Buchanan vs East Maitland

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Buchanan, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Buchanan tends to suit families with children and couples, while East Maitland suits people living alone.

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

East Maitland

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (22 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (12 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 0)
  • But Buchanan is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 51%)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Buchanan has cheaper land ($422,500 vs $825,000)
  • East Maitland leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 34%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

East Maitland

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (38% vs 10%)
  • has cheaper rent ($330/wk vs $460/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Buchanan

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (109 min vs 118 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (153.6 km vs 160.4 km)
  • But East Maitland is more walkable (89/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

East Maitland

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (7 vs 0)

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

Investors

Buchanan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (7.6% vs 0.7%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Buchanan East Maitland
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.

Buchanan East Maitland
Walkability 0 / 89
Buchanan — Walkability: 0/100 East Maitland — Walkability: 89/100
Safety 3 / 8
Buchanan — Safety: 3/100 East Maitland — Safety: 8/100
Low fire risk 45 / 66
Buchanan — Low fire risk: 45/100 East Maitland — Low fire risk: 66/100

Demographics

East Maitland has more residents (11,860 vs 212); Buchanan has higher household incomes ($105,456 vs $73,944).

Buchanan East Maitland
Population 212 11,860
+5494% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.6% +0.7%
Median age 38 40
Median household income $105,456/yr
+30% vs other
 $73,944/yr
Median weekly rent $460/wk
+28% vs other
 $330/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Buchanan East Maitland
0-4 5.2% / 5.5%
Buchanan — 0-4: 5.2% East Maitland — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 17.9% / 11.7%
Buchanan — 5-14: 17.9% East Maitland — 5-14: 11.7%
15-19 10.4% / 6.0%
Buchanan — 15-19: 10.4% East Maitland — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 8.0% / 6.1%
Buchanan — 20-24: 8.0% East Maitland — 20-24: 6.1%
25-34 9.0% / 13.1%
Buchanan — 25-34: 9.0% East Maitland — 25-34: 13.1%
35-44 9.0% / 12.5%
Buchanan — 35-44: 9.0% East Maitland — 35-44: 12.5%
45-54 13.2% / 12.9%
Buchanan — 45-54: 13.2% East Maitland — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 15.6% / 11.7%
Buchanan — 55-64: 15.6% East Maitland — 55-64: 11.7%
65-74 9.0% / 10.9%
Buchanan — 65-74: 9.0% East Maitland — 65-74: 10.9%
75-84 5.2% / 6.6%
Buchanan — 75-84: 5.2% East Maitland — 75-84: 6.6%
85+ 1.9% / 2.9%
Buchanan — 85+: 1.9% East Maitland — 85+: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Buchanan 46.9% couple families
Buchanan — Couple Families: 46.9% Buchanan — Lone Person: 26.5% Buchanan — One Parent Families: 26.5% Buchanan — Group Household: 0.0% Buchanan — Other Families: 0.0%
East Maitland 33.2% couple families
East Maitland — Couple Families: 33.2% East Maitland — Lone Person: 43.8% East Maitland — One Parent Families: 18.0% East Maitland — Group Household: 3.3% East Maitland — Other Families: 1.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Buchanan 10.0% renting
Buchanan — Owned Outright: 40.0% Buchanan — Mortgage: 50.0% Buchanan — Renting: 10.0%
East Maitland 37.6% renting
East Maitland — Owned Outright: 30.8% East Maitland — Mortgage: 31.6% East Maitland — Renting: 37.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Buchanan East Maitland
England 1.4% / 1.8%
Buchanan — England: 1.4% East Maitland — England: 1.8%
New Zealand — / 0.9%
Buchanan — New Zealand: not among its largest East Maitland — New Zealand: 0.9%
Philippines — / 0.8%
Buchanan — Philippines: not among its largest East Maitland — Philippines: 0.8%
China — / 0.4%
Buchanan — China: not among its largest East Maitland — China: 0.4%
India — / 0.4%
Buchanan — India: not among its largest East Maitland — India: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (1.8%).

