Buchanan vs Richmond Vale

Buchanan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 43 in Richmond Vale. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Buchanan, about half of households are couple families. In Richmond Vale, most households are couple families. On these figures, Richmond Vale tends to suit people living alone 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

Buchanan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 60%)

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

First-home buyers

Richmond Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 34%)

Weighs land prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Richmond Vale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 23%)
  • has cheaper rent ($240/wk vs $460/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Richmond Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (142 km vs 153.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

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

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

Investors

Richmond Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (13.1% vs 7.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Buchanan and Richmond Vale 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 Richmond Vale
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 Richmond Vale
Walkability 0 / 0
Buchanan — Walkability: 0/100 Richmond Vale — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 3 / 1
Buchanan — Safety: 3/100 Richmond Vale — Safety: 1/100
Low fire risk 45 / 37
Buchanan — Low fire risk: 45/100 Richmond Vale — Low fire risk: 37/100

Demographics

Buchanan has more residents (212 vs 95); Buchanan rents higher ($460/wk vs $240/wk).

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Population 212
+55% vs other
 95
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.6% +13.1%
Median age 38 43
Median household income $105,456/yr $162,448/yr
+54% vs other
Median weekly rent $460/wk
+48% vs other
 $240/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Buchanan Richmond Vale
0-4 5.2% / 7.4%
Buchanan — 0-4: 5.2% Richmond Vale — 0-4: 7.4%
5-14 17.9% / 15.8%
Buchanan — 5-14: 17.9% Richmond Vale — 5-14: 15.8%
15-19 10.4% / 3.2%
Buchanan — 15-19: 10.4% Richmond Vale — 15-19: 3.2%
20-24 8.0% / 3.2%
Buchanan — 20-24: 8.0% Richmond Vale — 20-24: 3.2%
25-34 9.0% / 8.4%
Buchanan — 25-34: 9.0% Richmond Vale — 25-34: 8.4%
35-44 9.0% / 9.5%
Buchanan — 35-44: 9.0% Richmond Vale — 35-44: 9.5%
45-54 13.2% / 10.5%
Buchanan — 45-54: 13.2% Richmond Vale — 45-54: 10.5%
55-64 15.6% / 31.6%
Buchanan — 55-64: 15.6% Richmond Vale — 55-64: 31.6%
65-74 9.0% / 11.6%
Buchanan — 65-74: 9.0% Richmond Vale — 65-74: 11.6%
75-84 5.2% / —
Buchanan — 75-84: 5.2% Richmond Vale — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ 1.9% / —
Buchanan — 85+: 1.9% Richmond Vale — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.6%).

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%
Richmond Vale 60.0% couple families
Richmond Vale — Couple Families: 60.0% Richmond Vale — Lone Person: 40.0% Richmond Vale — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent 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%
Richmond Vale 17.2% renting
Richmond Vale — Owned Outright: 44.8% Richmond Vale — Mortgage: 37.9% Richmond Vale — Renting: 17.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Buchanan 100.0% houses
Buchanan — Houses: 100.0%
Richmond Vale 100.0% houses
Richmond Vale — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Certificate III & IV 19.3% / 17.9%
Buchanan — Certificate III & IV: 19.3% Richmond Vale — Certificate III & IV: 17.9%
Bachelor Degree 8.5% / 11.6%
Buchanan — Bachelor Degree: 8.5% Richmond Vale — Bachelor Degree: 11.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.1% / 8.4%
Buchanan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1% Richmond Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.3% / 4.2%
Buchanan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3% Richmond Vale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.2%
Postgraduate Degree 1.4% / —
Buchanan — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4% Richmond Vale — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

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

Property market

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Median house price $860,000 —
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $422,500 $462,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 50 days
from 10 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Richmond Vale has more land zoned for conservation (22% vs 9%); Buchanan has more rural and farming land (84% vs 74%).

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Rural and farming 84% 74%
Environmental 9% 22%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 1%
Industrial 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 Richmond Vale
New dwellings approved 719
across Cessnock
same for both
Approvals change year on year -31%
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.

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Houses 4.2%
$700/wk on $865K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Buchanan Richmond Vale
House price Higher than 42% of NSW —
Income Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 76% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 56% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 75% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 82% of NSW —

Liveability

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Bushfire Moderate
55/100
 Moderate
63/100
Crime High
97/100
 High
99/100
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
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Buchanan Richmond Vale
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

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Waterways 9 1

Mobility

Buchanan sits further from the CBD (153.6 km vs 142 km).

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 153.6 km
+8% vs other
 142 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 109 min 107 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 Richmond Vale
Car (driver) 68.9% / 77.8%
Buchanan — Car (driver): 68.9% Richmond Vale — Car (driver): 77.8%
Worked from Home 24.4% / 11.1%
Buchanan — Worked from Home: 24.4% Richmond Vale — Worked from Home: 11.1%
Walked Only — / 11.1%
Buchanan — Walked Only: not among its largest Richmond Vale — Walked Only: 11.1%
Car (passenger) 6.7% / —
Buchanan — Car (passenger): 6.7% Richmond Vale — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.8%).

Setting

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Elevation 40 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 26 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 22.4 km 24.7 km

NBN connectivity

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Connectivity score 67/100 27/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 53%
141 premises
 0%
35 premises

Climate

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Annual rainfall 804 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.1°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Buchanan Richmond Vale
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³ 6.1 µg/m³
PM10 17.5 µg/m³ 16.5 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.72 pphm 0.53 pphm

Council rates

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Average residential rate $1,405/yr
same for both
Council Cessnock
same for both

Federal electorate

Buchanan Richmond Vale
Division Paterson Hunter
Member Meryl Swanson Dan Repacholi
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Buchanan

Family Rural

Richmond Vale

Family Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Buchanan

Buchanan vs East Maitland Buchanan vs Heddon Greta Buchanan vs Cliftleigh Buchanan vs Pelaw Main Buchanan vs Louth Park Buchanan vs Stanford Merthyr

Other comparisons with Richmond Vale

Richmond Vale vs West Wallsend Richmond Vale vs Abermain Richmond Vale vs Pelaw Main Richmond Vale vs Mulbring Richmond Vale vs Elrington Richmond Vale vs Stockrington
Full data on Buchanan Full data on Richmond Vale
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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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