Curtin vs Lyons

Lyons is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 41 in Curtin. In Curtin, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. In Lyons, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Curtin: a median of $1.41 million, against $1 million in Lyons, and rent is higher there too. Curtin is closer to the city centre: 10.3 km, against 11.9 km. On these figures, Curtin tends to suit couples, while Lyons 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

Curtin

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (6 vs 3)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (84% vs 52%)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Curtin leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 27%)
  • Lyons has cheaper houses ($1,003,500 vs $1,412,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Lyons

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (45% vs 25%)
  • has cheaper rent ($360/wk vs $450/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Curtin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (79/100 vs 62/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Curtin

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 46/100)
  • is more walkable (79/100 vs 62/100)
  • But Lyons has more units and townhouses to downsize into (48% vs 16%)

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

Investors

Curtin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (7.6% vs 6.9%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Curtin Lyons
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.

Curtin Lyons
Walkability 79 / 62
Curtin — Walkability: 79/100 Lyons — Walkability: 62/100
Safety 70 / 54
Curtin — Safety: 70/100 Lyons — Safety: 54/100
Low fire risk 2 / 1
Curtin — Low fire risk: 2/100 Lyons — Low fire risk: 1/100
Low flood risk 70 / 100
Curtin — Low flood risk: 70/100 Lyons — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Curtin has more residents (5,569 vs 3,271); Curtin has higher household incomes ($150,072 vs $107,224).

Curtin Lyons
Population 5,569
+41% vs other
 3,271
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.3% +6.0%
Median age 41 36
Median household income $150,072/yr
+29% vs other
 $107,224/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk
+20% vs other
 $360/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Curtin Lyons
0-4 4.9% / 5.7%
Curtin — 0-4: 4.9% Lyons — 0-4: 5.7%
5-14 14.5% / 11.0%
Curtin — 5-14: 14.5% Lyons — 5-14: 11.0%
15-19 5.6% / 4.7%
Curtin — 15-19: 5.6% Lyons — 15-19: 4.7%
20-24 5.4% / 6.5%
Curtin — 20-24: 5.4% Lyons — 20-24: 6.5%
25-34 10.6% / 19.0%
Curtin — 25-34: 10.6% Lyons — 25-34: 19.0%
35-44 14.1% / 14.6%
Curtin — 35-44: 14.1% Lyons — 35-44: 14.6%
45-54 14.0% / 12.5%
Curtin — 45-54: 14.0% Lyons — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 12.2% / 9.0%
Curtin — 55-64: 12.2% Lyons — 55-64: 9.0%
65-74 8.3% / 6.5%
Curtin — 65-74: 8.3% Lyons — 65-74: 6.5%
75-84 6.6% / 7.3%
Curtin — 75-84: 6.6% Lyons — 75-84: 7.3%
85+ 3.5% / 3.3%
Curtin — 85+: 3.5% Lyons — 85+: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Curtin 50.8% couple families
Curtin — Couple Families: 50.8% Curtin — Lone Person: 32.2% Curtin — One Parent Families: 12.7% Curtin — Group Household: 3.4% Curtin — Other Families: 0.9%
Lyons 34.7% couple families
Lyons — Couple Families: 34.7% Lyons — Lone Person: 46.9% Lyons — One Parent Families: 11.4% Lyons — Group Household: 5.2% Lyons — Other Families: 1.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Curtin 24.7% renting
Curtin — Owned Outright: 41.2% Curtin — Mortgage: 34.1% Curtin — Renting: 24.7%
Lyons 45.3% renting
Lyons — Owned Outright: 27.8% Lyons — Mortgage: 27.0% Lyons — Renting: 45.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Curtin Lyons
Bachelor Degree 23.6% / 20.1%
Curtin — Bachelor Degree: 23.6% Lyons — Bachelor Degree: 20.1%
Postgraduate Degree 15.2% / 14.6%
Curtin — Postgraduate Degree: 15.2% Lyons — Postgraduate Degree: 14.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.6% / 8.4%
Curtin — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6% Lyons — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Certificate III & IV 5.7% / 6.7%
Curtin — Certificate III & IV: 5.7% Lyons — Certificate III & IV: 6.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.5% / 4.3%
Curtin — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.5% Lyons — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).

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.

