Cardiff vs Garden Suburb

Cardiff is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 41 in Garden Suburb. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Garden Suburb, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Garden Suburb: a median of $995,000, against $875,000 in Cardiff, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Cardiff tends to suit people living alone, while Garden Suburb suits 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

Garden Suburb

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 87/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 54%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 83%)
  • But Cardiff has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Cardiff has cheaper houses ($875,000 vs $995,000)
  • Garden Suburb leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 26%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Cardiff

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (32% vs 11%)
  • has cheaper rent ($375/wk vs $465/wk)
  • But Garden Suburb leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 25%)

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

Commuting to the city

Cardiff

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 64/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Cardiff

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (17% vs 0%)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 1)
  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 64/100)
  • But Garden Suburb carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 87/100)

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

Investors

Cardiff

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (8.4% vs 2.6%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.3% vs 3.4%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Cardiff Garden Suburb
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.

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Walkability 88 / 64
Cardiff — Walkability: 88/100 Garden Suburb — Walkability: 64/100
Safety 13 / 61
Cardiff — Safety: 13/100 Garden Suburb — Safety: 61/100
Low fire risk 100 / 43
Cardiff — Low fire risk: 100/100 Garden Suburb — Low fire risk: 43/100

Demographics

Cardiff has more residents (6,318 vs 1,959); Garden Suburb has higher household incomes ($122,772 vs $78,624).

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Population 6,318
+69% vs other
 1,959
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.4% +2.6%
Median age 38 41
Median household income $78,624/yr $122,772/yr
+56% vs other
Median weekly rent $375/wk $465/wk
+24% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cardiff Garden Suburb
0-4 6.3% / 6.0%
Cardiff — 0-4: 6.3% Garden Suburb — 0-4: 6.0%
5-14 11.4% / 13.0%
Cardiff — 5-14: 11.4% Garden Suburb — 5-14: 13.0%
15-19 5.4% / 7.0%
Cardiff — 15-19: 5.4% Garden Suburb — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 6.5% / 6.2%
Cardiff — 20-24: 6.5% Garden Suburb — 20-24: 6.2%
25-34 15.3% / 9.1%
Cardiff — 25-34: 15.3% Garden Suburb — 25-34: 9.1%
35-44 14.2% / 13.1%
Cardiff — 35-44: 14.2% Garden Suburb — 35-44: 13.1%
45-54 11.9% / 12.0%
Cardiff — 45-54: 11.9% Garden Suburb — 45-54: 12.0%
55-64 10.5% / 13.0%
Cardiff — 55-64: 10.5% Garden Suburb — 55-64: 13.0%
65-74 9.5% / 10.2%
Cardiff — 65-74: 9.5% Garden Suburb — 65-74: 10.2%
75-84 6.9% / 6.0%
Cardiff — 75-84: 6.9% Garden Suburb — 75-84: 6.0%
85+ 2.2% / 4.2%
Cardiff — 85+: 2.2% Garden Suburb — 85+: 4.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Cardiff 34.8% couple families
Cardiff — Couple Families: 34.8% Cardiff — Lone Person: 39.1% Cardiff — One Parent Families: 19.4% Cardiff — Group Household: 5.0% Cardiff — Other Families: 1.7%
Garden Suburb 61.9% couple families
Garden Suburb — Couple Families: 61.9% Garden Suburb — Lone Person: 22.2% Garden Suburb — One Parent Families: 13.1% Garden Suburb — Group Household: 2.2% Garden Suburb — Other Families: 0.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Cardiff 31.7% renting
Cardiff — Owned Outright: 30.7% Cardiff — Mortgage: 37.6% Cardiff — Renting: 31.7%
Garden Suburb 10.7% renting
Garden Suburb — Owned Outright: 45.6% Garden Suburb — Mortgage: 43.7% Garden Suburb — Renting: 10.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Certificate III & IV 19.1% / 14.5%
Cardiff — Certificate III & IV: 19.1% Garden Suburb — Certificate III & IV: 14.5%
Bachelor Degree 10.7% / 16.5%
Cardiff — Bachelor Degree: 10.7% Garden Suburb — Bachelor Degree: 16.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 7.8%
Cardiff — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Garden Suburb — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Postgraduate Degree 2.7% / 4.8%
Cardiff — Postgraduate Degree: 2.7% Garden Suburb — Postgraduate Degree: 4.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 1.6%
Cardiff — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Garden Suburb — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

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.

