min (Jul) 7.2°C 6.4°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Auburn Chester Hill
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.9 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Auburn Chester Hill
Average residential rate $1,038/yr $1,322/yr
Council Cumberland Canterbury-Bankstown

Federal electorate

Auburn Chester Hill
Division Blaxland
same for both
Member Jason Clare
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Auburn

Affordable Apartments Easy Commute Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Transport Hub Urban

Chester Hill

Easy Commute Family Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Auburn

Auburn vs Lidcombe Auburn vs Granville Auburn vs Berala Auburn vs Sefton Auburn vs South Granville Auburn vs Regents Park

Other comparisons with Chester Hill

Chester Hill vs Guildford Chester Hill vs Bass Hill Chester Hill vs Villawood Chester Hill vs Sefton Chester Hill vs South Granville Chester Hill vs Fairfield East
Full data on Auburn Full data on Chester 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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