Curtin Lyons
Nepal 1.5% / 5.7%
Curtin — Nepal: 1.5% Lyons — Nepal: 5.7%
England 3.8% / 3.4%
Curtin — England: 3.8% Lyons — England: 3.4%
India 1.8% / 3.3%
Curtin — India: 1.8% Lyons — India: 3.3%
China 1.2% / 1.7%
Curtin — China: 1.2% Lyons — China: 1.7%
New Zealand 1.3% / 1.1%
Curtin — New Zealand: 1.3% Lyons — New Zealand: 1.1%
Philippines 0.7% / 1.6%
Curtin — Philippines: 0.7% Lyons — Philippines: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Curtin 83.8% houses
Curtin — Houses: 83.8% Curtin — Flats / Apartments: 11.3% Curtin — Townhouses: 4.9%
Lyons 51.8% houses
Lyons — Houses: 51.8% Lyons — Flats / Apartments: 27.9% Lyons — Townhouses: 20.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Curtin Lyons
Median house price $1,412,500 $1,003,500
Median unit price $352,500 $326,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 56 sales
 22 days
from 21 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Curtin Lyons
3 bed $1.25M / $955K
Curtin — 3 bed: $1.25M (41 sales) Lyons — 3 bed: $955K (15 sales)

41 vs 15 sales

4 bed $1.5M / $1.23M
Curtin — 4 bed: $1.5M (35 sales) Lyons — 4 bed: $1.23M (13 sales)

35 vs 13 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Curtin Lyons
1 bed $295K / $232K
Curtin — 1 bed: $295K (7 sales) Lyons — 1 bed: $232K (8 sales)

7 vs 8 sales

2 bed $385K / $364K
Curtin — 2 bed: $385K (17 sales) Lyons — 2 bed: $364K (9 sales)

17 vs 9 sales

Development activity

Curtin Lyons
New dwellings approved 3,750
across Unincorporated ACT
same for both
Approvals change year on year -48%
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.

Curtin Lyons
Houses 3.3%
$925/wk on $1.45M
 —
Units 7.6%
$510/wk on $349K
 6.9%
$550/wk on $414K

Ranking within ACT

Curtin Lyons
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 84% of ACT Higher than 14% of ACT
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 81% of ACT Higher than 51% of ACT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 93% of ACT Higher than 52% of ACT
NBN connectivity Higher than 23% of ACT Higher than 45% of ACT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 12% of ACT —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 93% of ACT Higher than 85% of ACT

Liveability

Curtin scores higher overall (62 vs 40); Curtin is more walkable (79 vs 62).

Curtin Lyons
Grade B C
Score 62/100 40/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Curtin carries more flood risk (30 vs 0); Lyons carries more crime risk (46 vs 30).

Curtin Lyons
Bushfire High
98/100
 High
99/100
Crime Low
30/100
 Moderate
46/100
Flood Low
30/100
 None
0/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Curtin Lyons
Inside the suburb 2 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
UNSW Canberra, 5.9 km
 2
UNSW Canberra, 7.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.1% 2.2%

Schools in Curtin

  • Holy Trinity Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Curtin Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Lyons

  • Lyons Early Childhood School Government · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Curtin Lyons
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 2 1
Parks & reserves 2 1
Childcare 6 3
GPs 3 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Hospitals 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 1 0
EV chargers 1 0

Mobility

Curtin Lyons
Walkability score 79/100 62/100
Distance to Canberra 10.3 km 11.9 km
+16% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 16 min 18 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 58.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 55.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 4.6%
postcode 2605
 3.4%
postcode 2606
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 37
postcode 2605
 20
postcode 2606

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.

Curtin Lyons
Car (driver) 67.7% / 62.5%
Curtin — Car (driver): 67.7% Lyons — Car (driver): 62.5%
Worked from Home 13.6% / 11.1%
Curtin — Worked from Home: 13.6% Lyons — Worked from Home: 11.1%
Bus 6.1% / 11.1%
Curtin — Bus: 6.1% Lyons — Bus: 11.1%
Car (passenger) 6.8% / 6.9%
Curtin — Car (passenger): 6.8% Lyons — Car (passenger): 6.9%
Walked Only 2.9% / 7.0%
Curtin — Walked Only: 2.9% Lyons — Walked Only: 7.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.7%).

Setting

Curtin Lyons
Elevation 576 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 606 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Curtin Lyons
Connectivity score 46/100 52/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 2%
2,460 premises
 10%
1,545 premises

Climate

Curtin Lyons
Annual rainfall 686 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.2°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 0.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Curtin Lyons
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Curtin Lyons
Average residential rate $3,105/yr
same for both
Council Unincorporated ACT
same for both

Federal electorate

Curtin Lyons
Division Canberra
same for both
Member Alicia Payne
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Curtin Lyons
Grant amount Not offered
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility None
same for both

Tags

Curtin

Inner Premium Professionals

Lyons

Middle-Ring Professionals Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Curtin

Curtin vs Phillip Curtin vs Weston Curtin vs Hughes Curtin vs Deakin Curtin vs Yarralumla

Other comparisons with Lyons

Lyons vs Phillip Lyons vs Weston Lyons vs Waramanga Lyons vs Chifley
Full data on Curtin Full data on Lyons
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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