Caddens vs Orchard Hills
Caddens is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 47 in Orchard Hills. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Orchard Hills: a median of $3.1 million, against $1.23 million in Caddens, though rent is higher in Caddens. On these figures, Caddens tends to suit families with children, couples, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Orchard Hills suits older residents.
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
Orchard Hills
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
- has more childcare (7 vs 2)
- But Caddens carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 66/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Caddens
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,227,500 vs $3,105,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Orchard Hills
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($450/wk vs $560/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Caddens
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (74/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (43 min vs 51 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (48.8 km vs 51.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Caddens
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (74/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 66/100)
- But Orchard Hills has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 12%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Caddens
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (136.4% vs -4.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Caddens and Orchard Hills 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
Caddens has more residents (3,487 vs 1,798); Orchard Hills skews older (47 vs 33).
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,487 +48% vs other | 1,798 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +136.4% | -4.2% |
| Median age | 33 | 47 |
| Median household income | $134,784/yr +12% vs other | $118,508/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $560/wk +20% vs other | $450/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.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,227,500 | $3,105,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $787,500 | $905,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 24 days from 41 sales | 26 days from 5 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.
49 vs 6 sales
25 vs 8 sales
Zoning mix
Orchard Hills has more land zoned for conservation (43% vs 6%); Orchard Hills has more rural and farming land (33% vs 0%).
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 86% | 3% |
| Environmental | 6% | 43% |
| Rural and farming | 0% | 33% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 11% |
| Parks and recreation | 6% same for both | |
| Industrial | 0% | 3% |
| Planning zones cover 100% of Caddens and 99% of Orchard Hills. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,063 across Penrith same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -78% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.0% $900/wk on $1.18M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 94% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 90% of NSW | Higher than 83% of NSW |
| Schools | — | Higher than 49% of NSW |
| Walkability | Higher than 90% of NSW | Higher than 3% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 89% of NSW | Higher than 8% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 75% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 97% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 73% of NSW | — |
Liveability
Caddens is more walkable (74 vs 0); Caddens scores higher overall (81 vs 38).
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | A | C |
| Score | 81/100 | 38/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Orchard Hills carries more bushfire risk (66 vs 0); Orchard Hills carries more crime risk (66 vs 28).
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 66/100 |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | Moderate 66/100 |
| 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 | 6 within 5 km | 4 within 5 km |
Schools
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 4 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 3 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Western Sydney University - Penrith, 1.3 km | 1 Western Sydney University - Penrith, 4.9 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 2.0% | 2.8% |
Schools in Caddens
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Orchard Hills
- Montgrove College Independent · Combined above peers
- Orchard Hills Public School Government · Primary at peers
- Penrith Anglican College Independent · Combined at peers
- Penrith Christian School Independent · Combined at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 same for both | |
| Childcare | 2 | 7 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 4 | 26 |
Mobility
Orchard Hills sits further from the CBD (51.4 km vs 48.8 km).
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 74/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 48.8 km | 51.4 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 43 min | 51 min |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus same for both | |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 34.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 52.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 2747 | 0.8% postcode 2748 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 45 postcode 2747 | 56 postcode 2748 |
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 (57.0%).
Setting
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 54 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 49 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 44.3 km | 42.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 97/100 | 67/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 92% 1,396 premises | 38% 711 premises |
Climate
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 822 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 17.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.55 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,547/yr same for both | |
| Council | Penrith same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lindsay same for both | |
| Member | Melissa Mcintosh same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Caddens | Orchard Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Caddens
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Caddens
Other comparisons with Orchard Hills
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.