Earlwood vs Bardwell Valley

In both, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Earlwood: a median of $2.08 million, against $1.91 million in Bardwell Valley. Earlwood is closer to the city centre: 12.7 km, against 15.7 km.

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

Earlwood

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (11 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (16 vs 3)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Earlwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($881,000 vs $1,262,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Earlwood

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (12.7 km vs 15.7 km)
  • is more walkable (91/100 vs 78/100)
  • But Bardwell Valley has a shorter drive in (20 min vs 25 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Earlwood

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (6 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (91/100 vs 78/100)
  • But Bardwell Valley has more units and townhouses to downsize into (34% vs 20%)

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

Investors

Bardwell Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.7% vs 2.8%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
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.

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Walkability 91 / 78
Earlwood — Walkability: 91/100 Bardwell Valley — Walkability: 78/100
Safety 67 / 74
Earlwood — Safety: 67/100 Bardwell Valley — Safety: 74/100
Low fire risk 79 / 100
Earlwood — Low fire risk: 79/100 Bardwell Valley — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Earlwood has more residents (18,053 vs 2,344); Earlwood skews older (44 vs 42).

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Population 18,053
+87% vs other
 2,344
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.8% +0.9%
Median age 44 42
Median household income $112,528/yr
+3% vs other
 $109,148/yr
Median weekly rent $570/wk
+4% vs other
 $550/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
0-4 4.8% / 5.5%
Earlwood — 0-4: 4.8% Bardwell Valley — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 11.8% / 13.0%
Earlwood — 5-14: 11.8% Bardwell Valley — 5-14: 13.0%
15-19 6.1% / 6.0%
Earlwood — 15-19: 6.1% Bardwell Valley — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 5.4% / 5.5%
Earlwood — 20-24: 5.4% Bardwell Valley — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 10.2% / 10.2%
Earlwood — 25-34: 10.2% Bardwell Valley — 25-34: 10.2%
35-44 12.6% / 13.7%
Earlwood — 35-44: 12.6% Bardwell Valley — 35-44: 13.7%
45-54 15.7% / 13.7%
Earlwood — 45-54: 15.7% Bardwell Valley — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 12.6% / 12.9%
Earlwood — 55-64: 12.6% Bardwell Valley — 55-64: 12.9%
65-74 9.5% / 10.9%
Earlwood — 65-74: 9.5% Bardwell Valley — 65-74: 10.9%
75-84 7.6% / 6.1%
Earlwood — 75-84: 7.6% Bardwell Valley — 75-84: 6.1%
85+ 3.5% / 2.2%
Earlwood — 85+: 3.5% Bardwell Valley — 85+: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Earlwood 54.3% couple families
Earlwood — Couple Families: 54.3% Earlwood — Lone Person: 24.8% Earlwood — One Parent Families: 16.0% Earlwood — Group Household: 3.4% Earlwood — Other Families: 1.5%
Bardwell Valley 51.5% couple families
Bardwell Valley — Couple Families: 51.5% Bardwell Valley — Lone Person: 24.8% Bardwell Valley — One Parent Families: 17.7% Bardwell Valley — Group Household: 3.3% Bardwell Valley — Other Families: 2.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Earlwood 21.1% renting
Earlwood — Owned Outright: 45.6% Earlwood — Mortgage: 33.3% Earlwood — Renting: 21.1%
Bardwell Valley 17.9% renting
Bardwell Valley — Owned Outright: 45.1% Bardwell Valley — Mortgage: 37.0% Bardwell Valley — Renting: 17.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Bachelor Degree 16.4% / 15.1%
Earlwood — Bachelor Degree: 16.4% Bardwell Valley — Bachelor Degree: 15.1%
Certificate III & IV 9.4% / 9.9%
Earlwood — Certificate III & IV: 9.4% Bardwell Valley — Certificate III & IV: 9.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 8.2%
Earlwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Bardwell Valley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2%
Postgraduate Degree 6.0% / 5.8%
Earlwood — Postgraduate Degree: 6.0% Bardwell Valley — Postgraduate Degree: 5.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.5%
Earlwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Bardwell Valley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

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.

