Ben Bullen vs Cullen Bullen
Cullen Bullen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 55 in Ben Bullen. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ben Bullen, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Ben Bullen tends to suit couples, while Cullen Bullen suits older residents.
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
Ben Bullen
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 91/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 50%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Ben Bullen
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($160/wk vs $190/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Ben Bullen
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (157 min vs 171 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (180.9 km vs 186.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Ben Bullen carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 91/100)
- Cullen Bullen has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Ben Bullen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-29.0% vs -40.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ben Bullen and Cullen Bullen 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
Cullen Bullen has more residents (166 vs 71); Ben Bullen has higher household incomes ($81,224 vs $54,184).
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 71 | 166 +134% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -29.0% | -40.5% |
| Median age | 55 | 51 |
| Median household income | $81,224/yr +33% vs other | $54,184/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $160/wk | $190/wk +19% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (8.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (35.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $350,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $650,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Ben Bullen has more land zoned for conservation (15% vs 0%); Cullen Bullen has more rural and farming land (99% vs 84%).
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 84% | 99% |
| Environmental | 15% | 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
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 55 across Lithgow same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 12% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 49% of NSW | Higher than 14% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 21% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 81% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
Liveability
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Cullen Bullen carries more crime risk (91 vs 36).
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 50/100 | Moderate 51/100 |
| Crime | Low 36/100 | High 91/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
Schools
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Ben Bullen
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Cullen Bullen
- Cullen Bullen Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Waterways | 11 | 16 |
Mobility
Cullen Bullen sits further from the CBD (186.2 km vs 180.9 km).
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 180.9 km | 186.2 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 157 min | 171 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2790 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 2790 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 (78.0%).
Setting
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 891 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 856 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 17/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 28 premises | 0% 100 premises |
Climate
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 644 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 1.2°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,150/yr same for both | |
| Council | Lithgow same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ben Bullen | Cullen Bullen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Ben Bullen
Other comparisons with Cullen Bullen
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.