East Lismore vs South Lismore

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in East Lismore: a median of $658,000, against $448,000 in South Lismore. On these figures, South Lismore tends to suit 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

East Lismore

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (8 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (10 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (6 vs 2)
  • But South Lismore has more separate houses rather than flats (89% vs 78%)

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

First-home buyers

South Lismore

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($447,500 vs $658,000)

Weighs house 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

East Lismore

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (72/100 vs 24/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (723.2 km vs 728 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

East Lismore

ahead on 5 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (72/100 vs 24/100)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (22% vs 11%)

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

Investors

They split

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

  • East Lismore is growing faster (-0.1% vs -5.5%)
  • South Lismore returns a higher gross yield on houses (7.1% vs 4.8%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

East Lismore South Lismore
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.

East Lismore South Lismore
Walkability 72 / 24
East Lismore — Walkability: 72/100 South Lismore — Walkability: 24/100
Safety 23 / 7
East Lismore — Safety: 23/100 South Lismore — Safety: 7/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
East Lismore — Low fire risk: 100/100 South Lismore — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

East Lismore has more residents (4,980 vs 1,775).

East Lismore South Lismore
Population 4,980
+64% vs other
 1,775
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -0.1% -5.5%
Median age 39
same for both
Median household income $64,272/yr $65,104/yr
+1% vs other
Median weekly rent $310/wk
+3% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

East Lismore South Lismore
0-4 5.2% / 4.7%
East Lismore — 0-4: 5.2% South Lismore — 0-4: 4.7%
5-14 11.7% / 14.3%
East Lismore — 5-14: 11.7% South Lismore — 5-14: 14.3%
15-19 6.8% / 7.0%
East Lismore — 15-19: 6.8% South Lismore — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 7.7% / 7.4%
East Lismore — 20-24: 7.7% South Lismore — 20-24: 7.4%
25-34 13.1% / 11.4%
East Lismore — 25-34: 13.1% South Lismore — 25-34: 11.4%
35-44 10.8% / 12.4%
East Lismore — 35-44: 10.8% South Lismore — 35-44: 12.4%
45-54 11.5% / 14.8%
East Lismore — 45-54: 11.5% South Lismore — 45-54: 14.8%
55-64 13.1% / 13.6%
East Lismore — 55-64: 13.1% South Lismore — 55-64: 13.6%
65-74 10.1% / 9.6%
East Lismore — 65-74: 10.1% South Lismore — 65-74: 9.6%
75-84 6.5% / 3.6%
East Lismore — 75-84: 6.5% South Lismore — 75-84: 3.6%
85+ 3.5% / 0.9%
East Lismore — 85+: 3.5% South Lismore — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

East Lismore 43.6% lone person
East Lismore — Lone Person: 43.6% East Lismore — Couple Families: 26.9% East Lismore — One Parent Families: 20.5% East Lismore — Group Household: 7.3% East Lismore — Other Families: 1.7%
South Lismore 37.8% lone person
South Lismore — Lone Person: 37.8% South Lismore — Couple Families: 26.2% South Lismore — One Parent Families: 24.8% South Lismore — Group Household: 8.9% South Lismore — Other Families: 2.3%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

East Lismore 39.0% renting
East Lismore — Owned Outright: 32.2% East Lismore — Mortgage: 28.8% East Lismore — Renting: 39.0%
South Lismore 32.3% renting
South Lismore — Owned Outright: 29.4% South Lismore — Mortgage: 38.3% South Lismore — Renting: 32.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

East Lismore South Lismore
Certificate III & IV 16.5% / 18.3%
East Lismore — Certificate III & IV: 16.5% South Lismore — Certificate III & IV: 18.3%
Bachelor Degree 11.2% / 7.2%
East Lismore — Bachelor Degree: 11.2% South Lismore — Bachelor Degree: 7.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.3% / 6.4%
East Lismore — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3% South Lismore — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4%
Postgraduate Degree 3.3% / 1.4%
East Lismore — Postgraduate Degree: 3.3% South Lismore — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 1.0%
East Lismore — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% South Lismore — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

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.

