Buttaba vs Rathmines

Buttaba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 47 in Rathmines. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Buttaba, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Buttaba: a median of $974,000, against $849,000 in Rathmines. On these figures, Buttaba tends to suit 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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

First-home buyers

Rathmines

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($848,750 vs $974,000)

Weighs house 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

Buttaba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (126.7 km vs 128.9 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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

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

Buttaba Rathmines
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.

Buttaba Rathmines
Walkability 27 / 33
Buttaba — Walkability: 27/100 Rathmines — Walkability: 33/100
Safety 44 / 51
Buttaba — Safety: 44/100 Rathmines — Safety: 51/100
Low fire risk 24 / 17
Buttaba — Low fire risk: 24/100 Rathmines — Low fire risk: 17/100

Demographics

Rathmines has more residents (2,076 vs 1,204); Buttaba has higher household incomes ($97,500 vs $78,884).

Buttaba Rathmines
Population 1,204 2,076
+72% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.4% +9.0%
Median age 43 47
Median household income $97,500/yr
+19% vs other
 $78,884/yr
Median weekly rent $410/wk
+2% vs other
 $400/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Buttaba Rathmines
0-4 5.0% / 5.0%
Buttaba — 0-4: 5.0% Rathmines — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 12.5% / 12.7%
Buttaba — 5-14: 12.5% Rathmines — 5-14: 12.7%
15-19 7.4% / 5.7%
Buttaba — 15-19: 7.4% Rathmines — 15-19: 5.7%
20-24 5.3% / 5.5%
Buttaba — 20-24: 5.3% Rathmines — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 9.3% / 8.5%
Buttaba — 25-34: 9.3% Rathmines — 25-34: 8.5%
35-44 12.6% / 10.1%
Buttaba — 35-44: 12.6% Rathmines — 35-44: 10.1%
45-54 12.8% / 12.5%
Buttaba — 45-54: 12.8% Rathmines — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 15.1% / 14.9%
Buttaba — 55-64: 15.1% Rathmines — 55-64: 14.9%
65-74 13.1% / 16.2%
Buttaba — 65-74: 13.1% Rathmines — 65-74: 16.2%
75-84 6.8% / 6.8%
Buttaba — 75-84: 6.8% Rathmines — 75-84: 6.8%
85+ 0.4% / 2.0%
Buttaba — 85+: 0.4% Rathmines — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Buttaba 57.5% couple families
Buttaba — Couple Families: 57.5% Buttaba — Lone Person: 21.8% Buttaba — One Parent Families: 16.2% Buttaba — Group Household: 2.6% Buttaba — Other Families: 1.9%
Rathmines 43.4% couple families
Rathmines — Couple Families: 43.4% Rathmines — Lone Person: 28.0% Rathmines — One Parent Families: 24.3% Rathmines — Group Household: 3.5% Rathmines — Other Families: 0.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Buttaba 11.5% renting
Buttaba — Owned Outright: 45.7% Buttaba — Mortgage: 42.9% Buttaba — Renting: 11.5%
Rathmines 13.9% renting
Rathmines — Owned Outright: 45.0% Rathmines — Mortgage: 41.1% Rathmines — Renting: 13.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Buttaba Rathmines
Certificate III & IV 21.6% / 20.9%
Buttaba — Certificate III & IV: 21.6% Rathmines — Certificate III & IV: 20.9%
Bachelor Degree 10.1% / 10.4%
Buttaba — Bachelor Degree: 10.1% Rathmines — Bachelor Degree: 10.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 8.2%
Buttaba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% Rathmines — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2%
Postgraduate Degree 2.5% / 2.6%
Buttaba — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5% Rathmines — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.5%
Buttaba — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Rathmines — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).

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.

