Brushgrove vs Cowper
Cowper is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 61 in Brushgrove. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Brushgrove, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Cowper: a median of $680,000, against $435,000 in Brushgrove. On these figures, Brushgrove tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Brushgrove carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 71/100)
- Cowper is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 39%)
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
- Brushgrove has cheaper houses ($435,000 vs $680,000)
- Cowper leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 28%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Cowper
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (28% vs 13%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Brushgrove
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (30/100 vs 13/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (627.9 km vs 633.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Brushgrove
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (30/100 vs 13/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (39% vs 19%)
- carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 71/100)
Weighs 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
Brushgrove and Cowper 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
Brushgrove has more residents (181 vs 88); Brushgrove skews older (61 vs 48).
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 181 +51% vs other | 88 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -9.0% | -6.4% |
| Median age | 61 | 48 |
| Median household income | $59,020/yr | $67,600/yr +15% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $298/wk | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).
Property market
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $435,000 | $680,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $15,448 |
Zoning mix
Cowper has more rural and farming land (89% vs 57%); Brushgrove has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 8%).
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 57% | 89% |
| Environmental | 30% | 8% |
| Residential | 11% | 1% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 2% |
| Parks and recreation | 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
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 246 across Clarence Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -80% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 12% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 21% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 83% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 18% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
Liveability
Brushgrove is more walkable (30 vs 13).
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Cowper carries more bushfire risk (24 vs 0); Cowper carries more crime risk (71 vs 55).
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 55/100 | High 71/100 |
| 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
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Brushgrove
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Cowper
- Cowper Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 5 |
Mobility
Cowper sits further from the CBD (633.4 km vs 627.9 km).
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 30/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 627.9 km | 633.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 415 min | 414 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2460 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 60 postcode 2460 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 (83.3%).
Setting
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 4 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 3 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 23.8 km | 23.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 98 premises | 0% 49 premises |
Climate
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,060 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 8.3°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,380/yr same for both | |
| Council | Clarence Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Brushgrove | Cowper | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Brushgrove
Cowper
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Brushgrove
Other comparisons with Cowper
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.