Bulga vs Mount Thorley
In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Mount Thorley: a median of $1.5 million, against $1.12 million in Bulga, though rent is higher in Bulga. On these figures, Bulga tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Mount Thorley 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
Bulga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (65/100 vs 96/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bulga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,125,000 vs $1,500,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Mount Thorley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 20%)
- has cheaper rent ($343/wk vs $423/wk)
- But Bulga has a bigger rental market to choose from (41% vs 31%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Mount Thorley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (144 min vs 155 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (204.9 km vs 217.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bulga
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (65/100 vs 96/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mount Thorley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (26.5% vs 18.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bulga and Mount Thorley 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
Bulga has more residents (418 vs 86); Bulga rents higher ($423/wk vs $343/wk).
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 418 +79% vs other | 86 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.1% | +26.5% |
| Median age | 37 same for both | |
| Median household income | $107,224/yr | $126,724/yr +18% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $423/wk +19% vs other | $343/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
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 (4.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,125,000 | $1,500,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Bulga has more land zoned for conservation (50% vs 0%); Mount Thorley has more rural and farming land (97% vs 49%).
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 49% | 97% |
| Environmental | 50% | 0% |
| 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
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 121 across Singleton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +46% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 88% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 17% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 26% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Bulga carries more bushfire risk (87 vs 14); Mount Thorley carries more crime risk (96 vs 65).
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 87/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 65/100 | High 96/100 |
| 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 | 3 within 5 km |
Schools
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 11 | 23 |
Mobility
Bulga sits further from the CBD (217.6 km vs 204.9 km).
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 217.6 km +6% vs other | 204.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 155 min | 144 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2330 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 2330 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 (84.1%).
Setting
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 211 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 73 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 132 premises | 0% 97 premises |
Climate
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 16.7 µg/m³ | 22.6 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,287/yr same for both | |
| Council | Singleton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hunter same for both | |
| Member | Dan Repacholi same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bulga | Mount Thorley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bulga
Other comparisons with Mount Thorley
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.