Columbia vs Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 43 in Columbia. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Columbia, most households are couple families. On these figures, Columbia tends to suit couples, while Richmond Hill suits people living alone and older residents.
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
Richmond Hill
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more childcare (5 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (65/100 vs 77/100)
- But Columbia is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 50%)
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
Columbia
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 18%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Richmond Hill
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (70/100 vs 4/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (1358.5 km vs 1362 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Richmond Hill
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (70/100 vs 4/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 15%)
- carries lower crime risk (65/100 vs 77/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Columbia and Richmond 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
Richmond Hill has more residents (2,453 vs 97); Columbia has higher household incomes ($107,224 vs $67,444).
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 97 | 2,453 +2429% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -4.0% | -1.4% |
| Median age | 43 | 39 |
| Median household income | $107,224/yr +37% vs other | $67,444/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $220/wk | $230/wk +5% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).
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 (23.7%).
Property market
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $350,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $222,888 |
| Median land price | — | $420,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 55 days from 18 sales |
Development activity
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Charters Towers same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -67% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.6% $450/wk on $510K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 79% of QLD | Higher than 34% of QLD |
| Schools | — | Higher than 21% of QLD |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of QLD | Higher than 92% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 24% of QLD | Higher than 22% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 67% of QLD | Higher than 74% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 80% of QLD |
Liveability
Richmond Hill is more walkable (70 vs 4).
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 38/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Columbia carries more crime risk (77 vs 65).
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 77/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| 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
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 4 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 3 |
Schools in Columbia
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Richmond Hill
- All Souls St Gabriels School Independent · Combined at peers
- Blackheath and Thornburgh College Independent · Combined below peers
- Columba Catholic College Catholic · Secondary below peers
- Richmond Hill State School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 5 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
Columbia sits further from the CBD (1362 km vs 1358.5 km).
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 4/100 | 70/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1362 km | 1358.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 922 min | 920 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4820 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 4820 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 (90.0%).
Setting
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 285 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 309 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 35/100 | 63/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 4% 47 premises | 33% 1,038 premises |
Climate
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 690 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 33.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 12.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,328/yr same for both | |
| Council | Charters Towers same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Kennedy same for both | |
| Member | Bob Katter same for both | |
| Party | Katter's Australian Party (KAP) same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Columbia | Richmond Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Columbia
Richmond Hill
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Columbia
Other comparisons with Richmond 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.