Fairfield West vs Canley Vale

Fairfield West is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 39 in Canley Vale. In both, most households own their home. In Fairfield West, the large majority of homes are detached houses and most households are couple families. On these figures, Fairfield West tends to suit couples.

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

Fairfield West

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (88% vs 53%)
  • carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 58/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 69%)
  • But Canley Vale has more childcare (9 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Canley Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($455,000 vs $560,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Canley Vale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($330/wk vs $440/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (25% vs 31%)

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

Commuting to the city

Fairfield West

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a shorter drive in (35 min vs 45 min)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Fairfield West carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 58/100)
  • Canley Vale has more units and townhouses to downsize into (47% vs 12%)

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

Investors

Fairfield West

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (12.1% vs 0.8%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Fairfield West Canley Vale
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.

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Walkability 80 / 74
Fairfield West — Walkability: 80/100 Canley Vale — Walkability: 74/100
Safety 64 / 42
Fairfield West — Safety: 64/100 Canley Vale — Safety: 42/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Fairfield West — Low fire risk: 100/100 Canley Vale — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Fairfield West rents higher ($440/wk vs $330/wk); Fairfield West has more residents (12,981 vs 10,300).

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Population 12,981
+21% vs other
 10,300
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.1% +0.8%
Median age 36 39
Median household income $74,256/yr
+7% vs other
 $69,160/yr
Median weekly rent $440/wk
+25% vs other
 $330/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Fairfield West Canley Vale
0-4 5.9% / 4.5%
Fairfield West — 0-4: 5.9% Canley Vale — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 14.3% / 12.2%
Fairfield West — 5-14: 14.3% Canley Vale — 5-14: 12.2%
15-19 7.2% / 6.8%
Fairfield West — 15-19: 7.2% Canley Vale — 15-19: 6.8%
20-24 7.5% / 7.3%
Fairfield West — 20-24: 7.5% Canley Vale — 20-24: 7.3%
25-34 12.8% / 13.1%
Fairfield West — 25-34: 12.8% Canley Vale — 25-34: 13.1%
35-44 12.5% / 12.8%
Fairfield West — 35-44: 12.5% Canley Vale — 35-44: 12.8%
45-54 12.8% / 13.5%
Fairfield West — 45-54: 12.8% Canley Vale — 45-54: 13.5%
55-64 11.8% / 14.1%
Fairfield West — 55-64: 11.8% Canley Vale — 55-64: 14.1%
65-74 8.4% / 8.8%
Fairfield West — 65-74: 8.4% Canley Vale — 65-74: 8.8%
75-84 5.5% / 4.2%
Fairfield West — 75-84: 5.5% Canley Vale — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ 1.4% / 2.6%
Fairfield West — 85+: 1.4% Canley Vale — 85+: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Fairfield West 57.6% couple families
Fairfield West — Couple Families: 57.6% Fairfield West — One Parent Families: 22.9% Fairfield West — Lone Person: 15.3% Fairfield West — Group Household: 2.2% Fairfield West — Other Families: 2.1%
Canley Vale 44.2% couple families
Canley Vale — Couple Families: 44.2% Canley Vale — One Parent Families: 24.6% Canley Vale — Lone Person: 24.2% Canley Vale — Group Household: 4.0% Canley Vale — Other Families: 3.0%
Couple Families One Parent Families Lone Person Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Fairfield West 36.2% renting
Fairfield West — Owned Outright: 34.7% Fairfield West — Mortgage: 29.0% Fairfield West — Renting: 36.2%
Canley Vale 42.7% renting
Canley Vale — Owned Outright: 31.0% Canley Vale — Mortgage: 26.3% Canley Vale — Renting: 42.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Bachelor Degree 7.3% / 10.2%
Fairfield West — Bachelor Degree: 7.3% Canley Vale — Bachelor Degree: 10.2%
Certificate III & IV 8.2% / 6.6%
Fairfield West — Certificate III & IV: 8.2% Canley Vale — Certificate III & IV: 6.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.5% / 5.3%
Fairfield West — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.5% Canley Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3%
Postgraduate Degree 1.3% / 1.8%
Fairfield West — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3% Canley Vale — Postgraduate Degree: 1.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.4% / 0.6%
Fairfield West — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.4% Canley Vale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.2%).

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.

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Vietnam 12.7% / 31.3%
Fairfield West — Vietnam: 12.7% Canley Vale — Vietnam: 31.3%
Iraq 18.0% / 3.7%
Fairfield West — Iraq: 18.0% Canley Vale — Iraq: 3.7%
China 1.0% / 4.5%
Fairfield West — China: 1.0% Canley Vale — China: 4.5%
Philippines 0.8% / 1.4%
Fairfield West — Philippines: 0.8% Canley Vale — Philippines: 1.4%
New Zealand 1.1% / 0.8%
Fairfield West — New Zealand: 1.1% Canley Vale — New Zealand: 0.8%
Lebanon 1.3% / —
Fairfield West — Lebanon: 1.3% Canley Vale — Lebanon: not among its largest
Thailand — / 1.3%
Fairfield West — Thailand: not among its largest Canley Vale — Thailand: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Fairfield West 88.3% houses
Fairfield West — Houses: 88.3% Fairfield West — Flats / Apartments: 4.7% Fairfield West — Townhouses: 7.0%
Canley Vale 53.3% houses
Canley Vale — Houses: 53.3% Canley Vale — Flats / Apartments: 29.5% Canley Vale — Townhouses: 17.2%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Median house price $1,250,000 $1,350,000
Median unit price $560,000 $455,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 25 days
from 94 sales
 25 days
from 52 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.

