Clifton vs Headington Hill
Clifton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 55 in Headington Hill. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Clifton, about half of households are people living alone. In Headington Hill, most households are couple families. On these figures, Clifton tends to suit people living alone and families with children, while Headington Hill suits couples.
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
- Clifton has more parks and reserves (6 vs 0)
- Headington Hill carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 51/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Clifton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($245/wk vs $350/wk)
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
- Clifton is more walkable (44/100 vs 0/100)
- Headington Hill sits closer to the CBD (149.6 km vs 158.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Clifton
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (44/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 28%)
- But Headington Hill carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 51/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Headington Hill
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (50.0% vs 2.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Clifton and Headington Hill 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
Clifton has more residents (1,490 vs 87); Headington Hill rents higher ($350/wk vs $245/wk).
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,490 +94% vs other | 87 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.3% | +50.0% |
| Median age | 49 | 55 |
| Median household income | $45,604/yr | $61,256/yr +34% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $245/wk | $350/wk +43% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (8.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $505,000 | — |
| Median unit price | $355,000 | — |
| Median land price | $192,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 40 days from 16 sales | — |
Development activity
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,513 across Toowoomba same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -25% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 7% of QLD | Higher than 26% of QLD |
| Schools | Higher than 97% of QLD | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 85% of QLD | Higher than 34% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 8% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 76% of QLD | Higher than 57% of QLD |
Liveability
Clifton is more walkable (44 vs 0).
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 56/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Clifton carries more crime risk (51 vs 24).
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 51/100 | Low 24/100 |
| 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 | 2 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 3 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Clifton
- Clifton State High School Government · Secondary above peers
- St Francis De Sales School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Clifton State School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Headington Hill
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 6 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Clifton sits further from the CBD (158.2 km vs 149.6 km).
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 44/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 158.2 km +5% vs other | 149.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 131 min | 128 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 4361 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 4361 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 (81.8%).
Setting
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 458 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 521 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 65/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 44% 834 premises | 0% 38 premises |
Climate
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 643 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,618/yr same for both | |
| Council | Toowoomba same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Maranoa same for both | |
| Member | David Littleproud same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Clifton | Headington Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Clifton
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Clifton
Other comparisons with Headington Hill
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.