Cardiff vs Macquarie Hills

Macquarie Hills is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 38 in Cardiff. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Macquarie Hills, most households are couple families. On these figures, Cardiff tends to suit people living alone, while Macquarie Hills 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Cardiff has more childcare (8 vs 1)
  • Macquarie Hills carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 87/100)

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

First-home buyers

Macquarie Hills

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% 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 13%)
  • has cheaper rent ($375/wk vs $473/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Cardiff

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 41/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (150.8 km vs 152.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Cardiff

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (17% vs 2%)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 41/100)
  • But Macquarie Hills carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 87/100)

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

Cardiff and Macquarie 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.

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
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 Macquarie Hills
Walkability 88 / 41
Cardiff — Walkability: 88/100 Macquarie Hills — Walkability: 41/100
Safety 13 / 70
Cardiff — Safety: 13/100 Macquarie Hills — Safety: 70/100
Low fire risk 100 / 65
Cardiff — Low fire risk: 100/100 Macquarie Hills — Low fire risk: 65/100

Demographics

Cardiff has more residents (6,318 vs 3,605); Macquarie Hills has higher household incomes ($116,532 vs $78,624).

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Population 6,318
+43% vs other
 3,605
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.4% +9.1%
Median age 38 35
Median household income $78,624/yr $116,532/yr
+48% vs other
Median weekly rent $375/wk $473/wk
+26% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
0-4 6.3% / 8.0%
Cardiff — 0-4: 6.3% Macquarie Hills — 0-4: 8.0%
5-14 11.4% / 14.2%
Cardiff — 5-14: 11.4% Macquarie Hills — 5-14: 14.2%
15-19 5.4% / 6.8%
Cardiff — 15-19: 5.4% Macquarie Hills — 15-19: 6.8%
20-24 6.5% / 5.2%
Cardiff — 20-24: 6.5% Macquarie Hills — 20-24: 5.2%
25-34 15.3% / 15.4%
Cardiff — 25-34: 15.3% Macquarie Hills — 25-34: 15.4%
35-44 14.2% / 15.1%
Cardiff — 35-44: 14.2% Macquarie Hills — 35-44: 15.1%
45-54 11.9% / 12.9%
Cardiff — 45-54: 11.9% Macquarie Hills — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 10.5% / 9.7%
Cardiff — 55-64: 10.5% Macquarie Hills — 55-64: 9.7%
65-74 9.5% / 8.9%
Cardiff — 65-74: 9.5% Macquarie Hills — 65-74: 8.9%
75-84 6.9% / 3.4%
Cardiff — 75-84: 6.9% Macquarie Hills — 75-84: 3.4%
85+ 2.2% / 0.5%
Cardiff — 85+: 2.2% Macquarie Hills — 85+: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.4%).

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%
Macquarie Hills 61.0% couple families
Macquarie Hills — Couple Families: 61.0% Macquarie Hills — Lone Person: 18.8% Macquarie Hills — One Parent Families: 16.6% Macquarie Hills — Group Household: 2.7% Macquarie Hills — Other Families: 0.9%
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%
Macquarie Hills 13.4% renting
Macquarie Hills — Owned Outright: 29.1% Macquarie Hills — Mortgage: 57.5% Macquarie Hills — Renting: 13.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Certificate III & IV 19.1% / 19.2%
Cardiff — Certificate III & IV: 19.1% Macquarie Hills — Certificate III & IV: 19.2%
Bachelor Degree 10.7% / 11.7%
Cardiff — Bachelor Degree: 10.7% Macquarie Hills — Bachelor Degree: 11.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 8.4%
Cardiff — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Macquarie Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Postgraduate Degree 2.7% / 3.2%
Cardiff — Postgraduate Degree: 2.7% Macquarie Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 1.6%
Cardiff — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Macquarie Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).

