Bankstown vs Padstow

Bankstown is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 40 in Padstow. In both, about half of households are couple families. In Bankstown, about half of households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. In Padstow, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. On these figures, Bankstown tends to suit renters.

Bankstown is a larger, younger suburb with a population of 34,933 compared to Padstow's 14,017, but Padstow residents enjoy significantly higher median household income at $98,332 versus $69,212. Padstow also scores notably higher on liveability (76 versus 56) and has lower crime risk (55 versus 81), though rental costs are steeper at $470 weekly against $400. Both suburbs are equally walkable and close to the CBD, with house prices similar around $1.6–1.7 million, though units are considerably cheaper in Bankstown at $590,000 compared to $790,000 in Padstow. Bankstown may suit buyers prioritising affordability and rental yield, while Padstow appeals to those valuing a more affluent, quieter neighbourhood.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Bankstown

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (13 vs 4)
  • has more childcare (29 vs 12)
  • has more parks and reserves (27 vs 18)
  • But Padstow has more separate houses rather than flats (68% vs 30%)

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

First-home buyers

Bankstown

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($590,000 vs $790,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bankstown

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (52% vs 33%)
  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $470/wk)
  • But Padstow leaves renters under less rental stress (25% vs 30%)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Downsizers and retirees

Bankstown

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (26 vs 6)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (70% vs 32%)
  • But Padstow carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 81/100)

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

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

Bankstown Padstow
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.

Bankstown Padstow
Walkability 94 / 94
Bankstown — Walkability: 94/100 Padstow — Walkability: 94/100
Safety 19 / 45
Bankstown — Safety: 19/100 Padstow — Safety: 45/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Bankstown — Low fire risk: 100/100 Padstow — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Bankstown has more residents (34,933 vs 14,017); Padstow has higher household incomes ($98,332 vs $69,212).

Bankstown Padstow
Population 34,933
+60% vs other
 14,017
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.8% +5.3%
Median age 34 40
Median household income $69,212/yr $98,332/yr
+42% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk $470/wk
+18% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bankstown Padstow
0-4 7.9% / 5.6%
Bankstown — 0-4: 7.9% Padstow — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 12.4% / 11.3%
Bankstown — 5-14: 12.4% Padstow — 5-14: 11.3%
15-19 5.4% / 5.9%
Bankstown — 15-19: 5.4% Padstow — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 7.4% / 6.4%
Bankstown — 20-24: 7.4% Padstow — 20-24: 6.4%
25-34 18.4% / 13.3%
Bankstown — 25-34: 18.4% Padstow — 25-34: 13.3%
35-44 14.1% / 13.6%
Bankstown — 35-44: 14.1% Padstow — 35-44: 13.6%
45-54 11.2% / 12.9%
Bankstown — 45-54: 11.2% Padstow — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 10.8% / 14.0%
Bankstown — 55-64: 10.8% Padstow — 55-64: 14.0%
65-74 6.9% / 9.2%
Bankstown — 65-74: 6.9% Padstow — 65-74: 9.2%
75-84 3.6% / 5.0%
Bankstown — 75-84: 3.6% Padstow — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 1.8% / 2.7%
Bankstown — 85+: 1.8% Padstow — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bankstown 46.1% couple families
Bankstown — Couple Families: 46.1% Bankstown — Lone Person: 26.3% Bankstown — One Parent Families: 20.1% Bankstown — Group Household: 5.0% Bankstown — Other Families: 2.5%
Padstow 50.4% couple families
Padstow — Couple Families: 50.4% Padstow — Lone Person: 26.9% Padstow — One Parent Families: 17.3% Padstow — Group Household: 3.4% Padstow — Other Families: 2.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bankstown 52.3% renting
Bankstown — Owned Outright: 22.2% Bankstown — Mortgage: 25.5% Bankstown — Renting: 52.3%
Padstow 33.3% renting
Padstow — Owned Outright: 33.0% Padstow — Mortgage: 33.7% Padstow — Renting: 33.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bankstown Padstow
Bachelor Degree 13.2% / 15.2%
Bankstown — Bachelor Degree: 13.2% Padstow — Bachelor Degree: 15.2%
Certificate III & IV 6.5% / 10.7%
Bankstown — Certificate III & IV: 6.5% Padstow — Certificate III & IV: 10.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.9% / 7.9%
Bankstown — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9% Padstow — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9%
Postgraduate Degree 5.1% / 5.0%
Bankstown — Postgraduate Degree: 5.1% Padstow — Postgraduate Degree: 5.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.8% / 1.5%
Bankstown — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8% Padstow — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).

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.

Bankstown Padstow
Vietnam 15.6% / 4.5%
Bankstown — Vietnam: 15.6% Padstow — Vietnam: 4.5%
China 4.8% / 7.3%
Bankstown — China: 4.8% Padstow — China: 7.3%
Lebanon 6.0% / 2.4%
Bankstown — Lebanon: 6.0% Padstow — Lebanon: 2.4%
India 1.9% / 1.8%
Bankstown — India: 1.9% Padstow — India: 1.8%
Pakistan 3.2% / —
Bankstown — Pakistan: 3.2% Padstow — Pakistan: not among its largest
Bangladesh 3.1% / —
Bankstown — Bangladesh: 3.1% Padstow — Bangladesh: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.7%
Bankstown — New Zealand: not among its largest Padstow — New Zealand: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bankstown 30.0% houses
Bankstown — Houses: 30.0% Bankstown — Flats / Apartments: 59.9% Bankstown — Townhouses: 10.1%
Padstow 67.6% houses
Padstow — Houses: 67.6% Padstow — Flats / Apartments: 6.4% Padstow — Townhouses: 26.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Bankstown Padstow
Median house price $1,625,000 $1,670,000
Median unit price $590,000 $790,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 118 sales
 26 days
from 138 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.

