Cawdor vs Meringandan West
Meringandan West is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 37 in Cawdor. 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 Cawdor: a median of $1.42 million, against $895,000 in Meringandan West, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Cawdor tends to suit couples, while Meringandan West suits 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 6 things we measure here
- Cawdor is already more of a family suburb (91% vs 82%)
- Meringandan West has more parks and reserves (9 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Meringandan West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($895,000 vs $1,422,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Meringandan West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $500/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Cawdor
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (107 min vs 114 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (139.3 km vs 144.8 km)
- But Meringandan West is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Meringandan West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Cawdor
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.0% vs 12.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cawdor and Meringandan West 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
Meringandan West has more residents (2,488 vs 420); Cawdor has higher household incomes ($150,748 vs $114,088).
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 420 | 2,488 +492% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.0% | +12.5% |
| Median age | 37 | 32 |
| Median household income | $150,748/yr +24% vs other | $114,088/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $500/wk +20% vs other | $400/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.6%).
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 (22.3%).
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 (2.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,422,500 | $895,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $905,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 47 days from 51 sales |
Development activity
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,513 across Toowoomba same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -25% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 3.6% $650/wk on $949K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 97% of QLD | Higher than 85% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 47% of QLD | Higher than 77% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 68% of QLD | Higher than 67% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 77% of QLD | Higher than 82% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 27% of QLD |
Liveability
Meringandan West is more walkable (17 vs 0).
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 66/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 26/100 | Low 22/100 |
| 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
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Cawdor
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Meringandan West
- Meringandan State School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 9 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 5 | 1 |
Mobility
Meringandan West sits further from the CBD (144.8 km vs 139.3 km).
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 17/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 139.3 km | 144.8 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 107 min | 114 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 4352 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 84 postcode 4352 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 (86.2%).
Setting
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 544 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 535 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 66/100 | 73/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 46% 126 premises | 53% 1,108 premises |
Climate
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 577 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.9°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 12.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,618/yr same for both | |
| Council | Toowoomba same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Groom same for both | |
| Member | Garth Hamilton same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cawdor | Meringandan West | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Cawdor
Other comparisons with Meringandan West
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.