Darlington vs Mcdougalls Hill

Darlington is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 49 in McDougalls Hill. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In McDougalls Hill, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Darlington: a median of $720,000, against $385,000 in McDougalls Hill, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Darlington tends to suit young adults and families with children, while McDougalls Hill suits people living alone and 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

Darlington

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (72% vs 56%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 44%)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Darlington leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 31%)
  • Mcdougalls Hill has cheaper houses ($385,000 vs $720,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

McDougalls Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($275/wk vs $333/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Darlington

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (79/100 vs 19/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (203.9 km vs 206 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Darlington is more walkable (79/100 vs 19/100)
  • Mcdougalls Hill has more units and townhouses to downsize into (44% vs 28%)

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

Where they sit

Darlington and Mcdougalls 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.

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
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.

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Walkability 79 / 19
Darlington — Walkability: 79/100 Mcdougalls Hill — Walkability: 19/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Darlington — Low fire risk: 100/100 Mcdougalls Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Darlington has more residents (378 vs 131); McDougalls Hill skews older (49 vs 35).

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Population 378
+65% vs other
 131
Population trend (2016 → 2021) — -9.0%
Median age 35 49
Median household income $92,872/yr
+11% vs other
 $82,836/yr
Median weekly rent $333/wk
+17% vs other
 $275/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
0-4 6.3% / 2.3%
Darlington — 0-4: 6.3% Mcdougalls Hill — 0-4: 2.3%
5-14 13.5% / 6.9%
Darlington — 5-14: 13.5% Mcdougalls Hill — 5-14: 6.9%
15-19 2.6% / 3.8%
Darlington — 15-19: 2.6% Mcdougalls Hill — 15-19: 3.8%
20-24 8.5% / 5.3%
Darlington — 20-24: 8.5% Mcdougalls Hill — 20-24: 5.3%
25-34 17.7% / 5.3%
Darlington — 25-34: 17.7% Mcdougalls Hill — 25-34: 5.3%
35-44 9.5% / 14.5%
Darlington — 35-44: 9.5% Mcdougalls Hill — 35-44: 14.5%
45-54 12.4% / 23.7%
Darlington — 45-54: 12.4% Mcdougalls Hill — 45-54: 23.7%
55-64 11.6% / 19.1%
Darlington — 55-64: 11.6% Mcdougalls Hill — 55-64: 19.1%
65-74 9.0% / 11.5%
Darlington — 65-74: 9.0% Mcdougalls Hill — 65-74: 11.5%
75-84 4.2% / 6.9%
Darlington — 75-84: 4.2% Mcdougalls Hill — 75-84: 6.9%
85+ 3.4% / —
Darlington — 85+: 3.4% Mcdougalls Hill — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Darlington 39.0% lone person
Darlington — Lone Person: 39.0% Darlington — Couple Families: 32.2% Darlington — One Parent Families: 21.2% Darlington — Group Household: 7.6%
Mcdougalls Hill 55.8% lone person
Mcdougalls Hill — Lone Person: 55.8% Mcdougalls Hill — Couple Families: 25.6% Mcdougalls Hill — One Parent Families: 18.6% Mcdougalls Hill — Group Household: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Darlington 28.8% renting
Darlington — Owned Outright: 29.5% Darlington — Mortgage: 41.7% Darlington — Renting: 28.8%
Mcdougalls Hill 28.0% renting
Mcdougalls Hill — Owned Outright: 40.0% Mcdougalls Hill — Mortgage: 32.0% Mcdougalls Hill — Renting: 28.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Certificate III & IV 23.0% / 16.8%
Darlington — Certificate III & IV: 23.0% Mcdougalls Hill — Certificate III & IV: 16.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.3% / 4.6%
Darlington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3% Mcdougalls Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.6%
Bachelor Degree 7.4% / 2.3%
Darlington — Bachelor Degree: 7.4% Mcdougalls Hill — Bachelor Degree: 2.3%
Postgraduate Degree 1.9% / —
Darlington — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9% Mcdougalls Hill — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).

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.

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
South Africa — / 4.6%
Darlington — South Africa: not among its largest Mcdougalls Hill — South Africa: 4.6%
Philippines 2.6% / —
Darlington — Philippines: 2.6% Mcdougalls Hill — Philippines: not among its largest
Germany — / 2.3%
Darlington — Germany: not among its largest Mcdougalls Hill — Germany: 2.3%
New Zealand 1.3% / —
Darlington — New Zealand: 1.3% Mcdougalls Hill — New Zealand: not among its largest
China 0.8% / —
Darlington — China: 0.8% Mcdougalls Hill — China: not among its largest
Vietnam 0.8% / —
Darlington — Vietnam: 0.8% Mcdougalls Hill — Vietnam: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Darlington 71.8% houses
Darlington — Houses: 71.8% Darlington — Flats / Apartments: 3.7% Darlington — Townhouses: 24.5%
Mcdougalls Hill 56.1% houses
Mcdougalls Hill — Houses: 56.1% Mcdougalls Hill — Flats / Apartments: 43.9% Mcdougalls Hill — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Median house price $720,000 $385,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $1,296,000

Zoning mix

McDougalls Hill has more industrially zoned land (42% vs 0%); McDougalls Hill has more land zoned for conservation (22% vs 0%).

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Residential 60% 0%
Industrial 0% 42%
Parks and recreation 27% 0%
Rural and farming 8% 27%
Environmental 0% 22%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 9%
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

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
New dwellings approved 121
across Singleton
same for both
Approvals change year on year +46%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
House price Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 10% of NSW
Income Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 27% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW

Liveability

Darlington is more walkable (79 vs 19).

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime — High
81/100
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

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Fuel stations 0 1

Mobility

McDougalls Hill sits further from the CBD (206 km vs 203.9 km).

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Walkability score 79/100 19/100
Distance to Sydney 203.9 km 206 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 144 min 146 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2330
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 2330
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.

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Car (driver) 85.4% / 88.9%
Darlington — Car (driver): 85.4% Mcdougalls Hill — Car (driver): 88.9%
Worked from Home 11.5% / 11.1%
Darlington — Worked from Home: 11.5% Mcdougalls Hill — Worked from Home: 11.1%
Car (passenger) 3.2% / —
Darlington — Car (passenger): 3.2% Mcdougalls Hill — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (88.9%).

Setting

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Elevation 42 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 108 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Connectivity score 62/100 70/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 31%
186 premises
 45%
244 premises

Climate

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Annual rainfall 804 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.1°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
PM2.5 6.7 µg/m³ —
PM10 19.2 µg/m³ 20.2 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.64 pphm —

Council rates

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Average residential rate $1,287/yr
same for both
Council Singleton
same for both

Federal electorate

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Division Hunter
same for both
Member Dan Repacholi
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Darlington Mcdougalls Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Darlington

Parks Quiet Townhouses

Mcdougalls Hill

Premium Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Darlington

Darlington vs Singleton Darlington vs Singleton Heights Darlington vs Gowrie Darlington vs Glenridding Darlington vs Dunolly

Other comparisons with Mcdougalls Hill

Mcdougalls Hill vs Singleton Heights Mcdougalls Hill vs Gowrie Mcdougalls Hill vs Maison Dieu
Full data on Darlington Full data on Mcdougalls Hill
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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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