Cardiff South vs Hillsborough

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hillsborough, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Hillsborough: a median of $1.12 million, against $920,000 in Cardiff South. On these figures, Cardiff South tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.

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 5 things we measure here

  • Cardiff South has more childcare (5 vs 0)
  • Hillsborough is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 62%)

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

First-home buyers

Cardiff South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($920,000 vs $1,117,500)

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

Cardiff South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (63/100 vs 52/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Cardiff South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (63/100 vs 52/100)

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

Investors

Cardiff South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (3.6% vs -1.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Cardiff South and Hillsborough 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 South Hillsborough
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 South Hillsborough
Walkability 63 / 52
Cardiff South — Walkability: 63/100 Hillsborough — Walkability: 52/100
Low fire risk 100 / 84
Cardiff South — Low fire risk: 100/100 Hillsborough — Low fire risk: 84/100

Demographics

Cardiff South has more residents (2,931 vs 641); Hillsborough has higher household incomes ($102,440 vs $87,776).

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Population 2,931
+78% vs other
 641
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.6% -1.7%
Median age 38 40
Median household income $87,776/yr $102,440/yr
+17% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk $420/wk
+5% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cardiff South Hillsborough
0-4 6.0% / 5.1%
Cardiff South — 0-4: 6.0% Hillsborough — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 12.2% / 12.3%
Cardiff South — 5-14: 12.2% Hillsborough — 5-14: 12.3%
15-19 6.3% / 6.4%
Cardiff South — 15-19: 6.3% Hillsborough — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 7.5% / 6.1%
Cardiff South — 20-24: 7.5% Hillsborough — 20-24: 6.1%
25-34 13.1% / 12.9%
Cardiff South — 25-34: 13.1% Hillsborough — 25-34: 12.9%
35-44 13.4% / 10.1%
Cardiff South — 35-44: 13.4% Hillsborough — 35-44: 10.1%
45-54 13.4% / 14.4%
Cardiff South — 45-54: 13.4% Hillsborough — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 13.1% / 11.9%
Cardiff South — 55-64: 13.1% Hillsborough — 55-64: 11.9%
65-74 8.1% / 10.0%
Cardiff South — 65-74: 8.1% Hillsborough — 65-74: 10.0%
75-84 5.3% / 6.7%
Cardiff South — 75-84: 5.3% Hillsborough — 75-84: 6.7%
85+ 1.6% / 0.6%
Cardiff South — 85+: 1.6% Hillsborough — 85+: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Cardiff South 42.2% couple families
Cardiff South — Couple Families: 42.2% Cardiff South — Lone Person: 32.1% Cardiff South — One Parent Families: 19.4% Cardiff South — Group Household: 4.8% Cardiff South — Other Families: 1.5%
Hillsborough 51.2% couple families
Hillsborough — Couple Families: 51.2% Hillsborough — Lone Person: 27.2% Hillsborough — One Parent Families: 19.1% Hillsborough — Group Household: 2.5% Hillsborough — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Cardiff South 22.5% renting
Cardiff South — Owned Outright: 33.5% Cardiff South — Mortgage: 44.0% Cardiff South — Renting: 22.5%
Hillsborough 14.2% renting
Hillsborough — Owned Outright: 38.8% Hillsborough — Mortgage: 47.0% Hillsborough — Renting: 14.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Certificate III & IV 20.1% / 22.5%
Cardiff South — Certificate III & IV: 20.1% Hillsborough — Certificate III & IV: 22.5%
Bachelor Degree 9.1% / 9.8%
Cardiff South — Bachelor Degree: 9.1% Hillsborough — Bachelor Degree: 9.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 9.5%
Cardiff South — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Hillsborough — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5%
Postgraduate Degree 2.3% / 0.8%
Cardiff South — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3% Hillsborough — Postgraduate Degree: 0.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.4% / 0.9%
Cardiff South — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4% Hillsborough — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.5%).

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 South Hillsborough
New Zealand 0.7% / 2.5%
Cardiff South — New Zealand: 0.7% Hillsborough — New Zealand: 2.5%
England 1.2% / 1.9%
Cardiff South — England: 1.2% Hillsborough — England: 1.9%
Scotland 0.4% / 0.6%
Cardiff South — Scotland: 0.4% Hillsborough — Scotland: 0.6%
China 0.5% / —
Cardiff South — China: 0.5% Hillsborough — China: not among its largest
Philippines 0.5% / —
Cardiff South — Philippines: 0.5% Hillsborough — Philippines: not among its largest
Italy — / 0.5%
Cardiff South — Italy: not among its largest Hillsborough — Italy: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Cardiff South 89.6% houses
Cardiff South — Houses: 89.6% Cardiff South — Townhouses: 7.9% Cardiff South — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Hillsborough 96.2% houses
Hillsborough — Houses: 96.2% Hillsborough — Townhouses: 0.0% Hillsborough — Flats / Apartments: 3.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Median house price $920,000 $1,117,500
Median unit price $695,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 11 days
from 12 sales
 17 days
from 4 sales

Zoning mix

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Residential 66% 16%
Parks and recreation 8% 49%
Environmental 25% 16%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 17%
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 South Hillsborough
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 South Hillsborough
Houses 3.1%
$740/wk on $1.25M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Cardiff South Hillsborough
House price Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 38% of NSW
Income Higher than 56% of NSW Higher than 70% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 61% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 25% of NSW —

Liveability

Cardiff South is more walkable (63 vs 52).

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Grade B
same for both
Score 59/100
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Hillsborough carries more bushfire risk (16 vs 0).

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
16/100
Crime Low
36/100
 —
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 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 7.9 km
 1
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 8.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.7% 1.9%

Schools in Cardiff South

  • Cardiff South Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Hillsborough

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

Amenities in the suburb

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Parks & reserves 1
same for both
Childcare 5 0
Waterways 1 7

Mobility

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Walkability score 63/100 52/100
Distance to Sydney 148.6 km 149.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 117 min 120 min
Public transport score 77/100
Bus
 35/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 41.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 7.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 6 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 2285
 0.9%
postcode 2290
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 2285
 37
postcode 2290

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 South Hillsborough
Car (driver) 73.1% / 69.9%
Cardiff South — Car (driver): 73.1% Hillsborough — Car (driver): 69.9%
Worked from Home 20.6% / 24.2%
Cardiff South — Worked from Home: 20.6% Hillsborough — Worked from Home: 24.2%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 4.8%
Cardiff South — Car (passenger): 4.1% Hillsborough — Car (passenger): 4.8%
Bus 1.0% / 1.1%
Cardiff South — Bus: 1.0% Hillsborough — Bus: 1.1%
Walked Only 0.6% / —
Cardiff South — Walked Only: 0.6% Hillsborough — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.1%).

Setting

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Elevation 48 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 30 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.4 km 5.2 km

NBN connectivity

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Connectivity score 69/100 76/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 44%
1,215 premises
 57%
248 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

Cardiff South Hillsborough
Division Shortland
same for both
Member Pat Conroy
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Cardiff South

River

Hillsborough

Acreage River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cardiff South

Cardiff South vs Warners Bay Cardiff South vs Cardiff Cardiff South vs Macquarie Hills

Other comparisons with Hillsborough

Hillsborough vs Charlestown Hillsborough vs Warners Bay Hillsborough vs Cardiff Hillsborough vs Mount Hutton Hillsborough vs Garden Suburb
Full data on Cardiff South Full data on Hillsborough
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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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