Qualifications

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

Buchanan East Maitland
Certificate III & IV 19.3% / 17.9%
Buchanan — Certificate III & IV: 19.3% East Maitland — Certificate III & IV: 17.9%
Bachelor Degree 8.5% / 10.4%
Buchanan — Bachelor Degree: 8.5% East Maitland — Bachelor Degree: 10.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.1% / 8.0%
Buchanan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1% East Maitland — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.3% / 1.6%
Buchanan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3% East Maitland — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%
Postgraduate Degree 1.4% / 2.5%
Buchanan — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4% East Maitland — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Buchanan 100.0% houses
Buchanan — Houses: 100.0% Buchanan — Townhouses: 0.0% Buchanan — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
East Maitland 74.5% houses
East Maitland — Houses: 74.5% East Maitland — Townhouses: 17.4% East Maitland — Flats / Apartments: 8.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Buchanan East Maitland
Median house price $860,000 $825,000
Median unit price — $557,500
Median land price $422,500 $825,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 50 days
from 10 sales
 28 days
from 190 sales

Zoning mix

Buchanan has more rural and farming land (84% vs 29%).

Buchanan East Maitland
Rural and farming 84% 29%
Residential 1% 35%
Parks and recreation 0% 13%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 12%
Environmental 9%
same for both
Commercial 0% 2%
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

Buchanan East Maitland
New dwellings approved 719
across Cessnock
 1,413
across Maitland
Approvals change year on year -31% +20%

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.

Buchanan East Maitland
Houses 4.2%
$700/wk on $865K
 3.9%
$660/wk on $890K
Units — 4.1%
$498/wk on $631K

Ranking within NSW

Buchanan East Maitland
House price Higher than 42% of NSW Higher than 32% of NSW
Income Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 41% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 86% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 60% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 56% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 27% of NSW

Liveability

East Maitland is more walkable (89 vs 0).

Buchanan East Maitland
Grade — B
Score — 51/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Buchanan carries more bushfire risk (55 vs 34).

Buchanan East Maitland
Bushfire Moderate
55/100
 Low
34/100
Crime High
97/100
 High
92/100
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 4
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Buchanan East Maitland
Inside the suburb 0 6
Rated above peers 0 3
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Buchanan

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

Schools in East Maitland

  • Maitland High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • OneSchool Global NSW - Maitland Independent · Combined above peers
  • St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Linuwel School Ltd Independent · Combined at peers
  • Maitland Grossmann High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Maitland East Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Buchanan East Maitland
Supermarkets 0 6
Cafes & restaurants 0 18
Parks & reserves 0 22
Childcare 0 12
GPs 0 7
Pharmacies 0 3
Hospitals 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 10
Fuel stations 0 6
Waterways 9 25

Mobility

East Maitland sits further from the CBD (160.4 km vs 153.6 km).

Buchanan East Maitland
Walkability score 0/100 89/100
Distance to Sydney 153.6 km 160.4 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 109 min 118 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2323
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 2323
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.

Buchanan East Maitland
Car (driver) 68.9% / 69.5%
Buchanan — Car (driver): 68.9% East Maitland — Car (driver): 69.5%
Worked from Home 24.4% / 23.0%
Buchanan — Worked from Home: 24.4% East Maitland — Worked from Home: 23.0%
Car (passenger) 6.7% / 4.2%
Buchanan — Car (passenger): 6.7% East Maitland — Car (passenger): 4.2%
Walked Only — / 1.5%
Buchanan — Walked Only: not among its largest East Maitland — Walked Only: 1.5%
Train — / 1.1%
Buchanan — Train: not among its largest East Maitland — Train: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (69.5%).

Setting

Buchanan East Maitland
Elevation 40 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 32 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 22.4 km 19.6 km

NBN connectivity

Buchanan East Maitland
Connectivity score 67/100 98/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 53%
141 premises
 95%
6,608 premises

Climate

Buchanan East Maitland
Annual rainfall 804 mm 996 mm
Summer max (Jan) 30.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.1°C 7.1°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Buchanan East Maitland
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.72 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Buchanan East Maitland
Average residential rate $1,405/yr $1,908/yr
Council Cessnock Maitland

Federal electorate

Buchanan East Maitland
Division Paterson
same for both
Member Meryl Swanson
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Buchanan East Maitland
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Buchanan

Family Rural

East Maitland

Parks Regional Centre River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Buchanan

Buchanan vs Heddon Greta Buchanan vs Cliftleigh Buchanan vs Pelaw Main Buchanan vs Louth Park Buchanan vs Stanford Merthyr Buchanan vs Black Hill

Other comparisons with East Maitland

East Maitland vs Thornton East Maitland vs Metford East Maitland vs Ashtonfield East Maitland vs Chisholm East Maitland vs Tenambit East Maitland vs Raworth
Full data on Buchanan Full data on East Maitland
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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