Castlereagh vs Emu Heights
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 Castlereagh: a median of $3.33 million, against $1.14 million in Emu Heights. On these figures, Emu Heights 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
Emu Heights
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (14 vs 2)
- carries lower crime risk (34/100 vs 80/100)
- But Castlereagh has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Emu Heights
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($1,140,000 vs $3,330,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 30%)
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
Emu Heights
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (52/100 vs 35/100)
- has a shorter drive in (51 min vs 59 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (60.1 km vs 65.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Emu Heights
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (34/100 vs 80/100)
- is more walkable (52/100 vs 35/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Castlereagh
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.6% vs -2.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Castlereagh and Emu Heights 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
Emu Heights has more residents (3,205 vs 1,248).
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,248 | 3,205 +157% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.6% | -2.6% |
| Median age | 38 same for both | |
| Median household income | $123,240/yr | $124,696/yr +1% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $428/wk | $440/wk +3% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.3%).
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 (20.8%).
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 (4.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $3,330,000 | $1,140,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $2,580,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 122 days from 4 sales | 20 days from 13 sales |
Zoning mix
Emu Heights has more land zoned for conservation (42% vs 23%); Castlereagh has more rural and farming land (19% vs 0%).
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Other and special use | 65% | 3% |
| Environmental | 23% | 42% |
| Residential | 0% | 31% |
| Rural and farming | 19% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 18% |
| Industrial | 0% | 5% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 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
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,063 across Penrith same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -78% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 3.1% $805/wk on $1.35M |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 93% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 85% of NSW | Higher than 86% of NSW |
| Schools | Higher than 72% of NSW | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 77% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 10% of NSW | Higher than 73% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 95% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 26% of NSW |
Liveability
Emu Heights is more walkable (52 vs 35).
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C same for both | |
| Score | 44/100 | 48/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Castlereagh carries more crime risk (80 vs 34).
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 76/100 | High 81/100 |
| Crime | High 80/100 | Low 34/100 |
| 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 | 6 within 5 km |
Schools
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 3 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Western Sydney University - Penrith, 9.5 km | 1 Western Sydney University - Penrith, 7.7 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 2.0% | 1.6% |
Schools in Castlereagh
- Castlereagh Public School Government · Primary above peers
- The Lakes Christian College Independent · Combined below peers
- Penrith Lakes Environmental Education Centre Government · Combined
Schools in Emu Heights
- Emu Heights Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 14 |
| Childcare | 2 same for both | |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 12 | 3 |
Mobility
Castlereagh sits further from the CBD (65.4 km vs 60.1 km).
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 35/100 | 52/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 65.4 km +8% vs other | 60.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 59 min | 51 min |
| Public transport score | 42/100 Bus | 77/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 12.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 88.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 0 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2749 | 0.7% postcode 2750 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 2749 | 31 postcode 2750 |
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 (56.9%).
Setting
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 31 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 43 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 31/100 | 91/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 1% 388 premises | 54% 1,307 premises |
Climate
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 806 mm | 822 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 7.2 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 16.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.6 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,547/yr same for both | |
| Council | Penrith same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lindsay | Macquarie |
| Member | Melissa Mcintosh | Susan Templeman |
| Party | Liberal | Australian Labor Party |
First Home Owner Grant
| Castlereagh | Emu Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Castlereagh
Other comparisons with Emu Heights
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.