Castlereagh vs Penrith

In Castlereagh, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. In Penrith, most households rent and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Castlereagh: a median of $3.33 million, against $993,000 in Penrith, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Castlereagh tends to suit families with children and couples, while Penrith suits renters, young adults, and people living alone.

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

Castlereagh

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (97% vs 36%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (78% vs 39%)
  • carries lower crime risk (80/100 vs 97/100)
  • But Penrith has more parks and reserves (24 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Penrith

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($993,000 vs $3,330,000)
  • has cheaper land ($1,120,000 vs $2,580,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Penrith

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (63% vs 18%)
  • has cheaper rent ($380/wk vs $428/wk)
  • But Castlereagh leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 27%)

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

Commuting to the city

Penrith

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (93/100 vs 35/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (51 min vs 59 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (58.1 km vs 65.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Penrith

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (64% vs 3%)
  • has more GPs (15 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (93/100 vs 35/100)
  • But Castlereagh carries lower crime risk (80/100 vs 97/100)

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

Investors

Penrith

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (35.1% vs 6.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Castlereagh Penrith
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.

Castlereagh Penrith
Walkability 35 / 93
Castlereagh — Walkability: 35/100 Penrith — Walkability: 93/100
Safety 20 / 3
Castlereagh — Safety: 20/100 Penrith — Safety: 3/100
Low fire risk 24 / 62
Castlereagh — Low fire risk: 24/100 Penrith — Low fire risk: 62/100

Demographics

Penrith has more residents (17,966 vs 1,248); Castlereagh has higher household incomes ($123,240 vs $72,644).

Castlereagh Penrith
Population 1,248 17,966
+1340% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.6% +35.1%
Median age 38 36
Median household income $123,240/yr
+41% vs other
 $72,644/yr
Median weekly rent $428/wk
+11% vs other
 $380/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Castlereagh Penrith
0-4 6.6% / 5.8%
Castlereagh — 0-4: 6.6% Penrith — 0-4: 5.8%
5-14 15.3% / 9.1%
Castlereagh — 5-14: 15.3% Penrith — 5-14: 9.1%
15-19 6.2% / 4.1%
Castlereagh — 15-19: 6.2% Penrith — 15-19: 4.1%
20-24 4.8% / 9.5%
Castlereagh — 20-24: 4.8% Penrith — 20-24: 9.5%
25-34 12.5% / 19.8%
Castlereagh — 25-34: 12.5% Penrith — 25-34: 19.8%
35-44 13.7% / 13.6%
Castlereagh — 35-44: 13.7% Penrith — 35-44: 13.6%
45-54 10.5% / 11.2%
Castlereagh — 45-54: 10.5% Penrith — 45-54: 11.2%
55-64 12.3% / 9.8%
Castlereagh — 55-64: 12.3% Penrith — 55-64: 9.8%
65-74 11.5% / 8.2%
Castlereagh — 65-74: 11.5% Penrith — 65-74: 8.2%
75-84 5.0% / 5.7%
Castlereagh — 75-84: 5.0% Penrith — 75-84: 5.7%
85+ 1.8% / 3.1%
Castlereagh — 85+: 1.8% Penrith — 85+: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Castlereagh 63.7% couple families
Castlereagh — Couple Families: 63.7% Castlereagh — Lone Person: 16.5% Castlereagh — One Parent Families: 14.7% Castlereagh — Group Household: 4.0% Castlereagh — Other Families: 1.1%
Penrith 21.5% couple families
Penrith — Couple Families: 21.5% Penrith — Lone Person: 52.2% Penrith — One Parent Families: 17.6% Penrith — Group Household: 6.4% Penrith — Other Families: 2.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Castlereagh 17.8% renting
Castlereagh — Owned Outright: 46.7% Castlereagh — Mortgage: 35.5% Castlereagh — Renting: 17.8%
Penrith 62.6% renting
Penrith — Owned Outright: 16.0% Penrith — Mortgage: 21.4% Penrith — Renting: 62.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Castlereagh Penrith
Certificate III & IV 20.8% / 15.0%
Castlereagh — Certificate III & IV: 20.8% Penrith — Certificate III & IV: 15.0%
Bachelor Degree 8.9% / 11.2%
Castlereagh — Bachelor Degree: 8.9% Penrith — Bachelor Degree: 11.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 7.2%
Castlereagh — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Penrith — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2%
Postgraduate Degree 1.4% / 4.4%
Castlereagh — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4% Penrith — Postgraduate Degree: 4.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 1.1%
Castlereagh — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% Penrith — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

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.