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 Macquarie Hills
England 2.1% / 1.5%
Cardiff — England: 2.1% Macquarie Hills — England: 1.5%
New Zealand 1.1% / 0.9%
Cardiff — New Zealand: 1.1% Macquarie Hills — New Zealand: 0.9%
Philippines 0.6% / 0.6%
Cardiff — Philippines: 0.6% Macquarie Hills — Philippines: 0.6%
Germany 0.6% / 0.6%
Cardiff — Germany: 0.6% Macquarie Hills — Germany: 0.6%
India 0.8% / 0.3%
Cardiff — India: 0.8% Macquarie Hills — India: 0.3%
South Africa — / 0.5%
Cardiff — South Africa: not among its largest Macquarie Hills — South Africa: 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%
Macquarie Hills 97.8% houses
Macquarie Hills — Houses: 97.8% Macquarie Hills — Townhouses: 2.0% Macquarie Hills — Flats / Apartments: 0.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Median house price $875,000 $915,000
Median unit price $757,500 —
Median land price — $1,285,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 27 days
from 43 sales
 17 days
from 19 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 Macquarie Hills
3 bed $880K / $865K
Cardiff — 3 bed: $880K (61 sales) Macquarie Hills — 3 bed: $865K (37 sales)

61 vs 37 sales

4 bed $898K / $965K
Cardiff — 4 bed: $898K (21 sales) Macquarie Hills — 4 bed: $965K (30 sales)

21 vs 30 sales

Zoning mix

Macquarie Hills has more land zoned for conservation (33% vs 1%); Cardiff has more industrially zoned land (28% vs 1%).

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Residential 55% 47%
Environmental 1% 33%
Industrial 28% 1%
Parks and recreation 10% 11%
Rural and farming 0% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 1%
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 Macquarie Hills
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 Macquarie Hills
Houses 4.3%
$700/wk on $837K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
House price Higher than 37% of NSW Higher than 44% of NSW
Income Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
Schools Higher than 58% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 68% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 88% of NSW —

Liveability

Cardiff is more walkable (88 vs 41); Macquarie Hills scores higher overall (56 vs 51).

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Grade B
same for both
Score 51/100 56/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Macquarie Hills carries more bushfire risk (35 vs 0); Cardiff carries more crime risk (87 vs 30).

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
35/100
Crime High
87/100
 Low
30/100
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
same for both

Schools

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Inside the suburb 4 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 3 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 6.9 km
 1
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 8.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.4%
same for both

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 Macquarie Hills

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

Amenities in the suburb

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

Mobility

Macquarie Hills sits further from the CBD (152.9 km vs 150.8 km).

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Walkability score 88/100 41/100
Distance to Sydney 150.8 km 152.9 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 114 min 118 min
Public transport score 87/100
Rail · Bus
 77/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 262.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 40.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 2285
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 2285
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.

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Car (driver) 70.4% / 68.6%
Cardiff — Car (driver): 70.4% Macquarie Hills — Car (driver): 68.6%
Worked from Home 21.9% / 26.7%
Cardiff — Worked from Home: 21.9% Macquarie Hills — Worked from Home: 26.7%
Car (passenger) 4.2% / 3.4%
Cardiff — Car (passenger): 4.2% Macquarie Hills — Car (passenger): 3.4%
Walked Only 1.2% / 0.7%
Cardiff — Walked Only: 1.2% Macquarie Hills — Walked Only: 0.7%
Bus 1.3% / 0.4%
Cardiff — Bus: 1.3% Macquarie Hills — Bus: 0.4%

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

Setting

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Elevation 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 51 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.6 km 8.2 km

NBN connectivity

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Connectivity score 66/100 70/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 39%
3,699 premises
 45%
1,282 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
Division Shortland
same for both
Member Pat Conroy
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Cardiff Macquarie Hills
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

Macquarie Hills

Family Large Blocks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cardiff

Cardiff vs Glendale Cardiff vs Cardiff South Cardiff vs Garden Suburb Cardiff vs Boolaroo Cardiff vs Cardiff Heights Cardiff vs Argenton

Other comparisons with Macquarie Hills

Macquarie Hills vs Warners Bay Macquarie Hills vs Speers Point Macquarie Hills vs Cardiff South Macquarie Hills vs Boolaroo Macquarie Hills vs Lakelands
Full data on Cardiff Full data on Macquarie Hills
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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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