Balgownie vs Mount Pleasant

In both, the large majority of households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Balgownie, about half of households are couple families. In Mount Pleasant, most households are couple families. On these figures, Balgownie tends to suit people living alone, while Mount Pleasant suits families with children and 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

Mount Pleasant

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 40/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (98% vs 72%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 65%)
  • But Balgownie has more childcare (7 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Mount Pleasant

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 29%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Balgownie

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 6%)
  • has cheaper rent ($450/wk vs $550/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Balgownie is more walkable (65/100 vs 53/100)
  • Mount Pleasant sits closer to the CBD (82.8 km vs 84.9 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Balgownie

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (28% vs 2%)
  • is more walkable (65/100 vs 53/100)
  • But Mount Pleasant carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 40/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
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.

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Walkability 65 / 53
Balgownie — Walkability: 65/100 Mount Pleasant — Walkability: 53/100
Safety 60 / 80
Balgownie — Safety: 60/100 Mount Pleasant — Safety: 80/100
Low fire risk 100 / 15
Balgownie — Low fire risk: 100/100 Mount Pleasant — Low fire risk: 15/100

Demographics

Balgownie has more residents (5,722 vs 1,397); Mount Pleasant has higher household incomes ($148,824 vs $99,424).

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Population 5,722
+76% vs other
 1,397
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.6% +2.0%
Median age 42 40
Median household income $99,424/yr $148,824/yr
+50% vs other
Median weekly rent $450/wk $550/wk
+22% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
0-4 5.8% / 7.2%
Balgownie — 0-4: 5.8% Mount Pleasant — 0-4: 7.2%
5-14 12.6% / 16.3%
Balgownie — 5-14: 12.6% Mount Pleasant — 5-14: 16.3%
15-19 5.3% / 6.0%
Balgownie — 15-19: 5.3% Mount Pleasant — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 5.8% / 4.9%
Balgownie — 20-24: 5.8% Mount Pleasant — 20-24: 4.9%
25-34 10.4% / 8.1%
Balgownie — 25-34: 10.4% Mount Pleasant — 25-34: 8.1%
35-44 12.7% / 14.5%
Balgownie — 35-44: 12.7% Mount Pleasant — 35-44: 14.5%
45-54 12.7% / 14.0%
Balgownie — 45-54: 12.7% Mount Pleasant — 45-54: 14.0%
55-64 13.1% / 11.9%
Balgownie — 55-64: 13.1% Mount Pleasant — 55-64: 11.9%
65-74 11.2% / 8.3%
Balgownie — 65-74: 11.2% Mount Pleasant — 65-74: 8.3%
75-84 8.1% / 6.7%
Balgownie — 75-84: 8.1% Mount Pleasant — 75-84: 6.7%
85+ 2.2% / 1.9%
Balgownie — 85+: 2.2% Mount Pleasant — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Balgownie 47.3% couple families
Balgownie — Couple Families: 47.3% Balgownie — Lone Person: 30.9% Balgownie — One Parent Families: 17.6% Balgownie — Group Household: 3.4% Balgownie — Other Families: 0.8%
Mount Pleasant 61.2% couple families
Mount Pleasant — Couple Families: 61.2% Mount Pleasant — Lone Person: 21.2% Mount Pleasant — One Parent Families: 11.8% Mount Pleasant — Group Household: 4.1% Mount Pleasant — Other Families: 1.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Balgownie 22.3% renting
Balgownie — Owned Outright: 46.8% Balgownie — Mortgage: 30.9% Balgownie — Renting: 22.3%
Mount Pleasant 5.7% renting
Mount Pleasant — Owned Outright: 45.2% Mount Pleasant — Mortgage: 49.1% Mount Pleasant — Renting: 5.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Bachelor Degree 15.2% / 19.8%
Balgownie — Bachelor Degree: 15.2% Mount Pleasant — Bachelor Degree: 19.8%
Certificate III & IV 14.4% / 10.4%
Balgownie — Certificate III & IV: 14.4% Mount Pleasant — Certificate III & IV: 10.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 8.0%
Balgownie — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% Mount Pleasant — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Postgraduate Degree 5.3% / 10.7%
Balgownie — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3% Mount Pleasant — Postgraduate Degree: 10.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 2.4%
Balgownie — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Mount Pleasant — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).

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.