Bankstown Padstow
2 bed $1.63M / $1.41M
Bankstown — 2 bed: $1.63M (11 sales) Padstow — 2 bed: $1.41M (14 sales)

11 vs 14 sales

3 bed $1.61M / $1.5M
Bankstown — 3 bed: $1.61M (50 sales) Padstow — 3 bed: $1.5M (75 sales)

50 vs 75 sales

4 bed $1.55M / $1.65M
Bankstown — 4 bed: $1.55M (40 sales) Padstow — 4 bed: $1.65M (61 sales)

40 vs 61 sales

5 bed $1.93M / $1.85M
Bankstown — 5 bed: $1.93M (26 sales) Padstow — 5 bed: $1.85M (64 sales)

26 vs 64 sales

Zoning mix

Padstow has more industrially zoned land (19% vs 8%).

Bankstown Padstow
Residential 75% 59%
Industrial 8% 19%
Infrastructure and transport 10% 9%
Parks and recreation 5% 7%
Environmental 0% 3%
Commercial 2% 3%
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

Bankstown Padstow
New dwellings approved 1,785
across Canterbury-Bankstown
same for both
Approvals change year on year +50%
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.

Bankstown Padstow
Houses 3.8%
$895/wk on $1.23M
 3.5%
$1,050/wk on $1.55M
Units 5.2%
$620/wk on $617K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Bankstown Padstow
House price Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Income Higher than 32% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Schools Higher than 61% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 98% of NSW
same for both
Affordability Higher than 13% of NSW Higher than 27% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 62% of NSW Higher than 46% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 76% of NSW —

Liveability

Padstow scores higher overall (76 vs 56).

Bankstown Padstow
Grade B A
Score 56/100 76/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Bankstown carries more crime risk (81 vs 55).

Bankstown Padstow
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
81/100
 Moderate
55/100
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 18
within 5 km
 10
within 5 km

Schools

Bankstown Padstow
Inside the suburb 13 4
Rated above peers 4 2
Rated at peers 4 1
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 2
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 0.0 km
 2
Western Sydney University - Bankstown City, 3.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.2%
same for both

Schools in Bankstown

  • Bankstown West Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • La Salle Catholic College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • St Brendan's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • St Felix Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Bankstown Girls High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Bankstown North Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Padstow

  • Padstow North Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Therese Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Padstow Park Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Caroline Chisholm School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Bankstown Padstow
Supermarkets 9 4
Cafes & restaurants 48 23
Parks & reserves 27 18
Childcare 29 12
GPs 26 6
Pharmacies 15 3
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 13 1
Fuel stations 4
same for both
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

Bankstown Padstow
Walkability score 94/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 29.3 km
+4% vs other
 28.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 31 min 30 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
 92/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 1042.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 314.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 2200
 1.2%
postcode 2211
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 18
postcode 2200
 31
postcode 2211

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.

Bankstown Padstow
Car (driver) 51.5% / 41.0%
Bankstown — Car (driver): 51.5% Padstow — Car (driver): 41.0%
Worked from Home 30.3% / 47.6%
Bankstown — Worked from Home: 30.3% Padstow — Worked from Home: 47.6%
Train 7.6% / 5.8%
Bankstown — Train: 7.6% Padstow — Train: 5.8%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 3.2%
Bankstown — Car (passenger): 4.8% Padstow — Car (passenger): 3.2%
Walked Only 3.3% / 1.4%
Bankstown — Walked Only: 3.3% Padstow — Walked Only: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (51.5%).

Setting

Bankstown Padstow
Elevation 21 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 12.4 km 10.8 km

NBN connectivity

Bankstown Padstow
Connectivity score 74/100 88/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 11%
15,088 premises
 47%
6,148 premises

Climate

Bankstown Padstow
Annual rainfall 909 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.4°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Bankstown Padstow
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

Bankstown Padstow
Average residential rate $1,322/yr
same for both
Council Canterbury-Bankstown
same for both

Federal electorate

Bankstown Padstow
Division Watson Banks
Member Tony Burke Zhi Soon
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bankstown Padstow
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bankstown

Affordable Apartments Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks River Urban

Padstow

Easy Commute Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Townhouses Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bankstown

Bankstown vs Greenacre Bankstown vs Punchbowl Bankstown vs Yagoona Bankstown vs Revesby Bankstown vs Condell Park Bankstown vs Mount Lewis

Other comparisons with Padstow

Padstow vs Punchbowl Padstow vs Revesby Padstow vs Riverwood Padstow vs Peakhurst Padstow vs Padstow Heights Padstow vs Revesby Heights
Full data on Bankstown Full data on Padstow
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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