Cardiff Garden Suburb
England 2.1% / 2.1%
Cardiff — England: 2.1% Garden Suburb — England: 2.1%
New Zealand 1.1% / 1.0%
Cardiff — New Zealand: 1.1% Garden Suburb — New Zealand: 1.0%
India 0.8% / 0.9%
Cardiff — India: 0.8% Garden Suburb — India: 0.9%
Germany 0.6% / 0.8%
Cardiff — Germany: 0.6% Garden Suburb — Germany: 0.8%
Philippines 0.6% / —
Cardiff — Philippines: 0.6% Garden Suburb — Philippines: not among its largest
Sri Lanka — / 0.5%
Cardiff — Sri Lanka: not among its largest Garden Suburb — Sri Lanka: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Cardiff 82.7% houses
Cardiff — Houses: 82.7% Cardiff — Townhouses: 11.0% Cardiff — Flats / Apartments: 6.3%
Garden Suburb 99.7% houses
Garden Suburb — Houses: 99.7% Garden Suburb — Townhouses: 0.0% Garden Suburb — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Median house price $875,000 $995,000
Median unit price $757,500 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 27 days
from 43 sales
 20 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.

Cardiff Garden Suburb
2 bed $772K / $890K
Cardiff — 2 bed: $772K (22 sales) Garden Suburb — 2 bed: $890K (7 sales)

22 vs 7 sales

3 bed $880K / $900K
Cardiff — 3 bed: $880K (61 sales) Garden Suburb — 3 bed: $900K (16 sales)

61 vs 16 sales

4 bed $898K / $1.1M
Cardiff — 4 bed: $898K (21 sales) Garden Suburb — 4 bed: $1.1M (27 sales)

21 vs 27 sales

Zoning mix

Cardiff has more industrially zoned land (28% vs 0%); Garden Suburb has more land zoned for conservation (15% vs 1%).

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Residential 55% 48%
Industrial 28% 0%
Other and special use 0% 19%
Environmental 1% 15%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 11%
Parks and recreation 10% 5%
Rural and farming 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

Cardiff Garden Suburb
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.

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Houses 4.3%
$700/wk on $837K
 3.4%
$775/wk on $1.2M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Cardiff Garden Suburb
House price Higher than 37% of NSW Higher than 48% of NSW
Income Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
Schools Higher than 58% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 88% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW

Liveability

Cardiff is more walkable (88 vs 64).

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Grade B
same for both
Score 51/100 54/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Garden Suburb carries more bushfire risk (57 vs 0); Cardiff carries more crime risk (87 vs 39).

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
57/100
Crime High
87/100
 Low
39/100
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 3
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Inside the suburb 4 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 3 0
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 1
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 6.9 km
 2
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 6.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.4% 3.0%

Schools in Cardiff

  • St Kevin's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Cardiff High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Cardiff North Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Cardiff Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Garden Suburb

  • Garden Suburb Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Supermarkets 2 0
Parks & reserves 4 2
Childcare 8 3
GPs 5 1
Pharmacies 2 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 3 0
Waterways 7 5

Mobility

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Walkability score 88/100 64/100
Distance to Sydney 150.8 km
+1% vs other
 149.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 114 min 118 min
Public transport score 87/100
Rail · Bus
 66/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 262.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 20.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 2285
 1.0%
postcode 2289
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 2285
 36
postcode 2289

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.

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Car (driver) 70.4% / 64.0%
Cardiff — Car (driver): 70.4% Garden Suburb — Car (driver): 64.0%
Worked from Home 21.9% / 29.6%
Cardiff — Worked from Home: 21.9% Garden Suburb — Worked from Home: 29.6%
Car (passenger) 4.2% / 4.6%
Cardiff — Car (passenger): 4.2% Garden Suburb — Car (passenger): 4.6%
Bus 1.3% / 0.4%
Cardiff — Bus: 1.3% Garden Suburb — Bus: 0.4%
Walked Only 1.2% / 0.4%
Cardiff — Walked Only: 1.2% Garden Suburb — Walked Only: 0.4%
Train 0.9% / 0.4%
Cardiff — Train: 0.9% Garden Suburb — Train: 0.4%
Bicycle 0.1% / 0.7%
Cardiff — Bicycle: 0.1% Garden Suburb — Bicycle: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.4%).

Setting

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Elevation 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 87 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.6 km 5.7 km

NBN connectivity

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Connectivity score 66/100 72/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 39%
3,699 premises
 49%
700 premises

Climate

Cardiff Garden Suburb
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)

Cardiff Garden Suburb
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.53 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Average residential rate $1,708/yr
same for both
Council Lake Macquarie
same for both

Federal electorate

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Division Shortland
same for both
Member Pat Conroy
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Cardiff Garden Suburb
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Cardiff

Parks River Transport Hub

Garden Suburb

Large Blocks River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cardiff

Cardiff vs Macquarie Hills Cardiff vs Glendale Cardiff vs Cardiff South Cardiff vs Boolaroo Cardiff vs Cardiff Heights Cardiff vs Argenton

Other comparisons with Garden Suburb

Garden Suburb vs Charlestown Garden Suburb vs Kotara Garden Suburb vs New Lambton Heights Garden Suburb vs Cardiff Heights Garden Suburb vs Kotara South Garden Suburb vs Hillsborough
Full data on Cardiff Full data on Garden Suburb
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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