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Greece 7.4% / 2.2%
Earlwood — Greece: 7.4% Bardwell Valley — Greece: 2.2%
Lebanon 2.4% / 5.7%
Earlwood — Lebanon: 2.4% Bardwell Valley — Lebanon: 5.7%
China 3.0% / 3.1%
Earlwood — China: 3.0% Bardwell Valley — China: 3.1%
England 1.8% / 2.3%
Earlwood — England: 1.8% Bardwell Valley — England: 2.3%
Vietnam 2.4% / 0.9%
Earlwood — Vietnam: 2.4% Bardwell Valley — Vietnam: 0.9%
Italy 2.2% / 1.0%
Earlwood — Italy: 2.2% Bardwell Valley — Italy: 1.0%
New Zealand 1.1% / 1.9%
Earlwood — New Zealand: 1.1% Bardwell Valley — New Zealand: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Earlwood 80.1% houses
Earlwood — Houses: 80.1% Earlwood — Townhouses: 8.3% Earlwood — Flats / Apartments: 11.6%
Bardwell Valley 65.6% houses
Bardwell Valley — Houses: 65.6% Bardwell Valley — Townhouses: 27.0% Bardwell Valley — Flats / Apartments: 7.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Median house price $2,080,000 $1,905,000
Median unit price $881,000 $1,262,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 166 sales
 27 days
from 16 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.

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
3 bed $2M / $1.75M
Earlwood — 3 bed: $2M (131 sales) Bardwell Valley — 3 bed: $1.75M (19 sales)

131 vs 19 sales

4 bed $2.4M / $2.13M
Earlwood — 4 bed: $2.4M (44 sales) Bardwell Valley — 4 bed: $2.13M (16 sales)

44 vs 16 sales

5 bed $2.8M / $2.2M
Earlwood — 5 bed: $2.8M (25 sales) Bardwell Valley — 5 bed: $2.2M (9 sales)

25 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Earlwood has more land zoned for conservation (10% vs 0%).

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Residential 74% 78%
Parks and recreation 11% 22%
Environmental 10% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 0%
Commercial 2% 0%
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

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
New dwellings approved 1,785
across Canterbury-Bankstown
 857
across Bayside (NSW)
Approvals change year on year +50% +98%

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.

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Houses 2.8%
$1,140/wk on $2.1M
 4.7%
$990/wk on $1.1M
Units 3.9%
$640/wk on $848K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
House price Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Income Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Schools Higher than 69% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 21% of NSW Higher than 23% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 15% of NSW Higher than 93% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 21% of NSW —

Liveability

Earlwood is more walkable (91 vs 78).

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Grade A
same for both
Score 77/100 80/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Earlwood carries more bushfire risk (21 vs 0).

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Bushfire Low
21/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
33/100
 Low
26/100
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 6
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
The University of Sydney, 6.4 km
 3
The University of Sydney, 7.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.8%
same for both

Schools in Earlwood

  • Earlwood Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Undercliffe Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Bardwell Valley

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 8 0
Parks & reserves 16 3
Childcare 11 0
GPs 6 0
Pharmacies 6 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Waterways 3 1

Mobility

Bardwell Valley sits further from the CBD (15.7 km vs 12.7 km).

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Walkability score 91/100 78/100
Distance to Sydney 12.7 km 15.7 km
+24% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 25 min 20 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 54/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 448.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 16.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.3%
postcode 2206
 1.1%
postcode 2207
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 2206
 21
postcode 2207

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.

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Worked from Home 57.6% / 45.1%
Earlwood — Worked from Home: 57.6% Bardwell Valley — Worked from Home: 45.1%
Car (driver) 33.9% / 42.9%
Earlwood — Car (driver): 33.9% Bardwell Valley — Car (driver): 42.9%
Train 3.0% / 6.0%
Earlwood — Train: 3.0% Bardwell Valley — Train: 6.0%
Car (passenger) 2.6% / 3.3%
Earlwood — Car (passenger): 2.6% Bardwell Valley — Car (passenger): 3.3%
Walked Only 1.4% / 1.1%
Earlwood — Walked Only: 1.4% Bardwell Valley — Walked Only: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (57.6%).

Setting

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Elevation 48 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.5 km 3.3 km

NBN connectivity

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Connectivity score 77/100 88/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 12%
7,143 premises
 47%
885 premises

Climate

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Annual rainfall 1,129 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.79 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Average residential rate $1,322/yr $1,217/yr
Council Canterbury-Bankstown Bayside (NSW)

Federal electorate

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Division Barton
same for both
Member Ash Ambihaipahar
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Earlwood Bardwell Valley
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Earlwood

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Premium Professionals Urban

Bardwell Valley

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Premium River Townhouses Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Earlwood

Earlwood vs Marrickville Earlwood vs Campsie Earlwood vs Dulwich Hill Earlwood vs Kingsgrove Earlwood vs Wolli Creek Earlwood vs Canterbury

Other comparisons with Bardwell Valley

Bardwell Valley vs Bexley Bardwell Valley vs Arncliffe Bardwell Valley vs Bexley North Bardwell Valley vs Turrella Bardwell Valley vs Bardwell Park
Full data on Earlwood Full data on Bardwell Valley
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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