East Lismore South Lismore
England 1.9% / 1.4%
East Lismore — England: 1.9% South Lismore — England: 1.4%
New Zealand 0.8% / 1.4%
East Lismore — New Zealand: 0.8% South Lismore — New Zealand: 1.4%
Philippines 0.6% / 0.4%
East Lismore — Philippines: 0.6% South Lismore — Philippines: 0.4%
India 0.7% / —
East Lismore — India: 0.7% South Lismore — India: not among its largest
Germany 0.4% / 0.2%
East Lismore — Germany: 0.4% South Lismore — Germany: 0.2%
Scotland 0.3% / 0.3%
East Lismore — Scotland: 0.3% South Lismore — Scotland: 0.3%
Canada — / 0.3%
East Lismore — Canada: not among its largest South Lismore — Canada: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (1.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

East Lismore 78.5% houses
East Lismore — Houses: 78.5% East Lismore — Townhouses: 15.2% East Lismore — Flats / Apartments: 6.3%
South Lismore 88.7% houses
South Lismore — Houses: 88.7% South Lismore — Townhouses: 2.3% South Lismore — Flats / Apartments: 9.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

East Lismore South Lismore
Median house price $658,000 $447,500
Median unit price $405,000 —
Median land price $380,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 35 days
from 77 sales
 74 days
from 9 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.

East Lismore South Lismore
2 bed $600K / $365K
East Lismore — 2 bed: $600K (19 sales) South Lismore — 2 bed: $365K (5 sales)

19 vs 5 sales

3 bed $642K / $462K
East Lismore — 3 bed: $642K (101 sales) South Lismore — 3 bed: $462K (13 sales)

101 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

South Lismore has more rural and farming land (48% vs 12%); South Lismore has more industrially zoned land (24% vs 3%).

East Lismore South Lismore
Rural and farming 12% 48%
Residential 46% 10%
Industrial 3% 24%
Parks and recreation 16% 4%
Infrastructure and transport 13% 10%
Environmental 10% 3%
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

East Lismore South Lismore
New dwellings approved 138
across Lismore
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
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.

East Lismore South Lismore
Houses 4.8%
$650/wk on $710K
 7.1%
$600/wk on $439K
Units 4.9%
$475/wk on $507K
 —

Ranking within NSW

East Lismore South Lismore
House price Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 10% of NSW
Income Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 27% of NSW
Schools Higher than 51% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 100% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 61% of NSW —

Liveability

East Lismore is more walkable (72 vs 24); East Lismore scores higher overall (44 vs 23).

East Lismore South Lismore
Grade C D
Score 44/100 23/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

South Lismore carries more crime risk (93 vs 77).

East Lismore South Lismore
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
77/100
 High
93/100
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

East Lismore South Lismore
Inside the suburb 8 1
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 2 1
Universities within 10 km 1
Lismore, 0.0 km
 1
Lismore, 3.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.1% 0.7%

Schools in East Lismore

  • Albert Park Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Trinity Catholic College Lismore Independent · Secondary at peers
  • Wyrallah Road Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Living Academy - Southern Cross University - Z Block Independent · Secondary below peers
  • The Rivers Secondary College, Lismore High Campus Government · Secondary below peers

Schools in South Lismore

  • Lismore South Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

East Lismore South Lismore
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 10 2
Childcare 6 2
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Hospitals 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1 3
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

South Lismore sits further from the CBD (728 km vs 723.2 km).

East Lismore South Lismore
Walkability score 72/100 24/100
Distance to Sydney 723.2 km 728 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 472 min 476 min
Public transport score 74/100
Bus
 67/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 79.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 24.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2480
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 69
postcode 2480
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.

East Lismore South Lismore
Car (driver) 74.0% / 79.1%
East Lismore — Car (driver): 74.0% South Lismore — Car (driver): 79.1%
Worked from Home 12.9% / 7.4%
East Lismore — Worked from Home: 12.9% South Lismore — Worked from Home: 7.4%
Car (passenger) 7.5% / 6.6%
East Lismore — Car (passenger): 7.5% South Lismore — Car (passenger): 6.6%
Walked Only 4.2% / 5.3%
East Lismore — Walked Only: 4.2% South Lismore — Walked Only: 5.3%
Bicycle 0.7% / 1.7%
East Lismore — Bicycle: 0.7% South Lismore — Bicycle: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.1%).

Setting

East Lismore South Lismore
Elevation 18 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 12 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 24.5 km 28.0 km

NBN connectivity

East Lismore South Lismore
Connectivity score 86/100 92/100
Most common technology Fibre to the curb Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 42%
2,820 premises
 62%
1,373 premises

Council rates

East Lismore South Lismore
Average residential rate $1,487/yr
same for both
Council Lismore
same for both

Federal electorate

East Lismore South Lismore
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

East Lismore South Lismore
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

East Lismore

Affordable Parks Quiet

South Lismore

Acreage Affordable

More comparisons

Other comparisons with East Lismore

East Lismore vs Goonellabah East Lismore vs Lismore East Lismore vs Girards Hill East Lismore vs Loftville East Lismore vs Monaltrie

Other comparisons with South Lismore

South Lismore vs Lismore South Lismore vs Caniaba South Lismore vs North Lismore South Lismore vs Loftville South Lismore vs Booerie Creek South Lismore vs Tuncester
Full data on East Lismore Full data on South Lismore
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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