Bombowlee vs Lacmalac
Lacmalac is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 51 in Bombowlee. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bombowlee, about half of households are couple families. In Lacmalac, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lacmalac: a median of $1.4 million, against $1.19 million in Bombowlee, though rent is higher in Bombowlee. On these figures, Bombowlee tends to suit older residents and buyers on a tighter budget, while Lacmalac 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
Lacmalac
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 55/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Bombowlee has cheaper houses ($1,190,000 vs $1,401,074)
- Lacmalac leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 24%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Lacmalac
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $325/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Bombowlee
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (16/100 vs 5/100)
- has a shorter drive in (263 min vs 270 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (412.7 km vs 418.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bombowlee
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (16/100 vs 5/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 16%)
- But Lacmalac carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 55/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bombowlee
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-0.7% vs -8.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bombowlee and Lacmalac 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
Bombowlee has more residents (291 vs 146); Lacmalac has higher household incomes ($143,000 vs $93,600).
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 291 +50% vs other | 146 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.7% | -8.2% |
| Median age | 51 | 48 |
| Median household income | $93,600/yr | $143,000/yr +53% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $325/wk +8% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.8%).
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 (4.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,190,000 | $1,401,074 |
| Median unit price | $1,100,000 | — |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% same for both | |
| Residential | 0% | 2% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 36 across Snowy Valleys same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 62% of NSW | Higher than 72% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 93% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 66% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 9% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
Liveability
Bombowlee is more walkable (16 vs 5).
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Lacmalac carries more bushfire risk (15 vs 0); Bombowlee carries more crime risk (55 vs 37).
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 15/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 55/100 | Low 37/100 |
| 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
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 4 | 3 |
Mobility
Lacmalac sits further from the CBD (418.3 km vs 412.7 km).
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 16/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 412.7 km | 418.3 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 263 min | 270 min |
| Public transport score | 20/100 Bus | 19/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 3.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 2.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 2 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2720 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 51 postcode 2720 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 (82.7%).
Setting
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 263 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 377 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 126 premises | 0% 64 premises |
Climate
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 889 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $945/yr same for both | |
| Council | Snowy Valleys same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina same for both | |
| Member | Michael Mccormack same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bombowlee | Lacmalac | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bombowlee
Other comparisons with Lacmalac
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.