Castle Doyle vs Metz
Metz is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 49 in Castle Doyle. 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 Castle Doyle: a median of $2.4 million, against $850,000 in Metz. On these figures, Metz tends to suit people living alone and 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
Castle Doyle
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 68/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (81% vs 67%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Metz
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($850,000 vs $2,400,000)
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
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Castle Doyle sits closer to the CBD (488.8 km vs 496.2 km)
- Metz has a shorter drive in (385 min vs 394 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Castle Doyle
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 68/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 15%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Metz
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.4% vs -8.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Castle Doyle and Metz 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
Castle Doyle has more residents (150 vs 117); Castle Doyle has higher household incomes ($119,548 vs $97,448).
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 150 +22% vs other | 117 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -8.5% | +10.4% |
| Median age | 49 | 43 |
| Median household income | $119,548/yr +18% vs other | $97,448/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +3% vs other | $243/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Property market
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,400,000 | $850,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $22,000 |
Zoning mix
Castle Doyle has more land zoned for conservation (24% vs 13%); Metz has more rural and farming land (87% vs 76%).
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 76% | 87% |
| Environmental | 24% | 13% |
| 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
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 77 across Armidale same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -76% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 89% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 84% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 17% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 40% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 40% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
Liveability
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Metz carries more crime risk (68 vs 0); Metz carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 17).
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 17/100 | Low 34/100 |
| Crime | None 0/100 | Moderate 68/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 7 | 29 |
Mobility
Metz sits further from the CBD (496.2 km vs 488.8 km).
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 488.8 km | 496.2 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 394 min | 385 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2350 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2350 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.2%).
Setting
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 978 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 965 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 25/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 58 premises | 0% 53 premises |
Climate
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 684 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 9.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,477/yr same for both | |
| Council | Armidale same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Castle Doyle | Metz | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Castle Doyle
Metz
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Castle Doyle
Other comparisons with Metz
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.