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
England 2.8% / 3.3%
Balgownie — England: 2.8% Mount Pleasant — England: 3.3%
Italy 3.0% / 1.1%
Balgownie — Italy: 3.0% Mount Pleasant — Italy: 1.1%
New Zealand 0.9% / 0.9%
Balgownie — New Zealand: 0.9% Mount Pleasant — New Zealand: 0.9%
India 0.8% / 0.9%
Balgownie — India: 0.8% Mount Pleasant — India: 0.9%
Scotland 0.7% / 1.0%
Balgownie — Scotland: 0.7% Mount Pleasant — Scotland: 1.0%
China 1.2% / —
Balgownie — China: 1.2% Mount Pleasant — China: not among its largest
Iran — / 0.9%
Balgownie — Iran: not among its largest Mount Pleasant — Iran: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Balgownie 71.8% houses
Balgownie — Houses: 71.8% Balgownie — Townhouses: 26.1% Balgownie — Flats / Apartments: 2.0%
Mount Pleasant 98.5% houses
Mount Pleasant — Houses: 98.5% Mount Pleasant — Townhouses: 0.0% Mount Pleasant — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Median house price $1,425,000 $1,440,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 38 days
from 30 sales
 24 days
from 8 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.

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
3 bed $1.22M / $1.27M
Balgownie — 3 bed: $1.22M (25 sales) Mount Pleasant — 3 bed: $1.27M (10 sales)

25 vs 10 sales

4 bed $1.55M / $1.54M
Balgownie — 4 bed: $1.55M (28 sales) Mount Pleasant — 4 bed: $1.54M (18 sales)

28 vs 18 sales

5 bed $1.56M / $1.44M
Balgownie — 5 bed: $1.56M (15 sales) Mount Pleasant — 5 bed: $1.44M (7 sales)

15 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Balgownie has more land zoned for conservation (38% vs 9%).

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Residential 52% 72%
Environmental 38% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 15%
Parks and recreation 4%
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

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
New dwellings approved 1,476
across Wollongong
same for both
Approvals change year on year -31%
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.

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Houses 4.3%
$950/wk on $1.15M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
House price Higher than 69% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Income Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 86% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 86% of NSW —

Liveability

Balgownie is more walkable (65 vs 53); Balgownie scores higher overall (69 vs 58).

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Grade B
same for both
Score 69/100 58/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Mount Pleasant carries more bushfire risk (85 vs 0); Balgownie carries more crime risk (40 vs 20).

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
85/100
Crime Moderate
40/100
 Low
20/100
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 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
UOW Wollongong, 5.0 km
 1
UOW Wollongong, 4.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.7% 2.6%

Schools in Balgownie

  • Balgownie Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Mount Pleasant

  • Pleasant Heights Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Parks & reserves 2 1
Childcare 7 1
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Balgownie sits further from the CBD (84.9 km vs 82.8 km).

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Walkability score 65/100 53/100
Distance to Sydney 84.9 km
+2% vs other
 82.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 81 min 77 min
Public transport score 76/100
Bus
 39/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 82.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 13.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.3%
postcode 2519
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 30
postcode 2519
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.

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Car (driver) 60.0% / 49.6%
Balgownie — Car (driver): 60.0% Mount Pleasant — Car (driver): 49.6%
Worked from Home 33.6% / 43.3%
Balgownie — Worked from Home: 33.6% Mount Pleasant — Worked from Home: 43.3%
Car (passenger) 3.7% / 3.9%
Balgownie — Car (passenger): 3.7% Mount Pleasant — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Train 0.8% / 1.4%
Balgownie — Train: 0.8% Mount Pleasant — Train: 1.4%
Walked Only 1.0% / 0.5%
Balgownie — Walked Only: 1.0% Mount Pleasant — Walked Only: 0.5%
Bicycle 0.4% / 0.8%
Balgownie — Bicycle: 0.4% Mount Pleasant — Bicycle: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.0%).

Setting

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Elevation 40 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 136 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.4 km
3.4 km to a named beach
 3.3 km
3.5 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Connectivity score 80/100 81/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 64%
2,429 premises
 66%
524 premises

Climate

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Annual rainfall 1,038 mm 974 mm
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
PM2.5 6.2 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 18.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.66 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Average residential rate $1,751/yr
same for both
Council Wollongong
same for both

Federal electorate

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Division Cunningham
same for both
Member Alison Byrnes
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Balgownie Mount Pleasant
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Balgownie

Townhouses

Mount Pleasant

Family Large Blocks Professionals River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Balgownie

Balgownie vs Fairy Meadow Balgownie vs Tarrawanna Balgownie vs Mount Keira Balgownie vs Fernhill

Other comparisons with Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant vs Fairy Meadow Mount Pleasant vs Keiraville Mount Pleasant vs Mount Keira Mount Pleasant vs Mount Ousley
Full data on Balgownie Full data on Mount Pleasant
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.

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