Castlereagh Penrith
England 2.6% / 2.9%
Castlereagh — England: 2.6% Penrith — England: 2.9%
India 0.6% / 2.7%
Castlereagh — India: 0.6% Penrith — India: 2.7%
New Zealand 0.5% / 2.0%
Castlereagh — New Zealand: 0.5% Penrith — New Zealand: 2.0%
Philippines — / 2.2%
Castlereagh — Philippines: not among its largest Penrith — Philippines: 2.2%
China — / 1.7%
Castlereagh — China: not among its largest Penrith — China: 1.7%
Italy 1.3% / —
Castlereagh — Italy: 1.3% Penrith — Italy: not among its largest
Germany 0.8% / —
Castlereagh — Germany: 0.8% Penrith — Germany: not among its largest
Greece 0.6% / —
Castlereagh — Greece: 0.6% Penrith — Greece: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Castlereagh 97.1% houses
Castlereagh — Houses: 97.1% Castlereagh — Flats / Apartments: 2.9% Castlereagh — Townhouses: 0.0%
Penrith 36.0% houses
Penrith — Houses: 36.0% Penrith — Flats / Apartments: 43.6% Penrith — Townhouses: 20.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Castlereagh Penrith
Median house price $3,330,000 $993,000
Median unit price — $575,000
Median land price $2,580,000 $1,120,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 122 days
from 4 sales
 24 days
from 114 sales

Zoning mix

Penrith has more industrially zoned land (21% vs 0%); Castlereagh has more land zoned for conservation (23% vs 3%).

Castlereagh Penrith
Other and special use 65% 14%
Residential 0% 35%
Environmental 23% 3%
Industrial 0% 21%
Rural and farming 19% 0%
Parks and recreation 0% 13%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 12%
Commercial 0% 3%
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 Penrith
New dwellings approved 1,063
across Penrith
same for both
Approvals change year on year -78%
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.

Castlereagh Penrith
Houses — 3.4%
$650/wk on $1M
Units — 4.8%
$550/wk on $594K

Ranking within NSW

Castlereagh Penrith
House price Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
Income Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW
Schools Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 10% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 70% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 63% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 38% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 58% of NSW

Liveability

Penrith is more walkable (93 vs 35).

Castlereagh Penrith
Grade C
same for both
Score 44/100
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Castlereagh carries more bushfire risk (76 vs 38); Penrith carries more crime risk (97 vs 80).

Castlereagh Penrith
Bushfire High
76/100
 Low
38/100
Crime High
80/100
 High
97/100
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
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Castlereagh Penrith
Inside the suburb 3 4
Rated above peers 1
same for both
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 1
Western Sydney University - Penrith, 9.5 km
 1
Western Sydney University - Penrith, 3.5 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 Penrith

  • Penrith High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Penrith Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Nicholas of Myra Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Kingswood Park Public School Government · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Castlereagh Penrith
Supermarkets 0 7
Cafes & restaurants 3 73
Parks & reserves 2 24
Childcare 2 24
GPs 0 15
Pharmacies 0 12
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 12
Fuel stations 0 5
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 12 7

Mobility

Castlereagh sits further from the CBD (65.4 km vs 58.1 km).

Castlereagh Penrith
Walkability score 35/100 93/100
Distance to Sydney 65.4 km
+11% vs other
 58.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 59 min 51 min
Public transport score 42/100
Bus
 93/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 12.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 685.5
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.

Castlereagh Penrith
Car (driver) 54.7% / 50.9%
Castlereagh — Car (driver): 54.7% Penrith — Car (driver): 50.9%
Worked from Home 36.1% / 34.2%
Castlereagh — Worked from Home: 36.1% Penrith — Worked from Home: 34.2%
Walked Only 3.9% / 4.4%
Castlereagh — Walked Only: 3.9% Penrith — Walked Only: 4.4%
Car (passenger) 4.5% / 3.7%
Castlereagh — Car (passenger): 4.5% Penrith — Car (passenger): 3.7%
Train 0.9% / 5.5%
Castlereagh — Train: 0.9% Penrith — Train: 5.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (54.7%).

Setting

Castlereagh Penrith
Elevation 31 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 28 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Castlereagh Penrith
Connectivity score 31/100 98/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
388 premises
 95%
11,886 premises

Climate

Castlereagh Penrith
Annual rainfall 806 mm 822 mm
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Castlereagh Penrith
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 Penrith
Average residential rate $1,547/yr
same for both
Council Penrith
same for both

Federal electorate

Castlereagh Penrith
Division Lindsay
same for both
Member Melissa Mcintosh
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Castlereagh Penrith
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Castlereagh

Acreage Premium River

Penrith

Affordable Apartments Easy Commute Outer Parks Townhouses Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Castlereagh

Castlereagh vs Cranebrook Castlereagh vs Emu Plains Castlereagh vs Londonderry Castlereagh vs Emu Heights Castlereagh vs Yellow Rock Castlereagh vs Agnes Banks

Other comparisons with Penrith

Penrith vs Cranebrook Penrith vs South Penrith Penrith vs Kingswood Penrith vs Emu Plains Penrith vs Cambridge Park Penrith vs Jamisontown
Full data on Castlereagh Full data on Penrith
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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