Browns Plains vs Hillcrest

In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Browns Plains, about half of households rent. In Hillcrest, most households own their home.

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

Browns Plains

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (16 vs 10)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

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

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Browns Plains

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (73/100 vs 64/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Browns Plains

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (7 vs 4)
  • is more walkable (73/100 vs 64/100)

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

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Browns Plains returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.2% vs 3.7%)
  • Hillcrest is growing faster (11.4% vs 5.1%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Browns Plains Hillcrest
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.

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Walkability 73 / 64
Browns Plains — Walkability: 73/100 Hillcrest — Walkability: 64/100
Safety 5 / 13
Browns Plains — Safety: 5/100 Hillcrest — Safety: 13/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Browns Plains — Low fire risk: 100/100 Hillcrest — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Hillcrest has higher household incomes ($81,796 vs $72,280).

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Population 6,632
+5% vs other
 6,268
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.1% +11.4%
Median age 34 33
Median household income $72,280/yr $81,796/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $350/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Browns Plains Hillcrest
0-4 7.2% / 7.9%
Browns Plains — 0-4: 7.2% Hillcrest — 0-4: 7.9%
5-14 14.9% / 14.2%
Browns Plains — 5-14: 14.9% Hillcrest — 5-14: 14.2%
15-19 6.8% / 5.9%
Browns Plains — 15-19: 6.8% Hillcrest — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 7.2% / 7.4%
Browns Plains — 20-24: 7.2% Hillcrest — 20-24: 7.4%
25-34 15.5% / 16.4%
Browns Plains — 25-34: 15.5% Hillcrest — 25-34: 16.4%
35-44 14.1% / 14.5%
Browns Plains — 35-44: 14.1% Hillcrest — 35-44: 14.5%
45-54 12.3% / 11.5%
Browns Plains — 45-54: 12.3% Hillcrest — 45-54: 11.5%
55-64 10.3% / 11.4%
Browns Plains — 55-64: 10.3% Hillcrest — 55-64: 11.4%
65-74 7.3% / 6.5%
Browns Plains — 65-74: 7.3% Hillcrest — 65-74: 6.5%
75-84 3.0% / 3.0%
Browns Plains — 75-84: 3.0% Hillcrest — 75-84: 3.0%
85+ 1.3% / 1.1%
Browns Plains — 85+: 1.3% Hillcrest — 85+: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Browns Plains 38.2% couple families
Browns Plains — Couple Families: 38.2% Browns Plains — Lone Person: 28.1% Browns Plains — One Parent Families: 26.0% Browns Plains — Group Household: 5.5% Browns Plains — Other Families: 2.1%
Hillcrest 44.0% couple families
Hillcrest — Couple Families: 44.0% Hillcrest — Lone Person: 27.2% Hillcrest — One Parent Families: 21.4% Hillcrest — Group Household: 5.4% Hillcrest — Other Families: 2.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Browns Plains 48.6% renting
Browns Plains — Owned Outright: 19.6% Browns Plains — Mortgage: 31.7% Browns Plains — Renting: 48.6%
Hillcrest 40.0% renting
Hillcrest — Owned Outright: 17.9% Hillcrest — Mortgage: 42.0% Hillcrest — Renting: 40.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Certificate III & IV 15.8% / 17.0%
Browns Plains — Certificate III & IV: 15.8% Hillcrest — Certificate III & IV: 17.0%
Bachelor Degree 6.7% / 7.1%
Browns Plains — Bachelor Degree: 6.7% Hillcrest — Bachelor Degree: 7.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.4% / 7.3%
Browns Plains — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4% Hillcrest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3%
Postgraduate Degree 1.9% / 1.9%
Browns Plains — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9% Hillcrest — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.5% / 0.9%
Browns Plains — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.5% Hillcrest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

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.