Buttaba Rathmines
England 3.6% / 2.8%
Buttaba — England: 3.6% Rathmines — England: 2.8%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.5%
Buttaba — New Zealand: 0.9% Rathmines — New Zealand: 1.5%
Netherlands 0.8% / 0.7%
Buttaba — Netherlands: 0.8% Rathmines — Netherlands: 0.7%
China 0.4% / 0.5%
Buttaba — China: 0.4% Rathmines — China: 0.5%
Scotland — / 0.5%
Buttaba — Scotland: not among its largest Rathmines — Scotland: 0.5%
Philippines 0.4% / —
Buttaba — Philippines: 0.4% Rathmines — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Buttaba 97.9% houses
Buttaba — Houses: 97.9% Buttaba — Townhouses: 1.9% Buttaba — Flats / Apartments: 0.2%
Rathmines 92.6% houses
Rathmines — Houses: 92.6% Rathmines — Townhouses: 7.0% Rathmines — Flats / Apartments: 0.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Buttaba Rathmines
Median house price $974,000 $848,750
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 32 days
from 14 sales
 24 days
from 14 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.

Buttaba Rathmines
3 bed $845K / $838K
Buttaba — 3 bed: $845K (15 sales) Rathmines — 3 bed: $838K (18 sales)

15 vs 18 sales

4 bed $1.02M / $890K
Buttaba — 4 bed: $1.02M (16 sales) Rathmines — 4 bed: $890K (9 sales)

16 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Buttaba has more land zoned for conservation (51% vs 19%).

Buttaba Rathmines
Environmental 51% 19%
Residential 47% 24%
Parks and recreation 1% 30%
Rural and farming 0% 10%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 9%
Industrial 0% 8%
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

Buttaba Rathmines
New dwellings approved 1,212
across Lake Macquarie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +2%
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.

Buttaba Rathmines
Houses — 4.9%
$790/wk on $840K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Buttaba Rathmines
House price Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Income Higher than 65% of NSW Higher than 46% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 69% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 61% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 91% of NSW
same for both
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 96% of NSW

Liveability

Buttaba Rathmines
Grade C
same for both
Score 33/100 31/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Buttaba Rathmines
Bushfire High
76/100
 High
83/100
Crime Moderate
56/100
 Moderate
49/100
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
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Buttaba Rathmines
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Buttaba

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

Schools in Rathmines

  • Rathmines Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Buttaba Rathmines
Supermarkets 0 1
Parks & reserves 0 2
Childcare 0 2
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Rathmines sits further from the CBD (128.9 km vs 126.7 km).

Buttaba Rathmines
Walkability score 27/100 33/100
Distance to Sydney 126.7 km 128.9 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 100 min 101 min
Public transport score 31/100
Bus
 58/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 7.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 21.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1.5 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2283
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 48
postcode 2283
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.

Buttaba Rathmines
Car (driver) 72.8% / 71.9%
Buttaba — Car (driver): 72.8% Rathmines — Car (driver): 71.9%
Worked from Home 21.8% / 22.2%
Buttaba — Worked from Home: 21.8% Rathmines — Worked from Home: 22.2%
Car (passenger) 3.0% / 3.8%
Buttaba — Car (passenger): 3.0% Rathmines — Car (passenger): 3.8%
Walked Only 1.1% / 0.5%
Buttaba — Walked Only: 1.1% Rathmines — Walked Only: 0.5%
Train 0.6% / 0.5%
Buttaba — Train: 0.6% Rathmines — Train: 0.5%
Bus — / 1.0%
Buttaba — Bus: not among its largest Rathmines — Bus: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.8%).

Setting

Buttaba Rathmines
Elevation 20 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 27 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.2 km 7.7 km

NBN connectivity

Buttaba Rathmines
Connectivity score 83/100
same for both
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 54%
514 premises
 54%
982 premises

Climate

Buttaba Rathmines
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Buttaba Rathmines
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 11.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.27 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Buttaba Rathmines
Average residential rate $1,708/yr
same for both
Council Lake Macquarie
same for both

Federal electorate

Buttaba Rathmines
Division Hunter
same for both
Member Dan Repacholi
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Buttaba Rathmines
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Buttaba

Large Blocks

Rathmines

Large Blocks Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Buttaba

Buttaba vs Arcadia Vale Buttaba vs Balmoral Buttaba vs Awaba

Other comparisons with Rathmines

Rathmines vs Toronto Rathmines vs Fishing Point Rathmines vs Balmoral Rathmines vs Awaba
Full data on Buttaba Full data on Rathmines
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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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