Fairfield West Canley Vale
3 bed $1.15M / $1.16M
Fairfield West — 3 bed: $1.15M (48 sales) Canley Vale — 3 bed: $1.16M (24 sales)

48 vs 24 sales

4 bed $1.25M / $1.4M
Fairfield West — 4 bed: $1.25M (40 sales) Canley Vale — 4 bed: $1.4M (18 sales)

40 vs 18 sales

5 bed $1.48M / $1.48M
Fairfield West — 5 bed: $1.48M (27 sales) Canley Vale — 5 bed: $1.48M (17 sales)

27 vs 17 sales

6 bed $1.37M / $1.66M
Fairfield West — 6 bed: $1.37M (6 sales) Canley Vale — 6 bed: $1.66M (6 sales)

6 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Residential 84% 72%
Parks and recreation 10%
same for both
Environmental 3% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 5%
Commercial 1% 2%
Industrial 0% 1%
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

Fairfield West Canley Vale
New dwellings approved 1,095
across Fairfield
same for both
Approvals change year on year +29%
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.

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Houses 3.1%
$740/wk on $1.23M
 3.3%
$720/wk on $1.12M
Units — 5.2%
$455/wk on $454K

Ranking within NSW

Fairfield West Canley Vale
House price Higher than 63% of NSW Higher than 71% of NSW
Income Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 32% of NSW
Schools Higher than 96% of NSW Higher than 97% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 90% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 28% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 39% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 75% of NSW

Liveability

Fairfield West scores higher overall (68 vs 63).

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Grade B
same for both
Score 68/100 63/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

Canley Vale carries more crime risk (58 vs 36).

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
36/100
 Moderate
58/100
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 21
within 5 km
 17
within 5 km

Schools

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Inside the suburb 3 4
Rated above peers 3 4
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
50 Scott Street Liverpool, 6.2 km
 3
50 Scott Street Liverpool, 5.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 3.1% 3.6%

Schools in Fairfield West

  • Fairfield West Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Fairvale High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Westfields Sports High School Government · Secondary above peers

Schools in Canley Vale

  • Canley Vale High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Canley Vale Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Lansvale Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Pal Buddhist School Independent · Combined above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 0 19
Parks & reserves 15 16
Childcare 2 9
GPs 1 2
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Waterways 0 9

Mobility

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Walkability score 80/100 74/100
Distance to Sydney 33.8 km
+2% vs other
 33 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 35 min 45 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 92/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 198.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 89.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 2165
 0.8%
postcode 2166
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 27
postcode 2165
 30
postcode 2166

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.

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Car (driver) 62.1% / 56.9%
Fairfield West — Car (driver): 62.1% Canley Vale — Car (driver): 56.9%
Worked from Home 28.4% / 27.1%
Fairfield West — Worked from Home: 28.4% Canley Vale — Worked from Home: 27.1%
Car (passenger) 4.7% / 6.3%
Fairfield West — Car (passenger): 4.7% Canley Vale — Car (passenger): 6.3%
Train 3.3% / 7.2%
Fairfield West — Train: 3.3% Canley Vale — Train: 7.2%
Walked Only 0.7% / 1.8%
Fairfield West — Walked Only: 0.7% Canley Vale — Walked Only: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.1%).

Setting

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Elevation 37 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 23.7 km
4.6 km to a named beach
 21.0 km
1.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Connectivity score 76/100 71/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 6%
3,821 premises
 6%
3,630 premises

Climate

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Annual rainfall 931 mm 909 mm
Summer max (Jan) 28.9°C 28.7°C
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C 6.4°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Fairfield West Canley Vale
PM2.5 6.8 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 18.2 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.72 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Average residential rate $990/yr
same for both
Council Fairfield
same for both

Federal electorate

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Division Mcmahon Fowler
Member Chris Bowen Dai Le
Party Australian Labor Party Independent

First Home Owner Grant

Fairfield West Canley Vale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Fairfield West

Multicultural Outer Parks Urban

Canley Vale

Easy Commute Multicultural Outer Parks River Trains Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Fairfield West

Fairfield West vs Fairfield Fairfield West vs Smithfield Fairfield West vs Canley Heights Fairfield West vs Fairfield Heights Fairfield West vs Wakeley Fairfield West vs Prairiewood

Other comparisons with Canley Vale

Canley Vale vs Cabramatta Canley Vale vs Fairfield Canley Vale vs Canley Heights Canley Vale vs Carramar Canley Vale vs Lansvale
Full data on Fairfield West Full data on Canley Vale
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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