Browns Plains Hillcrest
New Zealand 7.1% / 7.4%
Browns Plains — New Zealand: 7.1% Hillcrest — New Zealand: 7.4%
India 1.8% / 3.2%
Browns Plains — India: 1.8% Hillcrest — India: 3.2%
England 1.9% / 2.6%
Browns Plains — England: 1.9% Hillcrest — England: 2.6%
Philippines 1.7% / 2.2%
Browns Plains — Philippines: 1.7% Hillcrest — Philippines: 2.2%
China 2.0% / 1.2%
Browns Plains — China: 2.0% Hillcrest — China: 1.2%
Fiji 1.0% / 1.3%
Browns Plains — Fiji: 1.0% Hillcrest — Fiji: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Browns Plains 78.0% houses
Browns Plains — Houses: 78.0% Browns Plains — Townhouses: 18.1% Browns Plains — Flats / Apartments: 4.0%
Hillcrest 81.6% houses
Hillcrest — Houses: 81.6% Hillcrest — Townhouses: 16.0% Hillcrest — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Median house price $871,500 $877,500
Median unit price $640,500 $595,000
Median land price $770,000 $672,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 18 days
from 85 sales
 18 days
from 61 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.

Browns Plains Hillcrest
3 bed $850K / $835K
Browns Plains — 3 bed: $850K (105 sales) Hillcrest — 3 bed: $835K (45 sales)

105 vs 45 sales

4 bed $920K / $878K
Browns Plains — 4 bed: $920K (52 sales) Hillcrest — 4 bed: $878K (57 sales)

52 vs 57 sales

5 bed $980K / $974K
Browns Plains — 5 bed: $980K (10 sales) Hillcrest — 5 bed: $974K (16 sales)

10 vs 16 sales

Development activity

Browns Plains Hillcrest
New dwellings approved 4,950
across Logan
same for both
Approvals change year on year -8%
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.

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Houses 4.2%
$680/wk on $850K
 3.7%
$655/wk on $924K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Browns Plains Hillcrest
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 42% of QLD Higher than 53% of QLD
Schools Higher than 57% of QLD —
Walkability Higher than 93% of QLD Higher than 90% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 80% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of QLD Higher than 87% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 62% of QLD Higher than 34% of QLD

Liveability

Browns Plains is more walkable (73 vs 64).

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Grade C
same for both
Score 42/100 43/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
95/100
 High
87/100
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 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Inside the suburb 4 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Browns Plains

  • Indie School, Logan Independent · Secondary above peers
  • Browns Plains State High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Browns Plains State School Government · Primary below peers
  • Indie School, Logan - Browns Plains Campus Independent · Secondary

Schools in Hillcrest

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Supermarkets 4 0
Cafes & restaurants 9 0
Parks & reserves 16 10
Childcare 7 5
GPs 7 4
Pharmacies 8 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 10 0
Fuel stations 3
same for both
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Walkability score 73/100 64/100
Distance to Brisbane 29.2 km 30.1 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 29 min
same for both
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 133.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 59.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 4118
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 78
postcode 4118
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.

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Car (driver) 79.2% / 79.7%
Browns Plains — Car (driver): 79.2% Hillcrest — Car (driver): 79.7%
Worked from Home 8.4% / 9.1%
Browns Plains — Worked from Home: 8.4% Hillcrest — Worked from Home: 9.1%
Car (passenger) 6.9% / 5.4%
Browns Plains — Car (passenger): 6.9% Hillcrest — Car (passenger): 5.4%
Bus 3.5% / 3.9%
Browns Plains — Bus: 3.5% Hillcrest — Bus: 3.9%
Walked Only 1.1% / 1.0%
Browns Plains — Walked Only: 1.1% Hillcrest — Walked Only: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.7%).

Setting

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Elevation 42 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 53 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 24.4 km 27.0 km

NBN connectivity

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Connectivity score 74/100 76/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 17%
3,396 premises
 18%
3,115 premises

Climate

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Annual rainfall 1,032 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Browns Plains Hillcrest
PM2.5 5.3 µg/m³ 4.9 µg/m³
PM10 14.6 µg/m³ 13.1 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.48 pphm 0.27 pphm

Council rates

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Average residential rate $1,681/yr
same for both
Council Logan
same for both

Federal electorate

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Division Rankin
same for both
Member Jim Chalmers
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Browns Plains Hillcrest
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Browns Plains

Family Outer Parks

Hillcrest

Family Outer Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Browns Plains

Browns Plains vs Parkinson Browns Plains vs Regents Park Browns Plains vs Heritage Park Browns Plains vs Drewvale Browns Plains vs Berrinba

Other comparisons with Hillcrest

Hillcrest vs Parkinson Hillcrest vs Regents Park Hillcrest vs Greenbank Hillcrest vs Boronia Heights Hillcrest vs Forestdale
Full data on Browns Plains Full data on Hillcrest
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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